American illustrator and comics artist Peter Kuper is best known for his autobiographical, political and social observations, all of which were on display in his 2015 book "Ruins," a graphic novel about a married couple living in Mexico. The plot mirrors Kuper's own life - he lived in Oaxaca, Mexico, with his wife and daughter from 2006 to 2008. During that time, Kuper and … Read the full Story >>
Performing for the camera has become integral to social media self-marketing, having arrived at the smart phone/Facebook/Instagram nexus. But dramatic portraits go back as far as the arrival of photography itself in the 19th century. With her costume box and props closet, Julia Margaret Cameron is perhaps the best known of Victorian-era photographers for costuming and directing her subjects, who include relatives and the … Read the full Story >>
Photographer Jeff Wignall falls under the spell of the Alien Skin Exposure X Software Bundle Read the full Story >>
Vincent Van Gogh is likely the most beloved artist of all time. While there is no official poll on the subject, I propose that the large number of forgeries of his work, movies about the artist, and the continuing research on authentication of his work proves that Van Gogh lives large in the popular imagination. And don’t forget the 1971 song “Vincent,” by Don … Read the full Story >>
Quito, Ecuador-born illustrator Ricardo Munoz's Latin American Ilustracion 3-winning artwork was part of a series created for Microquito, a contest for short stories featuring Quito as the main character, setting or central theme. Munoz's work brought the contest's finalists to life. "Being able to illustrate those stories was a great honor for me because it allowed me to be connected with my birthplace through … Read the full Story >>
Peggy Roalf: Which came first, the pen or the brush? Jason Holley: It has to be drawing, right? When you’re a kid and you pick up your mom's lipstick and draw all over the cat, well… that is as primal as it gets. Painting for me is more socialized and cerebral, and it requires so many more steps, extra gear etc. Drawing is as … Read the full Story >>
When Rebecca Jimenez moved from her native Spain to the Dominican Republic in 2010, she discovered a vibrant natural world she'd never known--a place filled with flowers heavier than her own head and hummingbirds that greeted her every morning. Her experience led the freelance illustrator to begin thinking about man's place in nature, and she later began her series of art centered on the … Read the full Story >>
Melinda Beck is an illustrator, animator, and graphic designer who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She creates artwork in a wide variety of styles, all of them smart, graphic, and remarkable in their technical accomplishment. On her website Beck breaks down her illustration styles into five categories: silhouette [this style is pictured to the right], graphic, pen and ink, children's, and drawing. … Read the full Story >>
As Summer maintained its grip on Our Fair City weatherwise, Instagram offered a peek into Tom Cocotos’s sketchbooks. Here, for the very last installment of Pimp Your Sketchbook, is what I discovered last week. Sitting on a crowded A train, a woman boards, weary, arms full of packages. The cool of winter has her in a heavy brown overcoat, hat slightly cocked, scarf pulled … Read the full Story >>
Bob Staake is remarkably diverse and multi-talented illustrator based in Chatham, Massachusetts. He has been creating art and illustrations in many forms for almost 40 years, although he is quick to point out that "I refuse to call what I do 'work.'" Staake's illustrations have graced the pages of countless magazines, as well as over 60 (!) children's books, corporate and product work, poster … Read the full Story >>
Q: Originally from [where?] what are some of your favorite things about living and working in [your current locale]? A: I grew up in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, a small farm town west of Philadelphia. I then went to study at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland. Ate lots of steamed crabs there, then moved to New York at the tail end of the … Read the full Story >>
Q: Originally from the Great Plains, what are some of your favorite things about living and working in the East? A: This always feels like a complicated question for me. Obviously, I know that I was raised in rural Nebraska, but since then I have moved around and felt at home in a lot of different places. I lived in LA for two years … Read the full Story >>
In August, The Trump administration said it would begin a wide-ranging review of current and planned exhibitions at eight of the Smithsonian Institution's museums, including several of its major art museums, to assess their "alignment with American ideals." But, noted The New York recently, it's not only Smithsonian museums that are feeling pressure during Trump's second term: "The president's moves are being watched with … Read the full Story >>
PR: Where do you live and how does that place contribute to your creative work? Dasha Tolstikova: I live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It’s sort of remote where I am. It feels like you are in the countryside when you are here. I really like this. I like being close to the city but also having this escape hatch from the insanity of Manhattan. I … Read the full Story >>
"Expect the unexpected" might be the mantra for designers, typephiles and artists bound for the 2018 Typographics Festival and Conference at The Cooper Union. Organized by Type@Cooper and The Herb Lubalin Study Center, the 4th edition takes place from June 11 through 21, with an amazing lineup of workshops, tours, demos, interviews and experiments over the 11-day program. Info The highlight of the … Read the full Story >>
We continue looking back at the past year in photography, spotlighting stories that featured standout photos, magazines, Instagram images, and Kickstarter campaigns in 2015. Flickr has released its top images of the year, along with information about what cameras they were taken with. Instagram also released a list of its most popular images in 2015. (Yeah, the most viewed was Kylie Jenner's hair.) Adweek … Read the full Story >>
The annual exhibition of work created for the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay program at School of Visual Arts celebrates the work of 19 students with an opening reception tonight. David Sandlin, the curator of this year's installment, gave me a tour of the show last week during the installation. As curator, David explained, his role began early in the year, as he … Read the full Story >>
COMICS RARELY GO LIVE, and this fall seems to be the magical moment for New York aficionados to appreciate the real thing. The Fantagraphics 30-year retrospective exhibition at the Society of Illustrators runs through October 21st. It features over 100 original pieces by dozens of artists published by Fantagraphics over the last three decades. The exquisite beauty of these drawings gave me goose bumps … Read the full Story >>
In his Introduction to the catalogue that accompanies Edvard Munch: Between the Clock and the Bed, currently on view at the Met Breuer, Norwegian novelist Karl Ove Knausgård wrote, If you have ever stood in a room in front of a painting by Munch, or Van Gogh or Rembrandt for that matter, you will know that part of the painting’s magic is that … Read the full Story >>
Portrait photographer Michael Gilbert, who now splits his time between his home in Maui and his studio in Paris, France, seems to have photography in his blood. Both his father and grandfather were successful portrait photographers. Gilbert is known for his innovative and offbeat portrait commissions. He also spends a lot of time exploring the hidden jungles and canyons of Maui. In the latest … Read the full Story >>
