Illustration Concentration

NEW SVA MFA in Visual Narrative

Art by Nathan Fox © 2011 detail from GQ essay on the hunt for Bin Laden.

Nathan Fox will direct the new Visual Narrative MFA program at NY’s School of Visual Arts. Nathan is a comic book artist and illustrator. Like me, he is a grad of SVA’s MFA Illustration as Visual Essay program.

Nathan Fox's covers for Pigeons From Hell, Dark Horse Comics. — Nathan Fox’s covers for Pigeons From Hell, Dark Horse Comics.

Nathan is juiced about what he calls “the future of storytelling.” I asked him how this new MFA is different. For one thing, it is low-residency with an emphasis on the concept of “Artist as Author.” In fact, writing will account for a full 50% of the program. Every student must create a digital version of their narrative. A narrative created for this MFA program might be a graphic novel, but it might also be an interactive game, an animation, or a mix of time-based and traditional media.

Visiting lecturers naturally include stellar comics artists and graphic novelists. Animators J.J. Sedelmaier and John Canemaker are on board. The program promises some unusual perspectives from game developers, typographers, copyright lawyers, and a neurologist.

Students will work in the studio in Manhattan for three intensive eight-week summer residencies. Nathan tells me the Chelsea area studios will have magnetic walls for slapping up storyboards of work in progress. There will be smart classrooms and pop-up studios and where each artist gets an individual workspace.

Between summer sessions students go home, but continue their projects online. Nathan envisions eight to ten hours work days, six days a week during the summer sessions.

How Much? If my math is right, the tuition will be near $70,000 for the three summers and two “winters.” I asked my junior level illustration class what they thought of this tuition. Several gasped, our instate undergrad tuition is about $8,500 a year. Hannah Stephey was the exception, she said, “Hey, it is a very specialized and really cool degree! It’s like -You want to be an astronaut? -You have to go to astronaut school! It’s very specialized; and that’s going to be expensive!”

Tit for Tat © Jennifer Daniel (detail) from Latina Magazine

Jennifer Daniel, known for her witty iconic illustrations and infographics will be on the faculty. “Tit for Tat” piece above is a part of a page of slang terms for women’s breasts appeared that in Latina Magazine. Ross McDonald, whose humorous illustration appears below, is also a faculty member.

Art by Ross McDonald, Faculty member. — Art by Ross McDonald, SVA MFA Visual Narrative Faculty member.

Stellar faculty. Presuming he gets similarly stellar students, Nathan Fox may well be onto something as he races towards the future of storytelling with the MFA Visual Narrative. Apply here if you want in.

For God and Country (detail) drawn by Nathan Fox, ©2010 — For God and Country (detail) drawn by Nathan Fox ©2011

By the way, the full visual narrative “For God and Country” on the death of Osama Bin Laden (detail above) can be found at GQ.com. Give it a minute to load. The writing is by Matt Fraction, ably illustrated by Nathan Fox, and superbly colored by Jeromy Fox.

GREAT DANES INVADE NEW YORK!

Sussi Bech,Thomas, Frank Madsen of the Danish Cartoonists Guild. — Sussi Bech, son Thomas, and Frank Madsen of the Danish Cartoonists Guild.

Cartoonists from Denmark came to New York City for MoCCA Fest. Sussi Bech and Frank Marsden were stationed at the table of the Danske Tegneserieskabere (Danish Guild of Professional Comics Writers and Artists). Frank has a studio in Birkerød and has been doing comics, kids’ books, storyboarding, animation, and general illustration since the 1970’s.

panels from Nofret © Sussi Bech — Nofret, a comic set in ancient Egypt © Sussi Bech

Frank draws a popular book series starring Kurt Dunder. Sussi Bech, his partner, is also an amazing cartoonist. Their adventure comics reminded me of the clear line style of Herge’s Tintin. Frank agreed and noted that the Belgian artist Hergé is a lasting influence on comics throughout Europe. Frank and Sussi also draw a weekly cartoon, Eks Libris, about the literary world of Denmark.

panel from Eks Libris by Sussi Bech and Frank Madsen — from Eks Libris by Frank Madsen & Sussi Bech

I was surprised to learn the Danish artists coming to MoCCA are officially sponsored by the Danish Government. Frank said France is the European champion at promotion of comic artists overseas. As a result of this cultural effort France remains the comic hub of the continent.

From The Mysterious Manuscript © Lars Jakobsen

I also met Lars Jakobson. Lars has had success in Europe with his Mortensen series about a globetrotting time-traveling detective. Sort of a fusion of Dr. Who and Tintin, the Mortensen books are being published in the US by Graphic Universe. I bought The Mysterious Manuscript. It is a good yarn with added educational value. The back matter gives readers a brief history of various plot elements including “witch hunts” and “the invention of bicycles.” The Mortensen series is being translated into English with the aid of cartoonist Robyn Chapman, a faculty member at the Center for Cartoon Studies.

I did not meet Ina Korneliussen, but I picked up her quirky little minicomic, Fortællingen om dengang jeg fik en bamse. I have no idea what that means, but her drawings are charming. Based on the pictures the story seems to be about a young mother-to-be who has serious attachment issues with her teddy bear.

The caliber and the variety of comic styles coming from Denmark is quite remarkable. Tusind tak (Thanks) to the Danish government for sponsoring such a creative invasion force.

Chris Soentpiet, Traveling Man, stops in Kutztown

Chris Soentpiet on loacation in China courtesy www.soentpiet.com — Chris Soentpiet on location in China courtesy http://www.soentpiet.com

Born in Korea, raised in Hawaii, Chris Soentpiet studied art in Brooklyn at Pratt Institute. The acclaimed children’s picture book illustrator specializes in carefully orchestrated costume dramas. The winner of numerous honors including the Society of Illustrators’ Gold Medal and NAACP’s Image Award is coming to Kutztown.

photo reference and watercolor illustration © Chris Soenpiet — photo reference and watercolor illustration © Chris Soentpiet

Chris Soentpiet (pronounced SOON-PEET) will be speaking at the 15th annual KU Children’s Literature Conference. Registration info can be found here. A large selection of his books are already on display at the KU bookstore. His conference audience will be area educators on Saturday April 13. On Friday, he will also do give an informal presentation to Communication Design students. Chris is on the road as usual, so we could not contact him, but with permission of his booking agent are displaying samples of his artwork from his extensive website, www.soentpiet.com.

detail of watercolor illustration for Coolies © Chris Soentpiet

His web site is informative. Pennsylvania illustrator Maxwell Parrish is among his favorite artists. The golden mountain range from Coolies is reminiscent of Parrish’s style. Another big influence and real-life mentor has been Ted Lewin, the wrestler turned Pratt art professor. Ted and his wife Betsy Lewin are both past visitors to KU Children’s Lit Conference. They have traveled the world for inspiration for their illustrated books and encouraged Chris to do the same.

While the images reproduced here deal all with Chinese stories, Soentpiet has also had great success drawing African-Americans, and European-Americans. He has illustrated biographies of Martin Luther King and Booker T. Washington and stories of the American experience from colonial times to the present.

His site has sobering advice for aspiring artists. He doesn’t sugarcoat his memories of trying to make it as an illustrator in New York:

“I took on a second job to pay the bills while making my first three books. I worked nights at a factory carving out belt buckles. Art supplies, rent and the everyday cost of living in New York City was and still is very expensive. Forget health insurance-couldn’t afford it. I made use of the city health clinic if I got sick. Obviously I didn’t have much choice in the foods I ate. My meals consisted of rice with a can of tomato sauce or if I’m lucky, instant noodles. For years I’ve lived the “starving artist” lifestyle.”

…But the hardship only fueled my determination and I truly believed that one day I will be able to do what I love for a living. Over the years the publishers knew I was passionate about each project that was entrusted to me. Now I am fortunate I can paint full-time plus have three healthy meals a day!”

We look forward to hearing much more from Chris Soentpiet. The KU Children’s Literature Conference is Apr.12-13. KU students are invited, free of charge, Friday, Apr. 12. On Sat., Apr. 13 student cost is $10. All others are $70 at the door. Presenting will be authors Janet Wong and Suzanne Fisher-Staples as well as Chris Soenpiet. Check the conference Facebook page for updates.

Kutztown Beats Columbia!

Kutztown Beats Columbia and Dartmouth and Netflix!

Kutztown University will screen Cartoon College on March 28, 2013. Columbia University and Dartmouth screenings are not until April and who knows when it will show on Netflix? The Free screening for the KU community is Thurs, March 28, Sharadin Art Building, Rm 120, 7:30pm.

Here’s how the filmmakers describe their movie: “Each fall the Center for Cartoon Studies invites 20 aspiring cartoonists and graphic novelists to White River Junction, Vermont for a no-holds-barred education in comics. Those who complete the program earn an MFA and are ready to face the uncertainty of a career in one of the world’s most labor-intensive, drudgery-inducing art forms. CARTOON COLLEGE is their story.”

It features literary comics’ biggest stars, including Chris Ware, Lynda Barry, Art Spiegelman, Francoise Mouly, Scott McCloud, and CCS director, James Sturm.

Art here and above © Joseph Lambert — Art here and poster above © Joseph Lambert

Filmmakers Josh Melrod and Tara Wray funded this movie, in part, by a successful Kickstarter campaign. It has been on the film festival circuit from San Francisco to Palm Beach.

Last month it was a hit at Scotland’s Glasgow Film Fest. UK reviewer Henry Northmore’s wrote “Based in the sleepy town of White Water Junction in Vermont (which looks like an idyllic place to live, work and study), the students’ lives are a mix of geeky bohemia and intense pressure… If you are interested in comics this is an absolutely fascinating look at a new generation of artists/writers, …but even if you are only a casual fan of the medium it gives a human face to an artist’s passion and desire to connect with others via storytelling, highlighting the hard work and dedication involved in this oft overlooked art form.”

Ad from www.cartoonstudies.org — Ad from http://www.cartoonstudies.org for CCS Summer School 2013

In case you are wondering, tuition is north of $17,000 a year for the two-year Cartoon College MFA program. Cartoon College, the movie, is FREE for the entire Kutztown U community, courtesy of the KU Communication Design Dept. and our student AIGA chapter. Be there: 3/28 @ 7:30pm, Sharadin Art Building. Movie trailer can be seen here.

From Cartoon College: The Movie, by Josh Melrod and Tara Wray — From *Cartoon College: The Movie* by Josh Melrod and Tara Wray

Kutztown Illustration students who are making zines for the upcoming MOCCAfest will share their work at a table in the lobby after the show!

Special thanks to CCS grad Joseph Lambert for permission to use his art on this page. He’ll be at MOCCAfest, too. His latest comics and illustrations can be found at www.submarinesubmarine.com.

Straight from Kutztown to NY, NY.

In Aubry Cohen’s Cat Party a cat decides to have a little fun when his owner goes out for the night. This 14-pager will be ready for MOCCAfest at the historic Armory in NYC, April 6-7.

In Dreams is by Ryan Bittle. “When in dreams, the world is yours. But you can never tell when the dream will descend into nightmare.” says Ryan. In his 8-page mini-comic, drawn with ballpoint pen, a little girl learns her imagination may be too powerful for her own good.

Dear You, Love, Me © 2013 Michelle Foster

Dear You, Love, Me is a feel-good story about love and friendship by Michelle Foster. A girl down on her luck and muddling through some recent heartbreak tries to get back on her feet (with the help of a new friend). The story is told from the perspective of a guy, her friend, via letters from him to her, in which he encourages her and helps her out with her struggles.

Lauren Walling tells the story of a ballerina in a tale tentatively titled Musicbox. Lauren explains the theme with this quotation from singer- songwriter Regina Spektor: “Life inside a musicbox ain’t easy, the mallets and the gears are always turning. And everyone inside the mechanism is yearning to get out”

The panel above is from Bobby Stank’s mini-comic, She Thinks She’s Super. Rob is having girlfriend problems. She’s acting weird and has run off in the middle of the night. Is she cheating on him, or is she really a superhero?!

In Janelle Remphrey’s Feverish Happenings strange things happen when a girl stays home from school with a fever. Janelle has more of her art on view online here.

Most of the students involved in this project are Communication Design majors. Tessa Ports is the exception; she is a Fine Arts major. Her zine is called Echoes of the Past, and the panel above is about dragons, lamenting the fact they are fading away from legend and being forgotten.

These zines will be on view at MOCCAfest in NY, April 6 & 7. This is a great opportunity for our students to participate in what the Village Voice calls “The Best Small-Press Comics Nexus Anywhere.” We are grateful to Kutztown University’s Office of Assessment for the grant funding our exhibitor’s table. There are a few other college exhibitors including Maryland Institute College of Art, and NY’s School of Visual Arts. This is a first for Kutztown and we are delighted to be in such good company.

More Comics for MOCCA

“Zish & Mala is a mini-comic from the zine Minty Circus by Hannah Stephey that follows two alien military officers in their bumbling ordeal of intergalactic mishaps and monster fights.” Since we wrote about Hannah in 2011 she’s drawn a lot more comics and has taught a short course in comics at the Chambersburg Arts Council.

Mellen is nearly finished with her MOCCA bound book, Bediquette. Mellen says, “Bediquette is a zine for anyone who’s ever had to share a bed, with a partner or otherwise. Observational humor, bad puns, and suggestions about ways to share a bed …And not go crazy!'”

Bediquette cover art © 2013 Mellen (Melissa Reinbold)

From Bediquette © 2013 Mellen, Melissa Reinbold

Ryan Gaylets is a US Navy veteran and a fan of odd TV shows like the Twilight zone. His comic is a bit more serious and mysterious. In his story, panels below, a young man has a few too many drinks, but is still able to drive his girlfriend home in his pick-up. Well, he thinks he can.

panels © Ryan Gaylets — Panels from “Let Me Go” © Ryan Gaylets 2013

Jen Zweiger has an ambitious fantasy comic in progress. Fight or Flight begins with a girl waking up in a world of darkness with no memories. Not long after, a monster appears out of nowhere and chases her relentlessly. As she flees she encounters a mysterious being, the “Priestess,” who may be the only hope she has of discovering her past. In this panel, after a futile cry for help is seemingly ignored, the girl sees the Priestess for the first time.

T.J. Walston is a somewhat oppositional character in real life. I had some suggestions for his project, he declined to make any changes. He explains, “My comic is descriptively named “No. And why.” – this comic being about everything I hate in life, including day-to-day events… and people. This specific page (below) is about my girlfriend, I hate her, don’t get me wrong I love her, but sometimes she’s a bit like a monkey.”

No. And why? © 2013 TJWalston — No. And why? © 2013 T.J. Walston

Hate to leave on a negative note, so we conclude with Erica Slough’s cheerful story of a night in the life of a vampire who works at a call center. Erica is planning on creating this 9-page zine in the shape of a coffin. She says it will be about an “average joe” vampire.

Nosefaratu © Erica Slough — A Night in the Life © 2013 Erica Slough

We’ve got an impressive array of talent and story lines headed to the MOCCAfest. Stay tuned for more amazing stories next time!

Kutztown U artists heading to MOCCAfest in NYC

In Jeff Gum’s PIONEERS, two shipwreck salvagers from the year 3861 P.G.B. get more than they bargain for when they uncover the remains of an “ancient” NASA space vessel. Jeff and his classmates in illustration II are all pioneers of sorts. They all are making individual zines, or mini-comics to share at MOCCAfest 2013 in New York City, a first for KU.

Kutztown will be among a select group of colleges at the indie comic showcase at the historic Lexington Ave. Armory. SVA, MICA, and the Center for Cartoon Studies will be there, but most MOCCA exhibitors are publishers and established artists. Darby Minter’s 8-pager, above, has a working title – Dreaming in Botulism. It is the story a young girl’s nightmare, the result of food poisoning. Darby plans to customize her zine with a post-it note from Mom on the fridge on page 6.

The panel above is from “Isaiah Arpino’s Most Amazing Story With Both Panties And An Ostrich. As Isaiah says, “It’s crazy what you can find in a basement and where it will take you.”

Awkward Bunnies by Nathan Hurst will be a 12-page project. The caption to the drawing above is “Do you still wear acid wash jeans?” More of Nathan’s art can be seen at: Thesuburbanpilgrim.tumblr.com

Another artist who can be found on tumblr is Lauren Gillespie. She is working on a project called Scallywaggin’ –“the heartwarming tale of a rowdy gang of cutthroat space pirates and their bungling captain that scour the universe for fortunes untold….sort of.”

panel from Scallywaggin' ©2013 Lauren Gillespie — panel from Scallywaggin’ ©2013 Lauren Gillespie

MOCCA, by the way, stands for Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. MOCCAfest will be April 6 & 7 this year. It is New York’s largest indie comics showcase, featuring hundreds of creators and publishers for two days of educational panel discussions, slide shows, and interviews. It is open to the public for just $10 a day, details can be found here. We will be showing more highlights of our Kutztown illustration student projects real soon.

North Carolina’s Monster Man

Hypnotic Skull (detail) linoleum cut © Bill Fick

Bill Fick wrote the book on printmaking. Actually, he co-wrote the book, with Beth Grabowski, Printmaking: A Complete Guide to Materials & Processes. He is a part of the group known as the Outlaw Printmakers.

Bill Fick draws monsters. He is a nice guy. I met him one rainy night at the Atomic Cowboy bar in St. Louis. Tom Huck was throwing a party and Bill Fick was among the invited Outlaws. I remember a protester outside the bar carrying a sign saying, “STRIPPERS ARE BAD.” The bar was so crowded that I never saw the strippers; maybe they were bad.

Fick's Printmaking text, cover image by Sean Starwars — Fick’s Printmaking textbook, cover image by Sean Starwars

Bill Fick teaches printmaking, drawing, and comics at Duke University. He has set his mind to building something off-campus in Durham, N.C. He has a vision of a self-supporting printmaking studio/work space/ exhibition space, with artist access to equipment, workshops, and classes. There is nothing like it in the area. It will be super and it will be called SUPERGRAPHIC!

YOU CAN OWN A BILL FICK MONSTER!

Bill Fick’s art has been exhibited all over the world. He’s won a National Endowment for the Arts award. His monsters are included in famous collections such as Harvard’s Fogg Museum. His art can fetch thousands of dollars. But his SUPERGRAPHIC dream is your opportunity to own an original Bill Fick artwork for a donation of as little as $35.

The details of the SUPERGRAPHIC project can be found here. If you want to learn more, or donate, check that out. Also check out billfick.com where, oddly enough, there is a photo of Kutztown printmaking grad Josh Dannin working on a monster print project.

"Homer Johnson" linoleum cut, © Bill Fick — “Homer Johnson” linoleum cut, © Bill Fick

Jim Haverkamp made a charming 7-minute documentary of Bill Fick at work, Anatomy of a Linocut. Another video by Frith Gowan and Ayanna Seals lets Bill Fick speak his mind. It is called Controlling the Monster. He admits, “I am fascinated with the idea of the monster… ugliness… misunderstanding… For me, making the monster may be some kind of response to the constant drone of bad news.”

Meadowlands

I visited Hoboken, my old hometown, for the opening of an art show from Meadowlands, Thomas Yezerski’s beautiful children’s book. His book is about the battered, but amazingly resilient, ecosystem that exists just a few miles from Hoboken and it’s better-known neighbor, New York City. The exhibit runs to March 10 at the Hoboken Historical Museum, my favorite small museum.

I met Thomas last year when he came to Kutztown University Children’s Literature Conference. Raised in Allentown, PA, he now lives in Hoboken. He is a graduate of Syracuse University’s famed illustration program. Thomas has illustrated a variety of kid’s books, but Meadowlands: A Wetland’s Survival Story is his masterpiece.

His ten years of research began by reading everything he could find about the natural history of the area. Then he got into a canoe so he could observe the North Jersey wetlands firsthand.

Thomas found some remarkable wildlife thriving beside some of our nation’s noisiest, and ugliest highways. His watercolor washes and finely detailed pen and ink drawings are perfect for depicting this strange world. The New York Times gave the book a glowing review: “Meadowlands is tremendously (but not intimidatingly) informative, fun to read and gorgeous to look at.”

The book is a generous 40 pages, more than the typical children’s picture book. Nearly all of the panoramic two-page spreads are framed by multiple vignettes, like those appearing here. Thomas includes dozens of these supporting images in the current exhibition.

The artist custom matted his illustrations to include the supporting details.

Thomas Yezerski will return to the Hoboken Historical Museum on Sun. Feb 10 at 4pm to describe his research, writing, and illustration process. (And sign books!) More info on the event can be found here. Admission to the Museum is $2 for adults, free to children and members.

Thomas Yezerski at Kutztown’s Children’s Lit Conference in 2012

If you can’t get to the Hoboken Museum, Thomas’s publisher has a nice page about the book with more pictures. To see the wide range of his illustration work, visit thomasfyezerski.com.

Attention K’town Shoppers: Please Report to the Gallery

“SCARP” A prior clothing installation from jarodchazewski.com

Kutztown University will host Canadian artist Jarod Charzewski as he transforms the Miller Gallery into a “site-specific installation based on the consumer culture of Kutztown shoppers.” What’s that mean? Come find out. Based on his past installations, Charzewski’s work is likely to be colorful and eye-pleasing, yet also thought-provoking.

Army Man Made of Books about War © Jarod Charzewski

Charzewski’s winning artist residency proposal was one of nearly 125 that came from all over the world. His Kutztown U gallery installation will be in progress from Jan 21 – Feb 7. Artists (students or not) who would like to assist him in the project can contact Karen Stanford via the Miller Gallery webpage. The exhibition will be up until St. Patrick’s Day.

Born in Winnipeg, Charzewski graduated with a BFA from University of Manitoba. He got his MFA at U on Minnesota. He is currently teaching at College of Charleston, S.C. I emailed him a few questions:

Q. How important is drawing to your process of visualizing an installation?

Jarod Charzewski: Drawing has always been an important part of what I do. I have always drawn. It’s the first creative thing I did when I was growing up. I don’t really think I was very good at it. I could blow my friends away with drawing, but that was only copying things from photographs. I wasn’t very spontaneous with my subject matter.

Many of the drawings I do today are schematics for planning my installations. My wife is an architect so I frequently bounce ideas off her as far a traffic flow and the height of things.

Q. What tools do you use to draw?

J.C: Right now I am using Sketchup to do drawings of all forms. Everything from detailed schematics with dimensions, vegetation and pedestrians to doodles and scribbles. It’s a very fun tool to play with.

Sketchup drawing © Jarod Charzewski — Sketchup drawing for a project at Ohio University © Jarod Charzewski

Q. What is the best advice you got in art school? From whom?

J.C: The best advice I got was from Alex Bruning. He taught advanced drawing in my BFA program at the University of Manitoba. It was one class when he gave us some instruction and then turned us loose to work. I sat in front of my drawing board with a blank piece of white paper on it for – I guess – ten minutes, wondering what to draw. Meanwhile, my buddy Richard Wlodarczak just jumped right in, without hesitation or evidence of a single thought and started drawing.

I was amazed. Alex Bruning came by and said to me. “Richard trusts himself…. You must trust yourself”. I think about that a lot. I can’t say I remember what I did at that moment but I recognize now the things I trust myself with. It’s also fun to see students in my classes that trust themselves. By the way, Richard Wlodarczak is an accomplished painter living in Vancouver, B.C.

Jarod Charzewski borrows, then returns, clothing from Goodwill for installions like this.

Q. Is Canada more supportive of the visual arts than the US?

J.C: It is and it isn’t. It’s common for anyone with BFA to get provincial and federal artists grants as soon as they graduate. There are many that make a living doing just that. What is rare is a chance to exhibit the work you make with the grant money, as there are so few galleries, compared to the US. I feel it’s the opposite here in the US. Even before students of mine graduate they have shows in commercial spaces and are selling their art in one way or another. It’s the grants that are few and far between.

Jarod Charzewski’s artist statement and many more images of his artwork can be found at jarodcharzewski.com. If you are near Kutztown, visit the Miller Gallery. The artist will be talk about his work, free and open to the public, Feb 7 at 7pm. The official installation opening is the same day, 2/7/13, from 4-6pm. Details here.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Kutztown Beats Columbia and Dartmouth and Netflix!

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: