Category Archives: Illustration Industry

Illustration Faculty & Alumni Updates Digest

General Info, Illustration Alumni, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, Interviews, News, Performances, Publications, , , , , , ,
russian mr. wiggles.
  • Adjunct Faculty Neil Swaab tells us that the Russian edition of his book, Rehabilitating Mr. Wiggles: Volume 1, has just been released. Get your copy here.
philip fivel
  • Illustration Alum Philip Fivel Nessen has updated his portfolio with new artwork. See more images here.
bentfootes
  • Illustration and Alum R. Sikoryak created the animation and archival images for the mockumentary, The Bentfootes, a loving skewering of 200 years of American dance. Catch a free screening:

Saturday and Sunday March 29-30, Tuesday April 1 @ 1:00 pmFestivalHUB @ Seaport | LMCC Swing Space210 Front Street at Beekman Street, NYC

angie mason
jonathan jay lee
  • Illustration Alum Jonathan Jay Lee sent us an email recently saying, “I did some really exciting stuff in Hong Kong, I drew this comic book for this HK popstar called Kary Ng. She wanted to be a superhero, it was used for her concert and her new single. I did a cover for HK magazine, and I redesigned and painted the interior of this club in Lan Kwai Fong…If you get the chance, I posted links and pictures of my projects in HK at the end of my website.”
george bates t-shirt
yaccarino
  • Illustration Alum Dan Yaccarino is writing a screen adaptation of his children’s book, Where the Four Winds Blow as an animated feature for Fox/Blue Sky Studios, developing a new animated series based on his popular book Unlovable and writing and illustrating more childrens books.

Congratulations to all our faculty and alumni on their recent accomplishments!Want to see your news here?  Email us!

Ugly Dolls written up in the New York Times

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ugly dolls for boys?

Parsons Alums David Horvath & Sun-Min Kim are in the news with their creation–Ugly Dolls. Here’s an excerpt from the New York Times article:

The Uglies are neither superheros nor stuffed animals. They’re not as saccharine as Beanie Babies or Cabbage Patch kids. They’re a bit like characters from Sesame Street (Cookie Monster comes to mind) and a bit like E.T., except without pasty skin or the spring-loaded neck.

David Horvath, who created them with Sun-Min Kim — then his girlfriend, now his wife — says they were inspired by the bootleg videos they both grew up watching: Japanese robots and shows like “Battle Fever J,” which begat the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

The inspiration for Uglies, he joked, was Ultraman and Gamera.

That’s hard to buy, since they are the antithesis of huggable: Ultraman is Japan’s metal-skulled Ironman, vanquishing monsters with karate kicks and electric bolts that slice heads off. Gamera is a giant flying turtle whose leg holes shoot flames.

Check out the rest of the article here and see more of David and Sun-Min’s Ugly Dolls at their website.

R:ED Magazine Focuses on Illustration

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red cover

The Illustration Department is proud to announce the publication of the Spring 2008 Parsons Alumni magazine, R:ED. This issue is devoted to covering topics in Illustration, whether it’s the life of newly appointed director of the Society of Illustrators Anelle Miller (Illustration ’74) or the work of up and coming current student Christine Young.  Articles included cover things like the Illustration Department’s collaboration with Design Within Reach and recent symposium about “Illustration in the Age of Anxiety.”  There are also illustrations by Illustration faculty members George Bates, Nora Krug, and Ben Katchor.

red spread

Here’s a link to the entire issue in PDF format–RE:D Spring 2008 issue! Congratulations to all our featured students, faculty, and alumni.  If you graduated from the department, make sure you keep us (as well as the Parsons Alumni Department) up to date on your accomplishments and professional progress.

Parsons Illustration Alumni Event tonight at Society of Illustrators

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SOI event

Over 170 people–alumni, as well as current faculty and students–have RSVP’d for the Parsons’ Illustration Alumni Event tonight at the Society of Illustrators. Not only will this be a wonderful gathering of artists, friends, and colleagues, but also an opportunity to view the 50th Annual Exhibition, organized by Peter DeSeve (Illustration, ’80) and featuring a host of works including gold medal winning pieces by Illustration Faculty Nora Krug and Jillian Tamaki.

It’s also an excellent way to remind people of how valuable the Society of Illustrators is as a resource and artistic institution. Illustrator Ronnie del Carmen recently blogged, “I walk into the the building on 128 East 63rd street and up to the second floor where I encountered the pantheon to classic illustration in America. I had to hold my jaw up.” And that’s the truth. Read the rest of Ronnie’s entry here and make sure that even if you can’t attend the event tonight, take the time to visit the Society sometime soon.

alumni event info

[lettering and illustration done by Julian Hector (Illustration ’07 ) ]

Video of Tara McPherson’s art & info about Flatstock

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClvF3u_JGoU&hl=en]

Check out this great video–narrated by art critic Julia Morton–featuring Illustration Adjunct Faculty Tara McPherson and her exhibition “Lost Constellations” on view through March 22nd at Jonathan Levine Gallery.

You can also catch Tara (and her artwork) at Flatstock 16 in Austin, Texas this week.  Flatstock brings poster artists from around the world for the bi-annual convention sponsored by the American Poster Institute, dedicated to the promotion of music poster art and design worldwide.  Tara will be manning a table at the following times:

Thursday, March 13 (1:00PM – 6:00PM)
Friday, March 14 (11:00AM – 6:00PM)
Saturday, March 15 (11:00 – 6:00PM)

You’ve heard the sordid tales of deluxe poster prints sold to you (the fans) by the artists themselves, now come see for yourself. FLATSTOCK 16 is free for everyone so come one come all!

Jillian Tamaki releases new book!

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skim

Jillian Tamaki (Illustration Adjunct Faculty) has illustrated a new book called, Skim. Here’s the official synopsis:

Kimberly Keiko Cameron, a not-slim, would-be Wiccan goth who goes to a private girls’ school. When her classmate Katie Matthews is dumped by her boyfriend, who then kills himself because he was (maybe) gay, the entire school goes into mourning overdrive. It’s a weird time to fall in love, but that’s what happens to Skim when she starts meeting secretly with her neo-hippie English teacher, Ms. Archer. When Ms. Archer abruptly leaves the school, Skim has to cope with her confusion and isolation. Her best friend, Lisa, tries to pull her into “real” life by setting up a hilarious double-date for the school’s semi formal, and Skim finds an unexpected ally in Katie.

Skim, which was a collaboration between Jillian her cousin Mariko Tamaki, was written up in Publisher’s Weekly earlier this month. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

The Tamakis, although cousins, did not know each other well before beginning the project. However, the collaboration process proved to be remarkably smooth, especially considering neither had worked on a comic before. Jillian noted, “It was a cocreation, in the purest sense of the world.” Mariko, who is a performer as well as an essayist and novelist living in Toronto, sent to Jillian, in Brooklyn, scripts consisting of narration and dialogue, but little direction as to what should happen on the page. Jillian had a free hand to illustrate the story as she saw fit. “My job was to make this a visually beautiful object,” she said.

Both author and artist strove to create a high school story that moved beyond the stereotypes and melodrama that typically make up the genre. Mariko explained, “I tried to get the dialogue as close to what I remember teenagers sounding like,” adding that she trusted Jillian to create “teenage bodies that looked like teenage bodies.” The two have tried to create a work of literary depth that also offers hints about even minor characters’ lives beyond the central story line of Skim. Mariko stresses that ultimately the book is about “the instability of relationships in high school—the slow complicated way friendships break up and change.”

Read the rest of the article here, and learn more about Skim at Jillian’s website (click on “Books”).

Congratulations, Jillian!

R. Sikoryak’s upcoming events

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bob

Adjunct faculty member (and Illustration Alum) R. Sikoryak is a busy guy these days. In addition to working on his upcoming book, Bob is also taking part in the events below. Check ’em out!

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Fantagraphics Books & Rocketship Brooklyn are proud to present:

A HOTWIRE COMICS RELEASE PARTY & SIGNING!

WHO: Craig Yoe, Mark Newgarden, Glenn Head, Danny Hellman, Sam Henderson, R. Sikoryak, Jonathon Rosen, Mark Dean Veca, Chadwick Whitehead…

WHAT: HOTWIRE COMICS Vol. 2 Release Party & Signing

WHERE: ROCKETSHIP
208 Smith St. b/w Butler and Baltic in Brooklyn.
ph# 718-797-1348

WHEN: Friday, March 14, at 8PM

HOTWIRE COMICS Vol. 2 weighs in at 136 pages, 64 in full color, with an eye-popping fold-out and big 9×12 format. Edited by Glenn Head (Snake Eyes). Featuring all new work by these GREAT talents: Tim Lane, Jonathon Rosen, Mark Newgarden, R. Sikoryak, David Sandlin, Mary Fleener, Johnny Ryan, Matti Hagelberg, David Paleo, Sam Henderson, Danny Hellman, Glenn Head, Carol Swain, Mark dean Veca, Stephane Blanquet, Mack White, Onsmith, Lorna Miller, Chris Estey, David Lasky, Ivan Brunetti, Tobias Tak, Craig Yoe, and Christian Northeast….

HOTWIRE puts the kicks back in comics! Yes, the Eisner and Harvey award nominated comics’ anthology is back for another mindbending, madcap, mash-up of thrills, spills, and glorious cartoon mayhem!

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SPLAT! A Graphic Novel Symposium will take place on Saturday, March 15 at the New York Center of Independent Publishing (NYCIP) in Manhattan, with keynote speaker Scott McCloud . The NYCIP is a non-profit educational program (part of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen) dedicated to promoting and supporting independent publishers across the United States.

Graphic novels are becoming increasingly popular, creating a groundswell of excitement and interest. Addressing the graphic novel’s considerable impact on the public consciousness, the SPLAT! Symposium, organized by the NYCIP, will provide an intensive educational forum for the publishing community, educators, librarians, and people eager to find out more about the comics universe. It will also supply prospective creators with a unique opportunity to learn what it takes to be a graphic novelist.

The conference will feature a number of movers and shakers from the graphic novel world, including: Scott McCloud (one of the most influential and highly regarded cartoonists in the country, who will be the Symposium’s keynote speaker); Jim Killen (Barnes and Noble); David Saylor (Scholastic), Raina Telgemeier (The Baby-Sitters Club), CB Cebulski (Marvel Comics); Bob Mecoy (Bob Mecoy Literary Agency); R. Sikoryak (Drawn & Quarterly); Nick Bertozzi (The Salon); Charles Brownstein (CBLDF); and many more…

Rodolphe Töpffer and the Word/Image Problem

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topffer

[click for full-size version]

Rodolphe Töpffer & the Word/Image Problem

A celebration of the first English-language translation of Töpffer’s complete picture-story work by David Kunzle and a symposium on the word/image problem with Peter Blegvad, Anne-Marie Bouché, Noah Isenberg, Ben Katchor, David Kunzle, Victor H. Mair, Jim Miller, Patricia Mainardi, Aimée Brown Price and others.

Presented by the Illustration Department, Parsons The New School for Design and Liberal Studies, The New School for Social Research.

PARSONS, THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DESIGN
Theresa Lang Student Center
55 West 13th Street, 2nd floor, NYC
Saturday, March 8, 2008 3 – 8 pm, free and open to the public
No reservations needed; seating is first come, first serve.

Depuy & Berberian visit the Illustration Department

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depuy & berberian

Phillipe Depuy and Charles Berberian are “France’s Superstar Cartooning Team” who have worked together for twenty years. Their most successful character is Monsieur Jean, and to date the series has sold over 120,000 copies in France alone. In recent years, their work has been gaining wider recognition on this side of the Atlantic, with regular contributions to the New Yorker and translated comics appearing in Drawn & Quarterly and Dark Horse Presents.

Depuy and Berberian will be visiting the Illustration Department on Wednesday, March 5th at noon in room 1101, 2 W. 13th. All are welcome to join us for this special event.

Also, later in the day, Matt Madden will moderate a discussion called:

The French Graphic Novel
Straight out of Angoulême: Dupuy & Berberian
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe
126 Crosby Street, Soho
7:00PM

There will be a reception and signing afterwards.

Andy and Ben Kehoe show at Green Lantern Gallery

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kehoe brothers

Chicago’s Green Lantern Gallery is hosting an exhibition of works by Parsons Illustration Alum Andy Kehoe and his brother Ben. The official press release reads:

Though the days are shorter, it is still a bitter cold outside. It is impossible to recall the heat of summer and sweaty green things. The body seems to have lost its memory. The mind conjures only phantoms of light and comfort. Yet there is also the anguish of spring and in spring there is a rebirth. Life takes on new shapes, adapting to the apprehension of growth. There is anticipation in life.

We are born in violence. The passage is both catastrophic and forgettable. In this show, violence is depicted through ornate designs of medieval horror, friendship, monsters and the sometimes contemporary wink. There is a new splash of color that takes up the page as we enter the worlds of Andy and Benjamin Kehoe—a compelling place with rich metaphors and soft jokes. It is better in this world. In this world the fantasy offers some respite from the otherwise urban gray of winter decreptitude. They prepare us for the summer, refurbishing the idea of color.

Andy has posted a preview of the show here. If you’re in the Chicago area, make sure to check it out!

The Safest Place in the World
Andy and Ben Kehoe
February 29th-March 29th, 2008
Green Lantern Gallery
1511 N. Milwaukee Ave., 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL