Category Archives: Illustration Alumni

R. Sikoryak at Strand Books tomorrow and SPX this weekend!

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The Strand and Drawn & Quarterly Present R. Sikoryak (Masterpiece Comics) and R.O. Blechman (Talking Lines).
Thursday, September 24, 2009 7:00 PM
Slide Shows, Q+A and Signing

NYC is abuzz with excitement over R.O. Blechman and R. Sikoryak joint presentation of their new D+Q books at the Strand this Thursday night at 7 PM. Both R. and R.O. will be presenting slide shows, taking questions and signing the night away. Don’t miss this event! The Village Voice recommends the event by the two “talented satirists” as does the New Yorker.

Need more convincing than that? Well, Steven Heller chose Blechman’s Talking Lines last week to talk about in his Daily Heller column at Print where he states: “All of [Blechman’s] books are a joy, but the bottom line: This one is exceptional.” And there are two interviews with Sikoryak, check them out! The NY Daily News and Publishers Weekly.

For more information visit: www.strandbooks.com

SPX2009

D+Q To Exhibit at the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD
Saturday and Sunday, September 26 & 27th, 2009

Signings by Kevin Huizenga, John Porcellino and R. Sikoryak!
Porcellino’s MAP OF MY HEART to debut!

Come say hello to Drawn & Quarterly’s Jessica Campbell and Alison Naturale, as well D+Q cartoonists Kevin Huizenga, John Porcellino and R. Sikoryak.

Sikoryak signing and event schedule:

Saturday, September 27th
1:00 pm- R. Sikoryak spotlight in White Flint Amphitheater
2:00-4:30pm- R. Sikoryak signing


Sunday, September 28th

12:00-1:00 pm- R Sikoryak signing
1:30 pm- Source Based Comic discussion w/ R. Sikoryak, Kate Beaton, Paul Karasik, Ed Piskor
3:00-5:00pm- R Sikoryak signing

For more information: http://www.spxpo.com/

Peter Kuper: All Over the Map (at Society of Illustrators)

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Wednesday, September 30, 2009–In a slide presentation at the Society of Illustrators (NY), artist and Parsons Illustration Alum Peter Kuper will present everything from his world travels to political illustrations to graphic novels. Included will be work from his newest book, Diario de Oaxaca, a sketchbook journal of his two years living in Mexico.

Peter Kuper has won both gold and silver medals from the Society of Illustrators and his art has appeared on the covers of Time and Newsweek as well as Mad where he has drawn Spy vs Spy since 1997.

$15 non-members/$10 members/$7 students

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
6:30pm – 9:30pm
Society of Illustrators
128 East 63 Street, NY, NY
RSVP kevin@societyillustrators.org or call 212 838 2560

www.societyillustrators.org

A Blue Sky Evening: Creating Buck, Star of Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs

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At the Society of Illustrators on September 24th, Parsons Illustration Alum Peter de Sève will lead a presentation of Blue Sky artists who will take you through the process of creating the unforgettable character Buck with a Power Point presentation and film clips. Each artist will speak about their specific area of expertise:

Peter de Sève, Character Designer
Talks about the process of design showing sketches of Buck through final design.

Mike DeFeo, Sculpting Supervisor

Describes the process of traditional sculpting referring to the Buck macquette, and the digital sculpting and 3D model evolution.

Mike Knapp, Art Director
Speaks to the design of the Lost World, color choices for the character Buck as they relate to the world as well as the fur and materials processes.

Tony Maki, Story Artist
Discusses the story boarding process with a focus on the sequences FLASHBACK and CAMPFIRE.

Galen Chu, Supervising Animator
Discusses animating the character Buck and will touch on his unique physical expressions.

The evening will close with Q & A.
$15 non-members $10 members $7 students
Thursday, September 24, 2009
6:30pm – 9:30pm
Society of Illustrators
128 East 63 Street, NY, NY

RSVP kevin@societyillustrators.org or call 212 838 2560
www.societyillustrators.org

From Adaptation To Mutation: Contemporary Narrative Artists Remix Popular Culture

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From Adaptation To Mutation: Contemporary Narrative Artists Remix Popular Culture
September 17, 2009 7PM
66 W 12th St./Room 404

A panel discussion with Nora Krug, Isabel Samaras, and R. Sikoryak, introduced and moderated by Bill Kartalopouluos. Presented by the Illustration Program at Parsons The New School for Design.

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Isabel Samaras’ most recent book is On Tender Hooks: The Art of Isabel Samaras (Chronicle Books).  She is a graduate of the Illustration Program at Parsons.

R. Sikoryak is the author of Masterpiece Comics (Drawn & Quarterly). He teaches in the Illustration Program at Parsons and is also a graduate of the Program.

Nora Krug is the author of Red Riding Hood Redux (Bries). She is an associate professor in the Illustration Program at Parsons.

Bill Kartalopoulos teaches classes on comics and illustration at Parsons.

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Admission

Free; no tickets or reservations required;
seating is first-come first-served.

Don’t miss this amazing event!

[top image created by Noel Claro; middle image by R. Sikoryak; bottom image by Isabel Samaras]

Illustration Alum Jill Bliss featured on 20×200

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Illustration Alum Jill Bliss is staying busy.  Two different prints of hers were recently featured on Jen Bekman’s 20×200 website. Here is Jill’s artist statement:

In all the work that I do, I’m interested in the boundaries between separate communities or ideas—the common ground where things intersect, cross-pollinate and co-habitate.

In ecology, an area that contains habitats common to two communities, as well as others unique to the transition zone itself, is called the ecotone. This area is typically characterized by greater species diversity and population density than occur in either of the individual communities.

In my mind, “people, plants and animals” or “art, craft and design” are not so different from one another. I believe that everything and everyone are interconnected and similar—it’s just a matter of each functioning with a different set of materials, and at varying speeds and scales. I hope to call attention to these ideas in my work, and to celebrate the small overlooked details that showcase these interconnections and samenesses.

Head over to 20×200’s site and there might still be some of Jill’s prints available.  And of course, check out Jill’s website for more goods and information.

Keep up the amazing work, Jill!

[seen above: Handmade Treehomes, #1A by Jill Bliss]

Drawn & Quarterly at the Brooklyn Book Fair (feat. R. Sikoryak!)

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Drawn & Quarterly to exhibit at the Brooklyn Book Fair/Festival on Sunday, September 13th!
20th Anniversary Party at Brooklyn’s Rocketship on Saturday, September 12th!
Guy Delisle, R. Sikoryak, R.O. Blechman, Adrian Tomine, Gabrielle Bell and Ron Rege Jr!

For the third year in a row, D+Q will be exhibiting at the Brooklyn Book Festival. The festival has kindly invited Guy Delisle (Burma Chronicles, Pyongyang, Shenzhen) to be a special guest on the festival’s international stage, which will mark Delisle’s first-ever NYC event. D+Q cartoonists in attendance will be [Parsons Illustration Alum and Faculty] R. Sikoryak (Masterpiece Comics), R. O. Blechman (Talking Lines), Adrian Tomine (Shortcomings), Gabrielle Bell (Cecil & Jordan In New York) and Ron Rege Jr. (Skibber Bee Bye, Against Pain). To celebrate such a momentous gathering of D+Q cartoonists as well as toast to the company’s 20th Anniversary, please join us for cocktails at the Brooklyn purveyor of fine comics, Rocketship, on Saturday evening.

Saturday, September 12th, 7:00 PM
Rocketship, 208 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY
http://rocketshipstore.blogspot.com/

Sunday, September 13th, 10:00AM-6:00 PM
Brooklyn Book Festival, Borough Hall, Brooklyn NY
http://www.visitbrooklyn.org/festival.html

11:00 AM Guy Delisle on the BBF’s International Stage
11:00-12:00 PM Gabrielle Bell & Ron Rege Jr signing
12:00-2:00 PM Guy Delisle & Adrian Tomine signing
2:00-4:00 PM R. O. Blechman & R. Sikoryak signing
4:00-6:00 PM Guy Delisle & Gabrielle Bell signing

All signings will be at the Drawn & Quarterly booth!

Brooklyn Bailout Burlesque featuring Illustration Alum Christine Young

brooklynbbBrooklyn Bailout Burlesque

Featuring:

Jon Burgerman (UK)
Jim Avignon (Germany)
Roman de Milk & Wodka (Switzerland)
Ema (France)
Asuka Ohsawa (Japan)
Daniel Dueck (Brooklyn)
Christine Young (Brooklyn) [Parsons Illustration Alum ’09]

Christine Young and a host of other amazing artists are included in the Fresh Factory Show, Brooklyn Bailout Burlesque which runs till August 30th, 2009. Here’s the official description:

The art world, global companies, complex societies and every small individual all have one problem in common: how to deal with the crisis. When money goes wrong nothing goes right. Many in the high society of art dreamt the dream of instant success and big overnight money, but the awakening was rough and most of the ambitious collectors had gone with the wind. So how can one stay in a market that barely exists in this time, where money displays a rather strange behavior.

Jim Avignon, Brooklyn-Berlin based artist, musician and hopeless bohemian curated a show with 7 young artists from Brooklyn and Europe,which might have some answers for you. They throw their skills together and create a panorama, where strange and funny characters inhabit a peculiar zone somewhere between realist figuration. cartoons, messageboard-doodling and pure fantasy.

Expect everything from unsentimental portraits, vibrant colors, playful items contemporary weirdness with a good old anti-establishment vibe.

Between high art and crumbling economy there is a common ground for inexpensive works, keenly tailored for broad appeal.

The show must go on.

Factory Fresh is currently OPEN from 1-7pm Wednesday thru Sunday and is located at 1053 Flushing Avenue between Morgan and Knickerbocker, off the L train Morgan Stop.

General information or questions, please contact info@factoryfresh.net.

[painting above by Jon Avignon]

Alumni Update: Brad Hamann

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We received this email from Alum Brad Hamann (’77) the other day:

I am happy to announce the launch of my new campaign for DKNY’s special limited-edition Be Delicious scent, for which I have designed all the new illustrations. The artwork will be seen on everything from packaging and posters to billboards, p.o.p. items and taxi tops! An interactive version of the comic book I designed for DKNY can also be viewed at www.dknyfragrances.com My love for pop and comic book art has long been one of my main sources of inspiration and I’m very excited about this campaign.

Congrats, Brad! And for the rest of you, you can see more of Brad’s work at his website.


Last Night: Dime Bag at Giant Robot

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Curated by Jordin Isip (Illustration Faculty) and Rodger Stevens (Illustration Alum and Faculty), Dime Bag closes tonight at Giant Robot New York.  The show has been getting some fantastic press, including coverage by NYMag’s Culture Vulture blog (great slideshow included!) and Peggy Roalf at DART.  Here’s an excerpt from Peggy’s write-up:

The show is the brainchild of Jordin Isip and Rodger Stevens, art school buddies who came up with the idea when they realized what a huge art network of artists they had just from hanging out socially. They wanted to bring as many artists together as possible to create new work with only one small – but huge – restriction: Each piece must fit into a 3-by-3-inch ziplock bag.

Isip and Rodgers invited artists representing an extraordinary variety of disciplines, including painters, illustrators, graphic designers, filmmakers, photographers, and product designers. Each of the artists was sent one of the little baggies and asked to fill it in any way they wished.

I found Jordin by phone in his studio today and he said, “We wanted to have an exhibit where the show itself, as well as the individual pieces, are a work of art.” He certainly succeeded, and GR/New York’s small gallery space proves to be an ideal environment for the art. I found myself looking at each of the three walls of the installation as a whole element before zeroing in on individual images. In fact, I spent quite a while looking at each piece, with the idea of purchasing one.

Read the rest of Peggy’s article here and for goodness sake, if you haven’t already, get over to GRNY for the show.

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[top photo strip: Heads Up at Giant Robot. Left: Trapped in a Bag by Calef Brown. Center: I Didn’t Bust No, Uh, Hip-Hop Moves by Gregory Benton. Right: Head by Jordin Isip. All copyright the artists, photos: Peggy Roalf.]