Russian matchbox art.
Drawn pointed out this Flickr set of matchbox label art. The set contains some amazing examples of two- and three-color illustration. Negative shapes on one color plate become the highlights and contours of figures that are fleshed-out with seemingly abstract shapes in a second color. The artists define forms, create shadows, etc. in the most minimal way. At one time these illustration techniques would have been well-known but in this age of cheap digital full-color output, would it be taught anymore? The crude printing used in these examples – with their loose color-trapping and registration – betray a low budget and unrefined technology but there is virtuosity in the way the illustrators overcome the limitations of the reproduction process.