Fluff n’ Doodles - Modern Retro Art

Wild Thing by FLUFF

I love the classic pin-up artists of long ago. Elvgren, Vargas and Runci are some of the original creators of the beautiful artwork that cultivated the glamorous and kitschy images of pin-ups that we all love today. Flash forward to present day... We have some wonderful modern artists who take inspiration from the greats of yesteryear and put their own spin on pin-up beauty and retro style. Here are a few of my favorites:

Olivia

• Olivia De Berardinis: Olivia is a modern day pin-up master. She has a gift of glorifying, glamorizing and celebrating femininity, sexuality and beauty of the female body. She has created numerous masterpieces of the iconic bombshells such as Betty Page and Marilyn Monroe and also beautiful art inspired by today’s pin-ups like Dita Von Teese and Bernie Dexter. My computer desk sits under a gorgeous, signed Olivia (lucky me!) and I look up at it every day for inspiration.

 Devilette by FLUFF - Claudette Barjoud

• FLUFF: I’ve recently fallen in love with the cutesy-meets-glamour artwork of Claudette Barjoud, also known as Fluff. Actually, that’s not true. I’ve been in love with her artwork for quite a while now and have purchased numerous note cards with her sassy-sexy images for various holidays and thank-yous. I repeatedly fell in love her retro, pin-up cartoons and graphic imagery, yet never knew who was behind the pen until recently. And now I love her all the more. Fluff combines a bit of rockabilly, a bit of tattoo art, a bit of 60’s mod and a whole-lotta adorable pin-up goodness! My favorite (for obvious reasons *wink*) are her brunette girls. She sells cards, apparel, totes, bags and other fun items in her store Fluffshop.com.

• Maly Siri’s Pin-Up Art & Doodles: Maly Siri is an artist from Montreal who creates illustrations of beautiful glamour girls with nostalgic flare. Even her basic rough pencil sketches are works of art before they magically transform into vintage inspired masterpieces. Her illustrations have an elegance and style reminiscent of the 1940s and like Olivia, she has featured some of today’s top pin-ups in her work. Maly is a not only an amazing artist, but has pin-up beauty herself. Check Maly Siri out on Facebook.

• Shag: What can I say about Shag (aka Josh Agle)? He’s a pioneer in lounge art and brings the cocktail to a whole new level of kitsch. He is Shag. You know his work when you see it and while others have tried to imitate his style, no one comes close to capturing the cool that he has cultivated. I have been a huge fan of his since I published Modern Lounge Magazine many moons ago when we featured him in our second issue (he’s a nice guy too!). He continues to remain the king of swank and has gone on to put his 50s swinger touch on beloved Disneyland attraction art such as the Haunted Mansion, Small World and the Enchanted Tiki Room. Shag not only draws his dreams, but he lives it. And he’s fabulous. www.Shagmart.com

The cool kids at the Haunted Mansion by Shag