Category Archives: Illustration Faculty

Job Posting: Assistant Professor in Illustration

employment, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, News, , ,

The School of Art, Media and Technology (AMT) at Parsons The New School for Design is seeking applicants for a full-time renewable term appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor in Illustration starting Fall 2009. Successful applicants must hold terminal degrees in their respective fields and/or equivalent professional standing, and must demonstrate a strong record of excellence in teaching and scholarship/creative work. This position is dependent on budget approval from the Office of the Provost.

The successful candidate for this position will be an illustrator who has a deep knowledge and interest in the history of the field, as well as its present manifestations, and who has a demonstrable background in teaching visual thinking and technique and has experience in a variety of areas in the illustration field. This individual will teach independently and as a member of teams in core illustration seminars and studios; will be an instructor and/or coordinator of special collaborative projects with the for-profit and non-profit sectors; will work closely with the School’s leadership to define and implement the illustration department¹s mission across its curriculum; will develop and assist in the implementation of new curriculum; will facilitate and enhance connections and relationships between and among other disciplines within the School for Art, Media and Technology at Parsons and the New School University; and will strengthen connections and relationships among sophomore, junior and senior level curricula.

This individual will also take part in a team that will develop graduate programs in Illustration. Through an immersion in technical expertise, processes, aesthetic considerations and proactive social engagement, Parsons¹ Illustration cultivates the technical skills and intellectual habits essential to imaginatively explore and responsibly integrate the swiftly expanding roles of a successful professional Illustrator.

For requirements and application deadlines, go to the official job listing and submit your resume!

21st Annual Indie and Small Press Book Fair this weekend!

comics, Events, Illustration Alumni, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, Talks/Lectures, , , ,

book-fair

Celebrate publishing’s independent spirit with over 100 indie publishers from around the world, all under one roof, selling books you can’t get at your big box bookstore. The Indie and Small Press Book Fair is one of New York City’s favorite annual literary events. It’s free, open to all, and packed with an exciting line-up of public events. Full event schedule and exhibitor list can be found here.

Bonus: In addition to all the wonderful wares and events, Illustration Alum and Faculty member R. Sikoryak will be giving a lecture on Saturday, December 6th, 2 p.m. Here are the details:

Masterpiece Comics: A Slide Show with R. Sikoryak

Comic book artist and Parsons instructor R. Sikoryak presents literature as seen through the cartoon medium. His slideshow explores the intersection of “high art” literature and “low art” comic strips as seen in the works by cartoonists who have adapted classic novels and plays. Sikoryak (whose own work includes adaptations of Dostoyevsky and Emily Bronte) discusses the history of these reinterpretations with images from over ninety years of comic strips, comic books, and graphic novels.

21st Annual Indie and Small Press Book Fair
Hosted by the New York Center for Independent Publishing
Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7
General Society Building
20 W. 44th St.
New York, NY

Check out the official website here.

Good luck, Bob!

Follow-up: All that black tape!

Current Students, Follow Up, Illustration Faculty, Randomly Intriguing, ,

lahey tape 1

Guest entry by Sean Lahey, Jr. Concepts Instructor

What’s with the tape on the floor?

The Junior Concepts class bombed the hallway outside the illustration department office a few weeks ago as the final piece of the classes in-studio project that week.  Students were asked to start the project by writing a list in their sketchbooks.  Things that excited them or scared them or got under their skin. Things that motivated them to go out and change something.  Hot topics.  Buzz words.  Whatever.

Then they selected one, and were asked to imagine the call had come.  The biggest city daily newspaper has requested a small spot illustration for a piece on your most passionate topic.

Three inches by three inches.  Black and White only please…  They were asked to make their illustrations strong.  Give them visual impact despite their size.  Be attentive to balance and weight.  This was their shot.

Lastly, the hook… and the fun part of the lesson.

3 inches by 3 inches translates to 3 floor tiles by three floor tiles very easily when your line weight is suddenly one inch thick.

Enter the plumbers tape, selling at every corner bodega for about 90 cents a roll.

lahey tape 2

In this extremely cluttered visual environment that we all compete in, a lot of getting yourself out there is just making the leap and trying to figure out a new way to get noticed.  The “Concepts” agenda for this project was think big and different, think public but non-permanent, and as always, keep it cheap.

Your word is out.  Or, in this case, at least the illustrated version of your word.

And it’ll be seen by everyone in the department for, ohhh…  about the several weeks (or months).

Give or take the strength of the cleaning solvents used by the janitors.

Thanks to Sean for the explanation and his students for the art!

R. Sikoryak work in “The Bentfootes”

film, Illustration Alumni, Illustration Faculty, News, , , , , , , ,

bentfootes

The dance mockumentary The Bentfootes–for which Illustration Alum and Part-time Faculty member Robert Sikoryak contributed archival animation, design and illustration–won second place in the Narrative Feature category at the Landlocked Film Festival in Iowa City.  Here’s the official description of the movie:

Writer Todd Alcott and choreographer Kriota Willberg team up to direct their first feature film, a loving skewering of 200 years of American dance. Funny, touching and irreverent, The Bentfootes tells the story of a fictitious every-choreographer, Susan Bentfoote (1966-2005) (Nina Hellman) and her quasi-illustrious family, who managed to keep their demented muse alive through all of American history. We follow Jim Raritan (James Urbaniak), Susan’s boyfriend, as he takes us on a wide-eyed, enthusiastic, exasperating journey of discovery into a forgotten tributary in the river of American dance culture and watch as he goes from being the lover of a dead choreographer to becoming a producer of American Modern Dance. A ‘mockumentary’ melange of Spinal Tap and Ken Burns, The Bentfootes includes a memorial concert of Bentfoote dances, interviews with family and friends, historical photos, film and family memorabilia. In its own tongue-in-cheek way it explores the American dancer’s artistic aesthetic from post-revolutionary times to the present.

Congratulations to Bob, the filmmakers, and everyone involved!

Quick Hit: Neil Swaab working on Superjail!

Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, , ,

superjail

Parsons Illustration Part-time Faculty Neil Swaab was one of four character layout artists who created and drew the characters and key poses in the 10 episode season of Superjail, which officially premiered in late September.  Superjail was created by Christy Karacas, Steve Warbrick, and Ben Gruber and animated by the talented staff at Augenblick Studios.

Congratulations, Neil!

Parsons faculty and alums in McSweeney’s!

Illustration Alumni, Illustration Faculty, Publications, , , , , ,

unknown-3

The new McSweeney’s (#28) showcases work of two recent Illustration alum, Liz Lee (see above) and Phillip Fivel Nessen (see below), and Illustration Part-time faculty member Jordin Isip, who each illustrated a modern fable for the publication.  Here’s a description of the edition: 

McSweeney’s #28
This time around, Mcsweeney’s presents us with “eight individual books, fully illustrated, which resurrect and reinvent the art of the fable — simple, suprising, and morally direct.  More or less.”  Each of these books is a snappy little hardcover, the cover illustration of each of which join together (and are held together in this cleverly designed package) to form two large painted images by Danica Novgorodoff.   The books are:  Poor Little Egg-Boy Hatched in a Shul by Nathan Englander, illustrated by Jordin Isip; The Book and the Girl by Brian Evenson, illustrated by Philip Fivel Nessen; The Guy Who Kept Meeting Himself by Ryan Boudinot, illustrated by Genevieve Sims; LaKeisha and the Dirty Girl by Tayari Jones, illustrated by Morgan Elliot; The Thousands by Daniel Alarcón, illustrated by Jordan Awan; Two Free Men by Sheila Heti, illustrated by Liz Lee; Virgil Walker by Arthur Bradford, illustrated by Jon Adams; and The Box by Sarah Manguso, illustrated by Louie Cordero.

Grab your copy here!

17_mac1
Congratulations to Liz, Phillip, and Jordin!

Transfluence–Carol Peligian at MOBIA

Events, Exhibitions, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, News, , , , ,

not-now-ever

Illustration Part-time faculty member Carol Peligian has a show up at the Museum of Biblical Art called Transfluence.  Here’s the official description:

Transfluence brings together familiar visual forms – paintings, drawings, and sculpture – to concentrate on a subject beyond our experience. Two- and three-dimensional images pose questions essential to an inquiry that crosses cultures, on the nature of grace. They appear to reference forms we know, yet when juxtaposed, intertwined, or fully melded with their opposites, each is not neutralized but intensified, and a new order is indicated. Is what we see corporeal or spiritual; actual or evanescent; beautiful or terrible; a whisper, a touch, or an irrestistible, consuming force? The effects of time and transformation are both implied and directly evident in the images, as external and inherent color and light change as we observe, and as figure and ground vie for dominance. We are unsure if the implied time is measured in milliseconds or millennia, or if the transformations will lead to successful outcomes or dead ends. The surface of each art work reflects its viewers, and it is our recognition and questioning of the elements present that create meaning, as a conscientious observation of natural forms will do. But are these natural forms, or are nature and our experience only the beginning? What will the inquiry do to us in terms of time and transformation, and what can we discover of grace, within and without?

Transfluence is on view through January 18, 2009. There will be a “Meet the Artist” event this week on Thursday, November 20th from 6:30-8:30 p.m.  
Congratulations to Carol!
Museum of Biblical Art 
1865 Broadway at 61st Street
New York, NY 10023-7505
Telephone: 212-408-1500
Email: info@mobia.org

Last Minute: New York Stereoscopic Society 3D Comics Night!

comics, Events, Illustration Alumni, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, , , ,

 

sikoryak
New York Stereoscopic Society 3D Comics Night
Wednesday, November 19, 7 pm
Mick Andreano, Jerry Marks, Joe Pedoto — 3D Comics and Moral Corruption
Haft Auditorium, Fashion Institute of Technology
Enter C Building Lobby on 27th street between 7th and 8th Avenues
FREE and open to the public!
 
3D PROJECTIONS and live readings by:
Michael Kupperman — “Hercules vs. Zeus”
Kim Deitch — “It’s 4D!”
R. Sikoryak — “The Lost Treasure of the 3D!” (Parsons Illustration Alum and Faculty!)
Jason Little  — “The Abduction Announcement”
Get more information and pictures at either the official website or on Facebook.

Jillian and Mariko Tamaki’s Skim honored!

Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, News, Publications, , , , , , , ,

skim

In addition to being nominated for an Ignatz Award, Skim, a graphic novel written by Mariko Tamaki and her cousin, Parsons Illustration Part-time Faculty member, Jillian Tamaki was named last week as one of the Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2008.  See Skim and the other books recognized in this slideshow.  The book was also reviewed in the Times.  Here’s a snippet:

The black and white pictures by Jillian Tamaki, Mariko’s cousin, create a nuanced, three-dimensional portrait of Skim, conveying a great deal of information often without the help of the text. The book’s most striking use of purely visual communication occurs in a lush and lovely double-page tableau of Skim and Ms. Archer exchanging a kiss in the woods that leaves the reader (and maybe even the participants) wondering who kissed whom. In another sequence, Skim and Ms. Archer sip tea without ever making eye contact, the pictures and minimal text communicating the uncomfortable emotional charge in the room and the two characters’ difficulty in knowing what to say to each other.

Tamaki’s palette often becomes noticeably darker or lighter to signal a change in mood. Various night scenes communicate Skim’s depression, her unhappy moon-face isolated in fields of inky black, streetlights casting long, lonely shadows. In contrast, Tamaki sets the outdoor memorial service for the dead boyfriend on a frozen winter field, the participants drawn in lightly, almost as if they’re ghosts, the snowy backdrop and blank white balloons (shown caught on bare winter trees) conveying absence and emptiness.

Read the rest of the review here and pick up your copy of Skim here.skim frame

Congratulations to Jillian and Mariko on their tremendous accomplishments!

Sergio Ruzzier and “Amandina” hit it big!

Events, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, News, Publications, , , ,

amandinacover

SECOND ANNUAL BROOKLYN MUSEUM CHILDREN’S BOOK FAIR
The Brooklyn Museum
The Rubin Pavillion, 1st Floor
November 15th, 2008
1:00–5:00pm

Illustration Part-time Faculty member Sergio Ruzzier will sign copies of his new picture book: AMANDINA.

Here’s a snippet from a review of Amandina:

Using watercolors that range from a deep peach to a liquid cobalt blue, Ruzzier’s palate here is a subdued but colorful collective. And from a visual perspective I was fond of the setting to this tale. Born in Milan, Ruzzier has set this book against an Italian backdrop. The theater she rents “in the old town” is called the “Teatro Ventura”. Later her show seems to incorporate Harlequin elements. And for the record, Amandina’s show really does look splendid. It would be one thing if we were told that Amandina was a special little dog with lots of talent, but to actually see the remarkable show in progress is a special treat. Without much explanation we see that the “fanciful prologue” (again, great turns of phrase here) involves a suitcase that explodes with a smoky column of flowers while Amandina floats above like a butterfly. And then there’s the magic show, the dances from around the world, the acrobatics… who wouldn’t want to see her perform all of this?

Read the rest here.  And if you’re in the mood for more reading, here’s a tidbit from an interview with Sergio:

What exactly is your process when you are illustrating a book? You can start wherever you’d like when answering: getting initial ideas, starting to illustrate, or even what it’s like under deadline, etc. Do you outline a great deal of the book before you illustrate or just let your muse lead you on and see where you end up?

SR: When I am illustrating another author’s text, the process is pretty much always the same: while I read and re-read the manuscript, I draw little rough sketches on the edges. Then I make them a little nicer on a different paper, and I use these more refined sketches to build a dummy. When the dummy is approved by the publisher, I start working on the preparatory drawings, in pencil on plain paper. When I’m happy with the composition, including characters’ expressions, backgrounds, and all the details, I trace the drawing onto a watercolor paper, with the help of a light box. Then I ink the drawing, erase the pencil, and watercolor it.

It’s much more complex and variable when I’m working on my own story. I don’t really have a standard process, and I could start by sketching a character, or writing all or parts of the text, or putting on paper the whole sequence of roughs, spread by spread. Normally, I keep going back and forth between words and pictures. I also waste a lot of time, and often I am at my desk for hours without accomplishing anything. More often, anticipating that I wouldn’t accomplish anything, I go for a walk. Research is always a great excuse to navigate the internet aimlessly. But once I get to the dummy, or at least to a thumbnail storyboard decent enough to be shown to my editor, then I am ready to start with the final drawings…

Catch the rest of that informative interview over here at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

amandinadances

Pick up your copy of Amandina here!

Congrats to Sergio on the great success of his new publication.