I wonder how many of you recall using a morgue back in the day ? Probably only the old-timers, since clipart has apparently become the norm, and a morgue the exception. However, to take some of the newer folks on a trip down memory lane, a morgue was basically a personal filing system of drawings or photo references or even anything that might tweak one's interest and provide an inspirational spark. All sorts of reference material went into one's personal morgue, and it was maintained with whichever system the individual felt comfortable with.
The main thing was that when you needed to find a reference for any particular subject, you could....and used what you had to draw your own version of whatever your need may have been.
Clipart differs in that it's already been drawn and is usually available on a disc collection, or as a book of high quality black & white images which can be scanned. It has it's advantages in that it's quick, and it eliminates that step of actually drawing the art to suit your requirement. I do see a bit of a disadvantage in that it has discouraged the initiative of actually drawing a subject from reference material. That's a skill worthy of preservation, since one with that ability can get by when no clipart can be found of the subject they might wish to portray. I know that I've been guilty myself, of spending more time looking for a specific clipart image, when it might well have been faster to simply draw what I needed.
Do any of you fellow geezers remember using a morgue, and do you still own/maintain one ??
Posted by John Arnott (Member # 215) on :
I stiil have mine. I still go into it once in a while. Now I keep "NIFTY FILES" in Corel Draw. NIFTY FILE-Cartoons NIFTY FILE-Panels NIFTY FILE-Scrolls NIFTY FILE-Letters ETC. ETC.
Posted by Kelly Thorson (Member # 2958) on :
I just threw out my morgue a few months ago, while unpacking from my move. It was tough, I had dozens of files containing artwork that I had collected for 30 years. But I realized that I hadn't been using it for a long time, although I still occasionally visited it, nowadays I just either visit a stock site or google for images and I can usually come a lot closer to the angle and lighting I want than I could with my morgue. I pared it down from over 3 feet width of files to about 2". I'll probably not use that 2" either, but the contents have some sentimental value or other for me.
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
I've got a huge morgue file. Everything has been moved to digital. I'm up to nearly a terabyte's worth so far.
Posted by Michael Boone (Member # 308) on :
mine was in boxes and still is anybody think searching for a font takes time? try rummaging thru box after box of magazine clippings,comic books,newspapers,packing labels,etc ...all with no filing system... I used to could find anything I wanted quite quickly most times.... leave it to Ken to come up with good memories.....
Posted by Nikki Goral (Member # 7844) on :
OK I am not a geezer and I have a HUGE morgue file!! Started it when I was probably 6 years old! (I am 37 now...) I have several filing cabinets FULL of everything from old calendars to photos, illustrations, cereal box covers etc....my husband just nods and ignores them!
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
My morgue file wasn't too big, although I had intentions of greatly expanding it. Some years ago, I bought a few clip art and photo libraries and now I just Google images and look, as Kelly does, for the angle and lighting I want. I might pull elements from several images to build mine.
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
As I get older, I try to stay away from anything marked "Morgue".
I have one and usually find stuff there faster than searching clip art files.
Posted by Bobbie Rochow (Member # 3341) on :
I'm with Dave ont he word "Morgue".
But I do keep all kinds of old things, magazine pics, old drawings & tracings I have done, stylized stuff. I am sentimental, I could never throw out the old drawings & doodles I have done!
Posted by Michael Clanton (Member # 2419) on :
I have both- there is something about actually touching a physical piece of art- plus I have found out that now I have so much digital clipart, that I can't find anything in it any faster than an old morgue file...
Posted by Sonny Franks (Member # 588) on :
I have morgue files (I always called 'em "Swipe Files) I rarely use, but lots of old advertising art books, Dover collections and stacks of Clipper I revisit regularly.....
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
I've never really kept a morgue file but instead collected books on many different subjects. There are more than 1200 books in my collection now and I refer to them often. If I can't find it there google often gets a workout. Clip art is not in the mix.
-grampa dan
Posted by bruce ward (Member # 1289) on :
trashed them a few years back. Although I have drawn images in the past I have no interest of doing that again. Clip art rocks
Posted by Mike Simpson (Member # 20303) on :
I have both a paper morgue as well as a digital morgue. The digital version gets more attention however. I'll save anything that has an interesting look to it...never know when I might need it as reference for an existing idea or use it to trigger an idea.
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