The Art of Jon Whitcomb

Marilyn Monroe, 1958

JON WHITCOMB (1906-1988) A true product of the midwest, he was born in Oklahoma, raised in Wisconsin and went to college in Ohio. He started drawing illustrations for student publications while a student at Ohio State, and worked summers painting posters for a theater.

 Whitcomb was a pioneer in the switch from oil to gouache for illustrations. The different qualities of gouache compared to oil led to changes in the design of Whitcomb's illustrations. He zoomed in on people, usually pretty, young city women, and reduced the background to simple design elements. His new style of illustrations soon appeared in Collier's Weekly, Good Housekeeping and other magazines.

Cosmopolitan, Feb 1951

 He wrote some short stories, two children's books, Coco, and Pom Pom's Christmas, and a book on glamour, All About Girls. He was one of the founding faculty of the Famous Artists School.


Mostly he was known for his beautiful women----

Monroe