Quick Hit: Sketch Night at the Bodies exhibit

Current Students, Education, Events, Randomly Intriguing, , , , ,

bodies-sketch-signSKETCH NIGHT program was created to give artists unfettered access to The BODIES galleries in order to explore the possibilities and practice their mastery of human anatomy drawing. SKETCH NIGHTS are held after regular operating hours (7:00 PM – 10:00 PM) allowing artists to set up easels or bring chairs to help facilitate their work. Dry media only.  On April 29th, artist John Cichowski will be our special guest!

Attendance at SKETCH is restricted to artists only. Space is limited.

Artists must arrive at 7:00 PM sharp. Latecomers cannot be accommodated. Group rates (+20) available.

Sketch Nights Spring 2009: Mar. 24, Mar. 31, Apr. 22, Apr. 29, May 14, May 21

Email education@bodiesny.com for more information!

Quick Hit: Upcoming Tara McPherson book and toy signings

Events, Illustration Faculty, News, Publications, toys, , , , ,

lostconstellations

Parsons Illustration Adjunct Faculty Tara McPherson is on a USA Book and Toy Signing Tour for her new Lost Constellations book by Dark Horse and Gamma Mutant Space Friends Mini-Figure Set by Kidrobot!  Here are the upcoming dates:

April 28
Diesel Fuel Prints, 6-10pm, Signing.
Portland, OR

April 29
Kidrobot, 6-8pm, Signing
San Francisco, CA

April 30
Kidrobot, 6-8pm, Signing.
Los Angeles, CA

May 2
Kidrobot, 6-8pm, Signing
Miami, FL

mcpherson toys

Carousel coming up on April 30th

animation, cartoons, comics, Events, Illustration Alumni, Illustration Faculty, Performances, , , , , , , , ,

carousel_april_09_yellowDixon Place presents…

CAROUSEL

Cartoon slide shows & other projected pictures presented by a glittering array of artists, performers, graphic novelists, & other characters.
Hosted by R. Sikoryak (Parsons Illustration Alum and Adjunct Faculty!).

Featuring:
Brian Dewan
Dean Haspiel
Tim Kreider
Josh Neufeld
Jim Torok
Kriota Willberg
R.S.
and more!

Thursday, Apr 30, 2009
8:00 PM  (door opens at 7:30 pm)

at the NEW
Dixon Place
161 Chrystie Street
New York, NY 10002

Tickets:
$15 (general)
$12 (students/seniors w/ valid id) or TDF
2 tickets for $25 with postcard (see attached jpeg)
Advance tickets & more info:
www.dixonplace.org
(212) 219-0736

Guest Entry: Roxie Vizcarra at the Pictopia Festival!

Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, Follow Up, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, Randomly Intriguing, Reviews, toys, , , , , , ,

Editor’s Note: This guest entry comes from Illustration Senior Roxie Vizcarra, who participated in the Pictopia/Pictoplasma Festival in Berlin, Germany this past March.

01

When the Illustration Department invited me to help represent them at this year’s Pictopia Festival (part of the acclaimed character design organization Pictoplasma), I was excited to be able to visit a city I’ve never been to, especially one with some much history as Berlin. What I didn’t know at the time was that there couldn’t have been a more perfect location for Pictopia to take place. It’s impossible to go very far without encountering some form of art that incorporates strong character design.

02

I spent a couple of days watching over Parsons’ exhibition, Ugly is Beautiful, at the Collegium Hungaricum, which also featured work by other Pictopia Character Walk artists. The set-up for the show was long and tedious, but in the end it was worth the effort as everything looked fantastic, and I can attest to the fact that most people who came by to have a look were rather impressed by the variety of unique characters Parsons students have to offer.

Continue reading →

Jillian Tamaki gives a MoCCA/Mini-Comics workshop!

cartoons, comics, Current Students, Education, Illustration Dept. Events, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, , , , , ,

tamaki mocca flyerWhat: Mini Mini-Comics Workshop!

When: Saturday, April 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where: 8th Floor Illustration Library, 2 W. 13th

Who: Jillian Tamaki and YOU!

Come learn about comic conventions, the comics industry, self-publishing, and constructing your own zines, artbooks, and mini-comics. A great introduction to those considering submitting work to this year’s MoCCA Festival!  Some people think these conventions are only about comic-comics (pictures in panels), but Jillian has amassed a huge collection of books at these types of festivals that run the whole gamut of arty, comic-y, narrative, non-narrative, silkscreen, photocopied, etc. etc. She will also talk about her experiences making her first mini-comic and how she did it SOOO wrong. She’ll talk about how to construct these things in a non-painful way. Plus, she’ll answer any other comics industry related questions!

Don’t miss this truly great opportunity to meet with Jillian and get the benefit of her experiences!

Dan Yaccarino wins prize at Bologna Children’s Book Fair

Follow Up, Illustration Alumni, Illustration Industry, Publications, , , , ,

everyfridayParsons Illustration Alum Dan Yaccarino (’87) got an official Mention in the Fiction category for his book, EVERY FRIDAY, at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair this past March.

Here’s what the jury members had to say about his work:

With consummate awareness, Dan Yaccarino goes back over a key moment in the history of illustration, echoing with great skill the unforgotten magic of the years between the two world wars when posters, home furnishings, design objects and styles of fashion all came together to create a certain elegance of living. Yaccarino re-defines the light. The compact forms he draws and paints forego the weight of contours. His colour palette never includes the banal. Limpid perspectives are so clearly defined as to seem an accomplished exercise in style intent on inhabiting each scene with a serene, enlivening spirit. Yet as he returns, re-reads and re-thinks, Yaccarino shows a talent all his own that shows through in his own unmistakable style. The result is a magical encounter with a great artist and an unforgettable moment in the history of illustration.
Congratulations, Dan! And if you’re in the NYC-area, you can catch Dan signing copies of his new book at Books of Wonder soon.  Here are the official details on that event:
cousteau-yaccarino
Join Books of Wonder on Saturday, April 25th, from 12 to 2pm as we welcome an exciting new crop of books for spring by seven of today’s most talented authors and artists. On hand will be author KATE FEIFFER who will present her three new books: The Problem with the Puddles, her first chapter book for young readers;  Which Puppy? a picture book illustrated by her father, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, author, and artist, JULES FEIFFER, and My Mom Is Trying To Ruin My Life, a picture book illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist DIANE GOODE.

Also joining us will be author MICHEAL J. ROSEN who will introduce his new book of poems, The Cuckoo’s Haiku: And Other Birding Poems;  husband-and-wife team WENDELL and FLORENCE MINOR to present their latest collaboration, the delightful If You Were A Penguin; and best-selling author and artist DAN YACCARINO who will share with us his fascinating picture book biography, The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau. Each of these talented authors and artists will present their books beginning at noon, answer questions from the audience, and then sign all of their many wonderful books.

Stop by and catch Dan in action!

The Beats get illustrated!

Education, History, Publications, Randomly Intriguing, , ,

beats

Cory Doctorow over at Boing Boing! recently highlighted The Beats: A Graphic History, which seems like a pretty exciting new book by Harvey Pekar (of American Splendor fame) and a host of others  Here’s a snippet of Cory’s write-up:

The Beats: A Graphic History is everything a radical history should be: critical, admiring, quirky and apologetic. The Beats is largely written by Harvey Pekar and illustrated by Ed Piskor, with a concluding section of more critical, less biographical pieces written and illustrated by a variety of critics and artists, including Nancy J Peters, Tulu Kupferberg, Summer McClinton, Anne Timmons and others.

The opening section consists of Pekar’s biographies of the canonical Beats, Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs, and then onto the less-celebrated members of the scene, including Rexroth, Ferlinghetti, LeRoi Jones, and so forth. These pieces are loving but harsh, sparing their subjects little sympathy for their misdeeds (which are many, ranging from murder and betrayal to vicious misogyny and naive, fleeting affairs with reactionary politics and mysticism). Pekar shows us that a mature person can admire the worthy deeds and art of historical heroes without glossing over their bad acts — or throwing away their art with their sins.

kerouac

Ed Piskor’s Kerouac (seen above) is just a taste of the great illustration included in this volume.  You can pick up your copy here.

Parsons Reunion Weekend

Events, Exhibitions, General Info, Illustration Alumni, News,

savethedate

Parsons Reunion Weekend 2009: April 17-19, 2009

The Parsons Reunion is for all alumni (all class years, all programs) and is an annual opportunity to gather your classmates, reconnect with Parsons, and network with fellow alumni. We encourage you to take the weekend to reconnect with Parsons and your fellow alumni. See below for information about the various events, ticketing, and more.

This year, 2009, is also a special reunion for the classes of 1959, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, and 2004!

Friday, April 17

8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. View Spanning the Decades: 100 Years of Student Work from the Kellen Archives in the Gimbel Library. On display will be examples of student work from 1906 through 2007, including sketches, travel diaries, presentation drawings, and more. Departments and disciplines represented in the exhibit include Advertising Design, Communication Design, Costume Design, Environmental Design, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Architecture & Design, Product Design, Printmaking and Photography.

4:00-5:00 p.m. Tour Parsons’ Kellen Archives. The Kellen Archives documents the history of Parsons, with materials including archival records, manuscripts, posters, art and design works on paper, oral histories, photographs, films, videotapes, serials and ephemera. Wendy Scheir, Director of the Kellen Archives, will lead the tour and answer alumni questions about the materials. An RSVP to alumni@newschool.edu or 212-229-5662 x3784 is required for this event. Please indicate your class year or any questions you have about Parsons history when you RSVP, as the information on display will be specially geared towards alumni attendees. For more on the Archives, click here.

5:00 -8:00 p.m. Visit Parsons’ Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at 66 5th Avenue. In the Aronson Gallery you’ll find a student project called “Oyster Gardens” led by faculty member Mara Haseltine. In the Kellen Gallery you can view “Into the Open: Positioning Practice,” which is coming from the Venice Biennale of Architecture.

6:00-8:00 p.m. Join Felicitas Oefelein ’95 and Christine Leitner ’95 for a reception celebrating the launch of their new website, DESIGNintermix, a networking resource for designers.

Continue reading →

Ben Katchor’s “A Checkroom Romance” adds second show!

animation, cartoons, comics, Events, Illustration Faculty, Performances, , , ,

checkroom-logo-721

New York Public Library – Cullman Center presents
A Checkroom Romance by Ben Katchor and Mark Mulcahy
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 7pm SOLD OUT
Just added: Friday, May 15, 2009 at 7pm TICKETS AVAILABLE!
5th Avenue and 42nd Street
New York, NY 10018

In this new, musical tragicomedy by cartoonist  Ben Katchor and musician Mark Mulcahy, one man’s casual obsession with the architecture and culture of coat checkrooms ensnares him in a desperate struggle between employment agents, maitre ‘ds, lovesick podiatrists, low-budget contractors, and paraphilic playboys.

A Check-Room Romance was commissioned by the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers.

Order tickets online here or call 212.868.4444.
Tickets: $15 general admission/$10 Library Donors, Seniors and students with valid ID.