The Artist’s Process: Norman Rockwell’s Color Studies

Known for his painted magazine covers and illustrations for stories, books, and advertisements, Norman Rockwell was a masterful draftsman and composer who navigated an exacting artistic process that made it possible for him to envision every aspect of a final work before it was begun. By the time a canvas was on his easel, he would have completed several stages of preparation, including the creation of pencil and charcoal sketches, model sessions that were photographed as reference, at least one highly detailed tonal drawing, and one or more studies that would help him to establish the color palette for his art.

Saying Grace (Study)

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Saying Grace, 1951
Color study for The Saturday Evening Post, November 24, 1951
Oil on photographic paper
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Gift of Robert and Joy Edgerton Freistaz, NRM.1993.14

Many of Rockwell’s Post colors originated from his own imagination or from scenes he had witnessed and remembered; Saying Grace is one exception. In a letter written to Rockwell on November 27, 1950, Mrs. Edward V. Earl recounts her experience at a Horn & Hardart Automat as a possible Post cover idea. The letter describes a plain young woman with a little boy of about five who walked by her with food-laden trays. They took off their coats, hung them up and returned to their table where two men were already seated eating their lunch. Mrs. Earl goes on to write, “To my astonishment, they both folded their hands and bowed their heads to say grace, not just a thank you, but she was saying something of a two minute duration.”

From this narrative, Rockwell choose to change the age of the woman in the construction of his painting. According to the Post, “Norman Rockwell’s little lady is a quiet sermon in paint. Everyone can partake of her deep, old wisdom.”

 

To create his color studies, Rockwell’s final, large scale charcoal drawings were photographed and printed on photographic paper. His color studies were painted on top of these photographs, or on clear acetate overlays. Color studies allowed Rockwell to consider how his color idea would play on the newsstand before moving ahead to the final painting.

Their utilitarian purpose of Rockwell’s color studies belies their strength and aesthetic beauty, which traverse the many phases of his career. Guided by the artist’s imagination and astute observational skills, character, plot, and setting are brought together in these carefully considered elements of Rockwell’s visual narratives, in studies that are increasingly refined through his painstaking perfectionism.

The Right to Know (Study)

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
The Right to Know, 1968
Color study illustration for Look, August 20, 1968, pp. 48-49
Oil on photographic paper
Private Collection

In 1966, Rockwell was commissioned to create a military recruitment poster, but he felt conflicted about the war in Vietnam. In March 1967, he wrote to the Marines Corps to decline the assignment: “I just can’t paint a picture unless I have my heart in it.” One year later, Rockwell began work on The Right to Know—a political statement expressing the right of citizens to be informed of the rationale behind their government’s actions. Just months before the painting was to be published, The New York Times reported on the Pentagon Papers, a scandal involving the White House’s suppression of information regarding troop escalation in Vietnam. In this color study, his subjects’ eyes are cast downward, but in the final work, they look directly out at the viewer.

About the Artist

Born in New York City in 1894, Norman Rockwell always wanted to be an artist. At age 14, Rockwell enrolled in art classes at The New York School of Art (formerly The Chase School of Art). Two years later, in 1910, he left high school to study art at The National Academy of Design. He soon transferred to The Art Students League, where he studied with Thomas Fogarty and George Bridgman. Fogarty’s instruction in illustration prepared Rockwell for his first commercial commissions. From Bridgman, Rockwell learned the technical skills on which he relied throughout his long career. Learn more…

IMAGES

Girl at Mirror (Study)

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Girl at Mirror, 1954
Color study for The Saturday Evening Post, March 6, 1954
Oil on photographic paper
Private Collection

Norman Rockwell’s idea for painting a girl looking in a mirror came from his own childhood. “As a kid I use to contemplate myself in a mirror, wondering if I was handsome,” he said. This color study reveals he considered doing the picture without placing a glamour magazine on the girl’s lap. After this cover was published, he regretted using the magazine at all, saying, “I should not have added the photograph of the movie star. The little girl is not wondering if she looks like the star, but just trying to estimate her own charms.”

 

Shuffleton's Barbershop

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Shuffleton’s Barbershop, 1950
Color study for The Saturday Evening Post, April 29, 1950
Oil on photographic paper
Private Collection

Norman Rockwell painted this scene of his hometown barbershop while living in rural Arlington, Vermont, where the artist pained his Four Freedoms. He posed Shuffleton’s proprietor as the fiddler in the back room. Rob Shuffleton was an avid fisherman, and Rockwell alludes to this fact with the inclusion of his fishing gear. Though the painting’s abundant detail establishes a heightened sense of reality, in the final work, Rockwell’s greatest challenge was creating the window through which this scene is viewed. The window frame does not appear in his study, but its later addition places us outside on the street, where we can immerse ourselves in the painting’s narrative and imagine the sound from within. The darkened foreground contrasts with the warmth and activity in the back room, which helps to focus attention on the narrative—a scenario in which three men play music for sheer enjoyment.

 

The Revolution that Started in a Shed at Night

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
The Revolution that Started in a Shed at Night, 1952
Color study for Ford Motor Company 50th Anniversary
Oil on photographic paper
Private Collection

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MEDIA

American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell (Remastered)

Published: December 12, 2017

VENUE(S)

Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA      Opens November 6, 2021

Hours

OPEN
Mon 10am-4pm
Tue 10am-4pm
Thu 10am-4pm
Fri 10am-4pm
Sat 10am-5pm
Sun 10am-5pm

CLOSED
Wednesdays
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day
New Year’s Day
ROCKWELL’S STUDIO
Closed for the season.
Opens May 1, 2025

Special Holiday Hours: Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve: 10am-2pm.

Admissions

There are limited daily tickets for tours of Norman Rockwell’s Studio. It is recommended you purchase your museum admission and studio tour tickets online in advance of your visit.  Museum Visit admission is required for all tours.

Buy Admission

Members Adult Seniors /
Veterans & Military		 Children MA Teachers College
Students
Museum Visit: Free $25 $23 Free $22 $10
Curator Tour:
Original Sisters		 $10 + $20 + $20 Free + $20 + $20
Guided Tour:
Rockwell’s Life & Art
(40 minutes)		 Free +$10 +$10 Free +$10 +$10

There are limited daily tickets for tours of Norman Rockwell’s Studio. It is recommended you purchase your museum admission and studio tour tickets online in advance of your visit.  Museum Visit admission is required for all tours.

Buy Admission

Museum Visit:
Members, Children, & Active Military: FREE
Adults: $25
Seniors & Retired Military: $23
MA Teachers: $22
College Students: $10

Guided Tour:
Rockwell’s Life & Art
(40 minutes) – additional purchase
Members, Children, & Active Military: FREE
Ticket per person: $10

Curator Tour:
Original Sisters
Members: $10
Children: FREE
Adults: $20
Seniors & Active/Retired Military: $20
College Students: $20

Additional Discount Opportunities:

  • Front Line Medical Workers receive free admission.
  • AAA member, NARM member, Stockbridge Resident, and EBT/WIC/ConnectorCare Cardholder discounts available.

For Free and Reduced prices, you may be required to present a valid ID demonstrating your status for qualifying for discounted pricing.

Available Discounts
Kids Free is supported by:
Connector Card is supported by:
Norman Rockwell Museum receives support from:

DIRECTIONS

Norman Rockwell Museum
9 Glendale Road Route 183
Stockbridge, MA 01262
413-931-2221

Download a Printable version of Driving Directions (acrobat PDF).

Important note: Many GPS and online maps do not accurately place Norman Rockwell Museum*. Please use the directions provided here and this map image for reference. Google Maps & Directions are correct! http://maps.google.com/

* Please help us inform the mapping service companies that incorrectly locate the Museum; let your GPS or online provider know and/or advise our Visitor Services office which source provided faulty directions.

Route 7 runs north to south through the Berkshires. Follow Route 7 South to Stockbridge. Turn right onto Route 102 West and follow through Main Street Stockbridge. Shortly after going through town, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

Route 7 runs north to south through the Berkshires. Follow Route 7 North into Stockbridge. Turn left onto Route 102 West at the stop sign next to The Red Lion Inn. Shortly after you make the left turn, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

Boston (two-and-a-half hours) or Springfield (one hour):
Take the Ma ssachusetts Turnpike (I-90) West, getting off at exit 10 (formerly exit 2) – Lee. At the light at the end of the ramp turn left onto Route 20 East and then immediately turn right onto Route 102 West. Follow Route 102 West into Stockbridge Center (about five miles). Continue going west on Route 102 (Main St.). Shortly after going through town, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

from Albany and west: (one hour) Take I-90 east to exit B3 – Route 22. Go south on New York Route 22 to Massachusetts Route 102 East. Stay on Route 102 East through West Stockbridge. Continue on Route 102 East approximately 5.5 miles until you come to a blinking light at the intersection of Route 183. Make a right at the blinking light onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

(two-and-a-half hours) Take either the New York State Thruway or the Taconic State Parkway to I-90 East. Follow I-90 East to exit B3 – Route 22. Go south on New York Route 22 to Massachusetts Route 102 East. Stay on Route 102 East through West Stockbridge. Continue on Route 102 East approximately 5.5 miles until you come to a blinking light at the intersection of Route 183. Make a right at the blinking light onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

(one-and-a-half hours) Take I-91 North to the Massachusetts Turnpike. Take the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) West, getting off at exit 10 (formerly exit 2) – Lee. At the light at the end of the ramp turn left onto Route 20 East and then immediately turn right onto Route 102 West. Follow Route 102 West into Stockbridge Center (about five miles). Continue going west on Route 102 (Main St.). Shortly after going through town, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

(five minutes)
Go west on Route 102 (Main St.). Shortly after going through town, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.