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Pictoplasma NYC on November 13th at Parsons

animation, Current Students, design, Education, Events, Illustration Alumni, Illustration Dept. Events, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, Inspiration, News, Talks/Lectures, toys, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Parsons The New School for Design will present Pictoplasma NYC, a conference celebrating the artistic creation of character design, on Saturday, November 13 from 3-10 p.m.. Featuring lectures, panel discussions, and short film screenings, the event is part of Illustration Week, an annual programming series across New York City that showcases the best in international character design and art.  The conference will be held at Tishman Auditorium, The New School, 66 West 12th Street, New York. Admission is free, but registration is requested via email to pictoplasmaparsons@gmail.com. Pictoplasma NYC is supported by folioplanet.com.

The conference was organized by Pictoplasma founders and curators Lars Denicke and Peter Thaler, and Steven Guarnaccia, chair of Illustration at Parsons. Among the featured participants is Ice Age character designer Peter de Seve, a well-known illustrator, New Yorker cover artist, and Parsons alumnus, who will discuss the process of creating iconic characters. In addition, Guarnaccia will moderate a panel discussion on how creative skills developed in art school can translate into work-life projects and careers, featuring a range of Parsons alumni: animation director Aaron Stewart, artist Motomichi Nakamura, and ornamental painter Andy Kehoe.

Also presenting are two members of the Australian design collective Rinzen, known for its video and audio remix project, RMX. New York-based designer Craig Redman has a creative output filled with twisted optimism and simple messages executed in a colorful, bold style. His character Darcel has become a fashion icon and is often featured at famed Parisian boutique Colette, where he recently had a solo exhibition. Berlin-based designer Rilla Alexander is inspired by vintage children books and mythical stories to create characters with complex identities through a blending of illustration, graphics and 3D design. Her RMX project, Neighbourhood, involved 20 blank plush dolls that were passed around the world being reworked and remade.

Illustrator Nathan Jurevicius will discuss his most acclaimed project to date, Scarygirl. Since her creation in 2001, Scarygirl has developed a following of fans throughout the world and has been the subject of a game, graphic novel, numerous limited edition vinyl toys and travelling shows, and a forthcoming feature film.

The program will conclude with a screening of Characters in Motion 2010, a 75-minute collection of animated short films, music videos and motion graphics. Each film was selected for its innovative and style-setting character design and the intriguing way these protagonists involve the viewer in surreal settings.

Pictoplasma is acclaimed for its unique focus on contemporary character design and art. Timeless publications showcase the work of a global scene of illustrators, graphic designers and animation filmmakers. The annual conference in Berlin is the meeting point for an international audience. The inimitable mix of selected animation programs, the lively exchange between the various disciplines and face-to-face artist lectures, allowing a personal glimpse into the character centered universe of the protagonists, have proven highly inspiring and highlight the importance of characters in contemporary visual culture. Whether illustration, animation, graphic design, street or fine art – the emphasis is not on the limits of style or format, but on the shared dedication to explore character-driven aesthetics. After its US premiere in 2008, the event is now returning to New York for the second Pictoplasma NYC edition. For more information, please visit www.pictoplasma.com.

In the BFA Illustration Program at Parsons The New School for Design, one of the most prestigious and comprehensive schools of art and design in the world, students are poised to become influential, pictorial communicators. Through studio and digital course work, the program builds proficiency in drawing and media-based skills; creativity in concepts and problem solving; awareness of art and design and current social and cultural concerns; and fluency in technological tools and software. For more information, please visit http://www.newschool.edu/parsons/bfa-illustration/.

Pictoplasma NYC 2010
November 13, 2010
3-10 p.m.
Tishman Auditorium
66 W. 12th

Free and open to the public, but please RSVP to: pictoplasmaparsons@gmail.com.

 

Pictoplasma Parsons 2010 on November 13th

animation, cartoons, comics, Current Students, Education, Events, Illustration Alumni, Illustration Dept. Events, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, Inspiration, News, Talks/Lectures, toys, , , , , , , , , , ,

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13 NOVEMBER 2010
3.00-10.00 pm

Parsons The New School for Design
Part of New York Illustration Week
Tishman Auditorium
66 West 12th Street

Pictoplasma returns to New York with select screenings, artist lectures, panels and presentations of the very best in international character design and art. Featuring: Nathan Jurevicius, (Parsons Illustration Alum) Peter de Sève, Craig Redman, Rilla Alexander, (Parsons Illustration Alum) Aaron Stewart, (Parsons Illustration Alum) Motomichi Nakamura and (Parsons Illustration Alum) Andy Kehoe.
SCHEDULE
3.00pm Introduction – Pictoplasma
3.45pm Artist Lecture – Craig Redman
4.15pm Artist Lecture – Rilla Alexander
5.30pm Artist Lecture – Nathan Jurevicius
6.15pm Artist Lecture – Peter de Sève
7.30pm Panel – Parsons Alumni
8.15pm Screening – Characters in Motion 2010
9.30pm Filmmakers Q&A
10.00pm End
Check out http://tour.pictoplasma.com/tour/nyc for more details and updates and of course, stay tuned to Words and Pictures!  Pictoplasma NYC is kindly presented and hosted by Parsons The New School of Design as part of the New York Illustration Week.

ENTRANCE IS FREE, BUT SEATS ARE LIMITED !!!
PLEASE KINDLY ANNOUNCE YOUR ATTENDANCE:
PICTOPLASMAPARSONS (at) GMAIL (dot) COM

Graciously sponsored in part by Folioplanet.


2009 Harvey Awards Nominees Announced!

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The 2009 Harvey Awards Nominees have been announced with the release of the final ballot, presented by the Executive Committees of the Harvey Awards and the Baltimore Comic-Con. Named in honor of the late Harvey Kurtzman, one of the industry’s most innovative talents, the Harvey Awards recognize outstanding work in comics and sequential art. They will be presented August 28, 2010 in Baltimore, MD, in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con.

Parsons Illustration Alum and Faculty member R. Sikoryak has been nominated for “Best Previously Published Graphic Album” for his book Masterpiece Comics.

Congrats to Bob on his continuing success with this fantastic piece of work!

Jake Messing’s work chosen for “Seeing Double” exhibition

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The Attleboro Arts Museum presents
Seeing Double, a national juried exhibition.
featuring work by Parsons Illustration Alum Jake Messing!

Open from 7/7/2010 – 8/4/2010

Partners, duets, Noah’s animals, diptychs, mates, symmetry,
reflections, twins, bicuspids, echoes, bookends, the
Attleboro Arts Museum presents a national juried exhibition that
will prompt you to think twice – Seeing Double.

Congrats on your inclusion, Jake!

From the Vault: Gareth Hinds interviewed by School Library Journal

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Parsons Illustration Alum Gareth Hinds was interviewed by School Library Journal back in January.  With a final release date (October 12th!) set for his upcoming graphic novel adaptation of The Odyssey, we thought it would be great to revisit that interview.  Here’s a snippet:

Are there some stories that won’t work as graphic novels?

There are stories that don’t lend themselves quite as well to the graphic novel medium, but there are no stories that can’t be done. I’ve put off doing certain books because they were just too huge—War and Peace, for example, is not only incredibly long, it covers a very long period of time, includes a lot of characters, and would require a tremendous amount of historical research. I may adapt War and Peace someday, but not in 2010!

I’ve never hit an actual dead-end once I started working on a book, but occasionally difficult scenes can bog me down, and I have to walk away from them and work on something else for a while. For example, the very end of The Odyssey is rather abrupt in the original. I wanted to somehow slow down the last few pages and tie up some of the themes and plot threads, but I didn’t want to add any new material or change the story. That took a while to figure out.

…

What’s special about your version of The Odyssey?

For one thing, at 256 pages it’s a lot longer than anything else I’ve done, or most graphic novels for that matter. It has a more expansive, epic feeling than my other books, with a lot of landscape, open ocean, and crowd scenes. What I think distinguishes my books from other graphic novel adaptations is the way I approach the classics. It’s very important to me that my adaptations do justice to the originals, and to me that doesn’t just mean not changing the story too much, it also means bringing a high level of art, craft, and sophistication to the way the story is told in the new medium—like the original author did. That’s a tall order, of course. I don’t think it’s enough to give a classic story the gloss of a modern comic or dress it up with special effects. To whatever extent my adaptations succeed, it’s because I have equal dedication to the source material, the craft of telling a story in pictures, and the creation of a beautiful book.

Read the rest of this interview here.  And over on his blog, Gareth has posted tons of progress updates about The Odyssey so can follow his creative process.  Definitely check them out here.

Congrats to Gareth on his new book!

Parsons Illustration Alum Dan Springer wins Arts Educator of the Year Award

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The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod has announced the winners of the Third Annual Creative Community Awards. Arts Foundation of Cape Cod Arts Educator of the Year is Daniel Springer of Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School.

After receiving his BFA in Illustration from Parsons School of Design in NYC, Springer received a MA in English from Northeastern University. He also studied performance and theater design at Syracuse University. A teacher for over 20 years, Springer has been teaching the arts at D-Y Regional High School for the last 15. He currently chairs the Fine & Performing Arts Department at D-Y. He has taught a variety of classes including writing, drama, acting, digital art, drawing, printmaking, advertising and humanities. He sits on the Advisory Board of the Cape Cod & Islands Art Educators Association and teaches at the Cape Cod Museum of Art (CCMA). Daniel has also presented workshops at three National Art Education Association national conferences in Boston, Chicago and NYC. Springer is also an active landscape painter whose work can be seen @ www.springed.wordpress.com.

In the past, Springer has championed the production of the D-Y school yearbook and designed and directed multiple theatrical productions. Despite staff and budget cuts, Springer has also increased the variety of arts programs offered to students in the last six years. Working with the CCM A and the Cape Cod & Islands Art Educators Association, Springer has also been instrumental in creating and promoting the annual “Portfolio Day” at the CCMA, an event for Cape Cod students pursuing college arts programs.

Margaret Van Sciver, President of the board of the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod said:  “We are delighted to recognize Daniel Springer as Arts Educator of the Year. His commitment to his students and colleagues at D-Y, and his tireless support of other collaborative arts programs in our region, make him an outstanding role model for students and the Cape’s creative community.”

Lee Weill, an arts instructor at Barnstable High School and member of the advisory board for the Cape Cod & Islands Art Educators Association notes: “Daniel has made art education a top priority in his life. He communicates the value of arts as a career path, an outlet for personal growth and a contributing factor for the benefit of the Cape-wide economy and community.”

The other 2010 Creative Community Awards honorees are: Maestro Royston Nash, Lifetime Achievement; Senator Robert O’Leary, Community Leadership in Support of the Arts; and the Falmouth Artists Guild, Collaborative Arts Project of the Year.

The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod supports, promotes, and celebrates the arts and culture of Cape Cod by creating a strong, stable, and diverse arts environment, and contributing to the quality of life and economic vitality of the region. For more information, visit www.artsfoundation.org.

Congratulations, Daniel!

[image: “Perfect Day” by Daniel Springer]

Alumni Updates

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Single Roar

Courtesy of Alumni Relations, here are a few updates on Illustration Alums:

  • Arleen Schloss, Certificate, Illustration ’64, with Alan Raymond and Douglas Reichter, has put together a selection of four short films and videos to document the redefinition of the Bowery through the last 40 years. The films are called How Do You Like the Bowery?, Performance Art Workshop On Subway NYC 1979, New York Underground Venues Late 70s/Early 80s, and Ducks in the Window.
  • Susan Andreasen, Illustration ’69 is an “EcoArtist,” teaching an eight-week class at the Armory Arts Center in Palm Beach, Florida on how to capture live wild animals on canvas and collect landscape information. She is also an environmentalist and an endangered species advocate who has devoted her career to promoting “green consumerism” and environmental awareness through her artwork. In addition, she donates a portion of her paintings sold to an environmental or endangered species charity.
  • Lois Joy Johnson, Illustration, ’70, is a well-known beauty and fashion editor, who has spent 25 years interviewing, reporting and shooting about and with the best of the best. Her versatility as a writer, editor, and media spokesperson on style for the 40-plus market is well established and respected in both industries. From supermodels like Christie Brinkley, Paulina Porizkova, and Lauren Hutton to hair and makeup gurus like Frederic fekkai, Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown, to fashion icons like Diane Von Furstenberg, Vera Wang and Norma Kamali, every “name” has graced her editorial pages. Johnson is a highly sought after media pro who appears on television and radio shows. She has been a frequent contributor to The Today Show, The Early Show, Extra and CNN. As beauty & fashion director of MORE magazine from 1998 to 2008, her lively personal column was also syndicated in Knight Ridder newspapers. Johnson has given speeches on beauty, fashion and dermatology at conventions and workshops. She adored her years at Parsons and has great gratitude to her former teachers, Marvin Israel and Albert Elia who started her on the road.

Are you an Alumni?  Make sure to let us know what you’re doing these days!  Email us.  And while you’re at it, get in touch with Alumni Relations too.

[image: Single Roar, giclee print by Susan Andreasen]

Peter Kuper: All Over the Map (at Society of Illustrators)

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Wednesday, September 30, 2009–In a slide presentation at the Society of Illustrators (NY), artist and Parsons Illustration Alum Peter Kuper will present everything from his world travels to political illustrations to graphic novels. Included will be work from his newest book, Diario de Oaxaca, a sketchbook journal of his two years living in Mexico.

Peter Kuper has won both gold and silver medals from the Society of Illustrators and his art has appeared on the covers of Time and Newsweek as well as Mad where he has drawn Spy vs Spy since 1997.

$15 non-members/$10 members/$7 students

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
6:30pm – 9:30pm
Society of Illustrators
128 East 63 Street, NY, NY
RSVP kevin@societyillustrators.org or call 212 838 2560

www.societyillustrators.org

Gavin Spielman featured on AND in Dan’s Paper

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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