Orange Crush Soda advertisement study c. 1946

Here is an 'Orange Crush Soda advertisement study' by Gil Elvgren, made sometime in the mid 20th century. You can really see how artmaking is a process here, the artist feels like they are showing their working out. It is a study, and he uses graphite to define the figure, but then offsets this by incorporating brown washes in parts of the picture plane. The figure of the girl is rendered with a great deal of detail and care, particularly in her facial expression, which has real character. Then the painting is balanced out by other parts which feel like a more loose treatment. The mark making is economic but precise. I really like the way the paint feels dilute and fluid in places, but dry and chalky in others. It’s this textural contrast that gives the piece its playful character, reminding me a bit of Tamara de Lempicka's advertising sketches. It’s all about that casual, conversational, give-and-take thing that artists do with the material. There’s no one ‘right’ way to read this image, and to me that’s where the real joy lies.