Summery Summary

Since my last update to this page, I was on the brink of finishing a year-long marathon of picture book painting. Today I’m happy to report, it’s pretty much done. 

Zora’s Zucchini comes out first, this August, just in time for the bounty from your own garden. I’ve added a new section to my website, where you can get a few peeks at the illustrations. The image above, of Zora’s neighborhood, is one of my favorites.

Zora is also available for pre-order, if you are so inclined.  

Today, I spent the better part of my day looking over proofs for A Big Surprise for Little Card, due out in February 2016. The designer geek in me is thrilled that this will be my first book printed on uncoated stock. Thanks Candlewick!

Now it’s onto the next project—I’ve started sketching a picture book written by the great Sharon G. Flake, to be published by Boyds-Mills Press late next year. But more on that in a future post. 

Next week I begin my month-long teaching gig at the School of Visual Art Summer Residency in Illustration. It was such a rewarding experience last year, and I hope to share some of my students’ work here in the coming weeks.

Happy Summer to you!

We Tell Stories

It was just five years and some months ago that I graduated from the School of Visual Arts MFA program, Illustration as Visual Essay, a two-year experience that, to be blunt changed my life. On view now in the school’s Chelsea galleries is “We Tell Stories,” an exhibition showcasing the vast array of work produced by three decades worth of graduates. Organized over two years by founding Chair Marshall Arisman and Director of Operations Kim Ablondi, it covers the breadth of the illustration world with editorial work, children’s books, graphic novels, and more on display. 

Very near and dear to my heart is the room dedicated to children’s books, designed with extraordinary florescent flare by alumni Aya Kakeda and Sara Varon—I mean, just wait until you see their rugs! About a month ago, the two hosted a bunch of us children’s book artists to paint an assortment of furniture for the room. (I had the pleasure of painting a lamp—grumpy on one side, happy on the other). But it’s the impressive display of picture books that takes center stage, from the likes of Brian Floca, Lauren Castillo, Paul Hoppe, You Byun, Stephen Savage, Andy Rash, Dasha Tolstikova, Sybille Schenker, John Hendrix…I could go on, and on. I am so proud to have some of my work included—some of my birds even made the cut.

There’s a public reception this Tuesday evening which I’ll be attending, since I spent almost all of my time socializing at the alumni reception last week, and not looking at the walls. It’s really an amazing show for fans of illustration; I hope to see you there. And finally, many thanks to this amazing duo who have nurtured the lives of so many artists — viva Marshall and Kim!

SVA Summer Residency

While you might have been focussed on the World Cup this month, I had the pleasure of teaching an intensive class in Illustration and Visual Storytelling at the School of Visual Arts Summer Residencies. It was a terrific group from around the world—a global mix to rival any international football competition—with representatives from Uruguay, Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands, and Japan to name just a few.

Several months ago, while discussing the nature of my class with the Residency Director Viktor Koen—one of my former and favorite instructors in the SVA MFAI—we decided students should come away with “a series of something.” Since the bulk of my experience is in books and narrative illustration, that seemed a natural fit to me, and would differ significantly from the other classes taught by Viktor, and illustrator/designer Paul Hoppe which were centered on editorial illustration, professional practices, and comics. I had students come to the first class with a text of their choice, and we took it from there. What you see below is a sample of their projects, a collection as diverse and impressive as the individuals themselves. It’s amazing how much great work they produced in just one month.

On a personal note, I’d like to give a big shout out to these fine folks, to thank them for making my first post-graduate teaching experience so rewarding. Bravo!

Adriana Miralles

Anuranjini Singh

Ashleigh Green

Brian Britigan

Esther Aarts

 

Catherine Liu

Ignacio Serrano

Jo Lee

Karina Dimitriu

Mai Moroe

Pablo Londero

Paola Pagano

Shane Cluskey

Teaching at SVA’s Illustration Summer Residency

Since graduating from the masters program at the School of Visual Arts in 2009, I haven’t given 

much thought to teaching. Primarily, I’ve focused on my own illustration career in the children’s book market, with a bit of editorial work. So far so good, I’d say, as this year has me working on more books than ever. But when my favorite (and toughest) instructor in the Illustration MFA, Viktor Koen, asked me to join the faculty of SVA’s Summer Residency, I jumped at the chance.

The Summer Residency brings together students from around the world to spend a month studying in the discipline of their choice with professionals working in New York City. Here’s a quote from the website on the illustration program:

“With guidance from award-winning illustrators, participants will complete a body of work comprised of images created for assignments, as well as personal projects, aiming to showcase their individual style and aesthetic direction. The goals are to advance to the next level of artistic practice and to attain an enhanced position in the illustration marketplace.” 

For my class, students will create a series of images to accompany a narrative text, to be encompassed in a book or visual essay. If you’d like to read more about the Summer Residencies and for information about applying, visit the School of Visual Arts website here.

It will be a high-intensity month of June. I look forward to meeting this group of international professionals, guiding, and watching their work evolve. The Residency culminates with an open studio exhibition, a few images from which I hope to share here in a future post.

big night

Last night I had the privilege of attending two great Illustration Week events in NYC. Chair of the Masters in Illustration Department at the School of Visual Arts, artist, mentor, saxophone player, and my occasional boss, Marshall Arisman was one of the honorees at the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame Gala. Just being in the same room with luminaries of the design and illustration worlds, such as Viktor Koen, Steven Heller, Louise Fili, Massimo Vignelli and Paul Davis, to name a few, was a thrill.

Next, doing my best impression of a jet-setting New Yorker, I jumped into a cab to head over to “The Party,” which marks the publication of American Illustration 30, and to hobnob with my fellow illustrators and celebrate our inclusion in this years annual. Needless to say, I’m a little weary today. 

blue canvas magazine

The current issue of Blue Canvas Magazine includes an article on the MFA in Illustration at the School of Visual Arts, and I’m tickled to be amongst the distinguished alumni (John Hendricks, Nathan Fox, Brian Floca, Yuko Shimizu, Sam Weber, Daniel Lim, Martin Wittfooth...the list goes on) whose work is featured. 

handmade folios

A few months ago, one of my former teachers at SVA asked me if I knew anyone who could make some custom-sized folios for a series of prints. Before I knew it, I heard myself say, “Sure, I can do that.” I wasn’t certain what I was getting myself into, other than a guaranteed few days of work away from my computer. The end products turned out well enough that I’m posting photos here. There really is no substitute for good old fashioned handmade stuff.