Category Archives: Interviews

From the Vault: Noel Claro gets interviewed on Sprayblog

design, Education, From the Vault, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, Interviews, , , ,

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Illustration Adjunct Faculty Noel Claro was interviewed by Spraygraphic’s Sprayblog last April and I just now found out about it!  She talks all about her art, her creative process, and her inspirations.  Here’s a portion of the interview:

SG: What mediums do you work with?

NC: When I’m art directing and designing print work, my main medium is software: InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. For my products, I work with fabric, yarn, vintage papers, special waterproof paper, gaffer’s tape and fun fur.

SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work.

NC: I start by researching the subject or the company and determining who my audience is. Then I do sketches in InDesign…I rarely sketch in pencil because I’m not very comfortable drawing. My first round of sketches is usually chockfull of obvious solutions but it’s stuff I need to get off my chest. After that, it becomes more of a challenge to dig more deeply and try and discover a new direction for something.

SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?

NC: Some projects are definitely easier to work on than others. If I’m blocked, I usually bake. I’m an avid baker and I’ve been doing it for years. I bake almost every day and it’s a wonderful distraction when I’m having trouble solving something visually. I make up lots of my own recipes so it’s still a creative process but it’s so different from the design work that I do, that it helps transport me away from that whole world sometimes.

Make sure you read the rest of Noel’s interview here, as well as checking out more her work at her official website.

An Afternoon with Graphic Novelists from around the globe on May 3rd

cartoons, comics, Current Students, Education, Events, Illustration Industry, Interviews, Talks/Lectures, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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An Afternoon with Graphic Novelists from around the globe:
Jonathan Ames, Neil Gaiman, Emmanuel Guibert, David Polonsky, Shaun Tan, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, and Adrian Tomine

WHEN: SATURDAY, MAY 2
WHERE: The Great Hall, Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street, NYC

1-2:00 p.m. Neil Gaiman: Coraline, Sandman, Books and Imagination
Join Neil Gaiman, the creator of the enormously popular Sandman series of graphic novels, Coraline (recently adapted to the big screen), and a dizzying array of novels, short stories and films — with World Voices Festival director Caro Llewellyn for a discussion on imagination, inspiration and creativity.

2:30-4 p.m. 1,000 Words: The Power of Visual Storytelling
Participants: Emmanuel Guibert, David Polonsky, and Shaun Tan. Moderated by Jonathan Ames. David Polonsky (Israel) illustrated the horrors of the Israeli-Lebanon war in Waltz with Bashir; Shaun Tan (Australia) has imagined the experience of immigration in The Arrival; Jonathan Ames (U.S.) has depicted the life of a failing writer in The Alcoholic; and Emmanuel Guibert (France) has documented war in Afghanistan and in Europe.

4:30-5:30 p.m. Yoshihiro Tatsumi in Conversation with Adrian Tomine
Yoshihiro Tatsumi — widely credited with starting the gekigastyle of alternative comics in Japan some 40 years ago — is joined by Adrian Tomine, the acclaimed author of Shortcomings, for a conversation on the evolution of comics in Japan, the U.S., and around the world. Cosponsored by Cooper Union.

$10/$8 PEN members The three sessions: Only $25/$20 PEN members www.smarttix.com or 212.868.4444
20% DISCOUNT for STUDENTS: $8 for one session, $20 for three sessions. Use code: pen303

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Yoshihiro Tatsumi will also appear in… Working for the Weekend: Modern Day Salarymen
WHEN: THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 4:30–5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Austrian Cultural Forum, 11 East 52nd Street, NYC
Participants: Kathrin Röggla and Yoshihiro Tatsumi

From Kafka’s Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis to Richard Ford’s Frank Bascombe in The Sportswriter, writers have explored the everyday realities of working life to tell larger stories. Yoshihiro Tatsumi began depicting the lives of Japanese working people in his comics more than four decades ago, while Kathrin Röggla’s docu-novel We Never Sleep describes the working experience of her European contemporaries. Join them for a discussion about writing the working lives of everyday people—East and West.  Cosponsored by the Austrian Cultural Forum.

FREE and open to the public. However, reservations are required.   Please call ACF’s reservation line at 212.319.5300 (ext. 222) or email reservations@acfny.org.

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All of these events are presented as part of PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature. 160 writers from 40 countries take the stage at venues across the city for a week of conversations, performances and readings. New York City, April 27-May 3, 2009. For complete schedule of events (including a ton of other literary-centric delights), go here.

Wordless Worlds event at MoCCA

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World War 3 Illustrated Release Party
Thursday, April 30, 2009 7-9PM

Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art -MoCCA
594 Broadway, Suite 401 (Between Houston and Prince st.)
New York, NY 10012

Admission: Donation Suggested / Free for MoCCA Members

Featuring multi-media presentation of art by:

PETER KUPER
MAC McGILL
SETH TOBOCMAN
PAULA HEWITT AMRAM
SABRINA JONES
ERIC DROOKER
KEVIN PYLE
CHUCK SPERRY
REBECCA MIGDAL
and many others!

with an animated film by Onur Tukel

live music by
Eric Blitz, Steve Wishnia, Andy Laties, Breeze and more!

World War 3 Illustrated #39
Edited by Peter Kuper and Kevin Pyle
With all this talk about a picture being worth a thousand words and so much chatter in the news, but little being said, World War 3 illustrated presents our first wordless comics issue.  It features comics and illustrations by Eric Drooker, Mats!?, Geoffrey Grahn, Rebecca Migdal, Matt Mahurin, Carlo Quispe, Ryan Inzana, Seth Tobocman, Peter Kuper, Felipe Galindo, Mac McGill, David Sandlin, Barron Storey, Onur Tukel, Sabrina Jones, Andy Singer, Santiago Cohen, Kevin Pyle, Gerard Conte, Paula Hewitt , Edwin Vasquez, Terry Laban, and an article on picture novels by scholar David Berona.

This new issue leaps beyond language barriers — sort of a Tower of a Babel, minus the babble.  All of us speaking one language again — through pictures.

Peter Kuper was interviewed awhile back for Newsarama–he talked about the collaborative nature of the project and his challenges as an editor.  Here’s a taste:

“Every time I try to stop doing it, something happens that pulls me back in … it’s like the Mafia, there’s no escape!” Kuper observed of working on the magazine, which is in its 28th year of publication. “Over the years when my enthusiasm for dedicating the enormous amount of time and energy it takes to put out an issue starts to wane, there’s a riot in Tompkins Square park, a war in Iraq (the first one) or 9/11, and I rediscover the importance of maintaining a forum that doesn’t rely on outside financing or exert some form of censorship.

“To be clear, World War 3 is very much a group effort (I certainly haven’t edited every other issue) and wouldn’t exist if a large number of people didn’t keep pulling together to make it happen. If there hadn’t been we would have burned out by now.”

The artist further explained the need for WW3, adding, “There have been many points when WW3 was the only place to publish certain ideas. This was true during Reagan’s presidency, but especially true after 9/11 when even artists like Art Spiegelman found the mainstream press completely closed to work like what ended up being In The Shadow of No Towers and turned to WW3 to get it published. Last issue I did an eleven-page piece on my experience in Mexico during a teachers strike. WW3 was the only place I could find for a piece of that length.”

As issue 39 will be entirely wordless, Kuper was asked about the reasons for publishing an all-silent issue. “I have always been a fan of wordless storytelling from Lynd Ward to Eric Drooker, and after eight years of Bush I’m speechless!” he laughed. “Also I had the kooky notion that it would be easier to edit a wordless issue. I had it completely backwards; it has taken twice as long and required much more hands-on editing with each piece, down to sketching out suggestions. Thankfully I was able to hoodwink Kevin Pyle (Blind Spots) into helping me with the editing duty.”

WW3 Illustrated #39 will be “90% comics, 5% fat-free illustrations and a great article on Wordless books by the #1 scholar on the subject, David A. Beronä,” Kuper explained. Previous issues of the magazine have made room for political and social essays to run alongside the magazine’s cartoon commentaries.

You can read the complete interview here.  And to see more art, animation and info about World War 3 illustrated visit the official site.

Humbug (Arnold Roth and Al Jaffee) at the Strand tomorrow

cartoons, comics, Events, Illustration Industry, Interviews, Publications, Talks/Lectures, , , , , , , , ,

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An Evening with HUMBUG at the Strand, April 14th!

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS AND THE STRAND PRESENT: AN EVENING OF HUMBUG

In 1957, five artists — Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder, Arnold Roth, Al Jaffee and Jack Davis – hot on the heels of creating MAD magazine, pooled their money and their talent and entered into the creative, exuberant folly of a lifetime by creating the greatest satirical magazine of their careers. Join HUMBUG co-founders Arnold Roth and Al Jaffee in a book signing and discussion about this historic publication with Fantagraphics Publisher and editor of the collected HUMBUG, Gary Groth. Attendees will also enjoy an exclusive screening of a documentary short film about the late Will Elder.

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An Evening with HUMBUG
Featuring Arnold Roth and Al Jaffee in conversation with Gary Groth
Tuesday, April 14, 7:00PM
The Strand Bookstore
12th St. & Broadway,
New York, NY

Gavin Spielman featured on AND in Dan’s Paper

Illustration Alumni, Illustration Faculty, Interviews, News, Publications, , , , ,

spielman on dan's

Parsons Illustration Alum and current Adjunct faculty member Gavin Spielman was recently honored with a cover illustration for an issue of Dan’s Papers.  The issue also featured an interview with Gavin–he discussed his inspiration and techniques.  Here’s a taste:

Q: Despite your being known for landscapes, you experienced a very different kind of scene when you were a student.

A: Yes, I used to hang out in St. Mark’s Place observing homeless people on the street, aging older men. I found them beautiful and sincere, with their weathered looks. I would pay them to pose for me. Oddly enough, my studio is in that same area.

Q: What else were you doing at that time?

A: I was doing graphic design. As a student I studied philosophy and music at SUNY-New Paltz, transferring to Parsons to major in illustration. I teach at Parsons now.

Q: How did that early experience with the homeless influence you?

A: I detached myself from the destitution on the street. I was sacrificing monetary gains to devote my work to the homeless.

Q: Your subjects are different now. How would you characterize your current style and subjects?

A: I’m a traditionalist; I don’t think technology and graphic design adhere to the “Old World” style that I respect. As for subject matter, I don’t look for social subjects now but for muted scenes like what George Innes would do. I am interested in looking for dark scenes, lighting-wise.

Read the rest of the interview here.  You can see more of Gavin’s work on his official website, and if you live in the New York City area, his work is included in a show at 225 Gallery called, “Macy’s is Not the Only Flower Shop in Town!”  The show is up through May 17.

So pick up your copy of Dan’s Papers and stop by 225 Gallery soon!  Congrats, Gavin.

225 Gallery
225 W. 14th Street
Gallery Hours–Mon-Thurs: 10am – 7pm; Fri, Sat, Sun: 10am – 6pm

Alum Jill Bliss is interviewed about sustainable art

Illustration Alumni, Illustration Industry, Interviews, , ,

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Parsons Illustration alum Jill Bliss was recently interviewed for Ecopreneurist.  Here’s a snippet of what she had to say

Crafts have always been historically rooted in all that is trendy in the hot, ‘green market’ today: local, sustainable and frugal. And, crafts are are gaining more sex appeal in part thanks to sites like Etsy.com, which has been described by the New York Times as a “cross between Amazon, eBay and your grandmother’s closet”.  Can you say more about the recent spotlight on crafts?

When I started in 2001, the burgeoning interest in crafts was a direct response to the ’soullessness’ of technology, a reaction against consumerism and a return to learning to doing things for yourself. It was a new form of punk-rock, with roots tied to the indie-music scene. I started my business out of necessity – I’d just returned home to San Francisco in time to witness the dot-com crash and couldn’t find a job working for someone else. So I created my own job. I began making things from whatever I had at hand in my studio, created a retail website and peddled my wares to local shops, at indie-music shows, and organized a few local craft sales events with other like-minded people.

This new crafts movement has grown tremendously since then with the advent of Etsy and large corporate sponsorship! It satisfies a need we all have to not only create things with our own hands, but to also have a dialog with, and get to know, others who make the things we buy and use. we’ve matured as consumers. We now want to know the story behind the product we buy and use. It’s no longer satisfying to buy just another throw-away item made in inhumane conditions by an unknown person in a faraway land.

From your Etsy profile, you say that you hope to encourage a more thoughtful art and design industry that focuses on reusable or sustainable materials and less consumption. Can you give us some examples of your creations that do this?

With everything I make, I use repurposed or recycled materials as much as possible and try to make only enough to satisfy demand. It’s important to me to only produce enough of a product that I can actually sell, or that I can make something else from if it doesn’t. Printing or making too many of something, even if it’s made from recycled materials, is just as wasteful as using new materials.

Read the entire interview here.  And make sure to check out Jill’s website and Etsy shop for more of her work.

[lovely images above from Jill’s illustration portfolio]

David Polonsky at Society of Illustrators

animation, Current Students, Education, Events, film, Illustration Industry, Interviews, Talks/Lectures, , , , , , , ,

waltz_with_bashir

Tuesday, March 3rd at 6:30 at The Society of Illustrators (128 East 63rd) meet David Polonsky, the illustrator and art director of Ari Forman’s Waltz with Bashir. Polonsky will discuss the techniques that were used to make this unique animated documentary. The talk will be accompanied by clips from the film. A Q and A session will follow and a book signing for the release of a graphic novel based upon the film.

$10 members, $15 non-members.
RSVP to kevin@societyillustrators.org

Here’s a trailer for the movie if you haven’t already seen it:

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The Vinyl Frontier Spotlight vol. 12: Tara McPherson

film, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, Interviews, News, toys, , , , ,

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Check out this great video of Parsons Illustration faculty Tara McPherson talking about her artwork, specifically her work with vinyl toys.  This featurette will be part of a larger documentary called The Vinyl Frontier, by Daniel Zana.  In addition to Tara, the documentary will feature work and interviews with a ton of other amazing artists like Attaboy, Tim Biskup, Dalek, Tristan Eaton, Ron English, Frank Kozik, and Gary Baseman. Here’s an excerpt from an interview with the film’s creator, Daniel Zana, which was featured on ToyCyte last year:

TC: For those who haven’t seen the trailer, describe your movie in a nutshell.

DZ: When I tell people I’m making a movie on vinyl toys, some ask, “Are you making a movie on vinyl records or sex toys?” You’d be surprised at how many people don’t know these toys exist. I think it would be neat to show the history of why you have this piece of plastic in your hands. The history of the toy isn’t necessary but you have more appreciate once you understand its history.

I want to talk about where they came from – to intellectualize the discussion about vinyl toys. Are these toys or pieces of art? Why should people take a look at it one way or the other? I want to re-shape the discussion about toys.

There’s so much history behind the pieces. The movie is for members who visit toy forums and are really into particular artists. I’m also making the movie for people who like counter-culture, who are into art. I want vinyl toys to be legitimized as an art form, and I want toy artists to be known for their work. How often do you see on-camera interviews with these artists? Every artist deserves a time to shine.

You can read the whole interview here.

Keep your eye out for the film, which should be released sometime this year!

Weekend Sendoff: Obama–the man, the doodle, the logo

Interviews, Randomly Intriguing, , , , , , ,

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The president-elect is apparently a doodler.  See Exhibit A, above, which Obama created for charity in 2007.  According to the Chicago Tribune:

The Obama doodle…contains likenesses of some of the Senate’s most powerful members: Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Democratic colleagues Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, Dianne Feinstein of California and Charles Schumer of New York.

In more professional news, here’s a two-interview with Sol Sender, who co-designed the now iconic logo for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

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Additionally, here’s a brief snippet of an interview with Sol, conducted by Steve Heller:

Steven Heller: How did you get the job of designing the Obama logo?

Sol Sender: We got the job through Mode. Steve Juras, a classmate of mine from graduate school is the creative director there. They have a long-standing relationship with AKP&D Message and Media, a campaign consulting firm led by David Axelrod and David Plouffe among others.

Q: Have you done other political logos in the past?

A: No, we had not.

Q: I have to ask, since many agencies that do political campaigns are simply “doing a job,” did you have strong feelings one way or the other for the Obama candidacy?

A: We were excited to work on the logo and energized by the prospect of Mr. Obama’s campaign. However, we didn’t pursue or develop the work because we were motivated exclusively by ideology. It was an opportunity to do breakthrough work at the right time in what’s become a predictable graphic landscape.

Q: How many iterations did you go through before deciding on this “O”? Was it your first idea?

A: We actually presented seven or eight options in the first round, and the one that was ultimately chosen was among these. In terms of our internal process, though, I believe the logo — as we now know it — came out of a second round of design explorations. At any rate, it happened quite quickly, all things considered. The entire undertaking took less than two weeks.

Read the rest of the interview here.