Tag Archives: spraygraphic

From the Vault: Noel Claro gets interviewed on Sprayblog

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

noel-claro-squibbies

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.

mini mini 4 x 4 art show from spraygraphic

Call for Entries, Current Students, Exhibitions, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, News, ,

minimini

Here are the official rules straight from Spraygraphic:

MINI MINI: A 4×4 Mini Art Show
Spraygraphic.com is asking artists from all over the world to submit works of art (all mediums) that are no larger than 4 x 4 inches and that can be hung flat against the a wall. The depth of the artwork can exceed 4inches (ex. Sculpture) but it must be able to be hung on a wall without extraneous assistance. We expect to end up with a gallery full of diverse, compelling, and exquisite little pieces of art.

Requirements: IMPORTANT – Read This to Avoid Problems With Your Submission

1) The Deadline for Entry is March 5th, 2009. THERE IS NO ENTRY FEE!!!

2) NO FRAMES OR FRAMING OF ART

3) The MINI MINI show will be displayed at Push Gallery (Phoenix)on March 6th (Phoenix First Friday) and then moved on March 7th to Cartel Coffee/Art Gallery in Tempe for the rest of the month and and then installed atConspire Art Gallery in Phoenix (5th and Garfield) on April 1st for a month long showing.

4) All submissions must come in a 4×4 format that can be hung flat on a wall. The art can be no larger than 4 inches. but the art’s depth can exceed four inches. The show is open to all traditional and non-traditional genre and media, but it must be able to be hung flat on the wall from the back.

5) All artists that submit a piece must have a spraygraphic profile to be accepted for submission. No profile, no hanging.

6) All artists must send information on a typed piece of paper and it must include: their spraygraphic address (Ex. www.spraygraphic.com/chuckb) along with their name, location, title of piece, and price (if selling art), along with any other pertinent info you can think of.

7) All media is accepted. Sculpture, paint, markers, stickers, crayon, etc. are all acceptable.

8) Each artist is allowed up to two (2) pieces.

9) Please make sure your piece is completely dry before shipping. Allow at least 48 hours drying time before packing and shipping your artwork. Also wrap them in plastic or other film, DO NOT USE PAPER.

10) Time is of importance because the show is on March 6th and we would like to begin hanging on March 4th.If you haven’t started it yet then start it, finish it, and send it out…

Everyone that submits a work will be hung at the show on March 6th.

All questions about the show can be directed to minimini@spraygraphic.com.

Keep reading for more details!
Continue reading →

Illustration Adjunct Faculty Deroy Peraza gets his shot in the Spraygraphic Spotlight

Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, Interviews, , , , , ,
marquez-hyperakt

Deroy Peraza, an Illustration alum and faculty member, discussed his business Hyperakt and artistic process with Spraygraphic’s Sprayblog back in January. Here’s an excerpt:

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

DP: There’s two answers to that. The creative process and the pragmatic process. The trick is getting the two to get along.
On the creative side, there are always some vague ideas floating around in my head that are waiting to get matched with the right project. They are usually inspired by something I saw, read or heard somewhere, and tend to be unfinished fragments that don’t really mean anything until they are activated by a concept. But all of that is bullshit without answering some very basic, practical questions first:
1. What does it need to do?
2. Who needs to get it?
3. Why?
Whether the work is personal or commercial, print or interactive, 2d or 3d, the same questions apply. I need to be able to define what I’m trying to do concisely in one statement before creating anything. Otherwise, I feel lost. Like most things in my life, the process of creating any work is one of structured chaos.

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

DP: Ask for help. One of the great things of working in a collaborative environment, with people I like and respect, is that I can ask them for help. Everybody gets stuck sometimes. Whether your brain forgot to power up that day or whether you’ve been working on something for so long that you’ve been blinded to reality, there’s nothing like a little perspective from your peers for a reality check. At Hyperakt, we don’t really have the luxury of letting a project sit around waiting for brilliant ideas, so we tag team on them when we get stuck. We’ll just trade projects and hit reset. Its a practice that is not easy to learn. It requires putting the ego aside, and trusting your baby to someone else. Both are hard. Other than that, there’s the usual. I dig for inspiration in our library or on the web. I go for a walk. I try to travel as much as possible. I’m also very competitive, so nothing fires me up more than seeing good work from the competition.

Read the rest of Deroy’s interview here!

Ray Hooper is interviewed on Spraygraphic

Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, Interviews, , , ,
ray hooper card

Our fine friends over at Spraygraphic Sprayblog caught up with Parsons Illustration Adjunct Faculty Ray Hooper, who has taught Type in the department for some time and who has branched into the world of greeting cards with his company, Ray Hooper Designs. Here’s an excerpt:

SG: Can you tell us a little about your business, Raymond Hooper Design, LLC.

RH: We design Greeting Cards, Appointment Books, Journals, etc. My company is a year old this month and after a year of building a staff and inventory we had our first sales last month. We are trying to appeal to people who are both sophisticated about art and design and don’t necessarily need someone else to write their sentiments. As a result many of our cards have very terse messages on the inside or none at all. A number of our cards are blank note cards with photographs, illustrations or just some kind of graphic on the front.

SG: Where has your work been seen?

RH: The books in book stores and museums across the country. The cards, so far, only at trade shows and in trade publications.

SG: Where will it be seen next?

RH: Trade shows in Atlanta, San Francisco and Seattle. Card stores in North Carolina, Texas, Washington state and upstate New York.

SG: What is your dream art assignment?

RH: No such thing. It’s a joy making my living designing.

SG: What is your favorite color?

RH: I like them all.

Make sure you read the rest of Ray’s interview here and check out his designs here.

Frank Olinsky designs logos & gets interviewed!

General Info, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, Interviews, Publications, , , , , ,

olinsky logo 1 olinsky logo 2 olinsky logo 3

Illustration Adjunct Faculty Frank Olinsky is a busy man! He recently created his third logo for media wizard Fred Seibert’s Next New Networks, a new kind of media company, creating micro-television networks over the internet for targeted communities, bringing together elements of TV programming and internet philosophy to allow viewers to contribute, share and distribute content. His latest logo is Goggleburn: Online TV You Gotta See. Previous, more illustrative logos were created for Bleacher Bloggers and Metal Chik: The first online network for jewelry making and trends.

olinsky sonic youth

Additionally, our friends over at the Spraygraphic Sprayblog interviewed Frank about his artistic process. Here’s a snippet:

SG: How did you get into being an artist/designer for record companies (CD Cover work) and companies like MTV?

FO: A few early album covers somehow came my way, and after designing the MTV logo, musicians, managers and record companies began contacting my former design studio, Manhattan Design.

SG: What kind of deadlines do you work with when producing this kind of work?

FO: That ranges from a few weeks to months. I’ve even had a CD package drag on for several years.

SG: Do the companies come back to you and say “change this” or “change that?”

FO: Always!

SG: How much are you willing to change? Is there some kind of negotiation process you go through?

FO: I try to be flexible and receptive. I know that I am not always the best judge of what is the best solution to a design problem. Negotiation? Let’s just say on more than one occasion told the client to take the job back and find someone else to do it.

Read the rest of the interview here and also make sure to check out the comments below the interview for some lovely appreciations of Frank’s fine work.  Congrats, Frank!

[images by Frank Olinsky]

From the Vault: Spraygraphic interviews Illustration FT Faculty Nora Krug

From the Vault, General Info, Illustration Faculty, Interviews, , ,

 

krug-bush
Bush by Nora Krug

Back in October, Spraygraphic Apparel interviewed Illustration FT Faculty Nora Krug for their blog. Spraygraphic strives to highlight artists and designers that create culturally conscious, socially active and politically provocative work. Here’s an excerpt from Nora’s interview:

Describe your working process when creating a new work.

NK: I easily get bored once I notice I’m using similar concepts, compositions and media and I try to always explore new themes and ways of working. When working on a personal piece the process can be really torturing. I can get very deeply involved and forget where I am. Every time it feels like I’m starting at the very beginning, like a puzzle with thousands of parts, and no reference image on the cover. I take a long time for sketches and I often have no idea what the final piece will look like. Every line I draw can be a struggle. But when I’m done and happy with the way it looks I feel extremely fulfilled. It’s a completely different story with my commercial work. I work much faster there and have a good sense of what the final piece will look like.

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

NK: I get very annoyed and angry and can’t stop thinking about possible solutions. It takes me an hour or so of socializing and thinking of something else until I emerge on the surface again. Usually the only way out is continuing to draw and redraw until it works. Sometimes it also helps me to distract myself while I’m working, because then the whole focus isn’t only on my fear of not being able to create what I want. I love listening to BBC Radio 4 and 7 online.

Where are you currently finding your inspiration?

NK: In everything. People, films, music, books, other people’s art. I’m also very inspired by peoples’ lives that have nothing to do with the arts.

Make sure you read the rest of the interview here for more insights about Nora’s work and interests.

Also, you can access the archive of other fantastic artist interviews by Spraygraphic here.

Congratulations, Nora!