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.

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!