AIB Illustration & Animation Blog

Rob Dunlavey Visits us @ AIB

Illustrator Rob Dunlavey stopped by AIB's Illustration Junior/Senior studio last Friday! He gave a great talk, and showed off his process! Check it out :

For More of Rob's Work Check out his :

PORTFOLIO

BLOG

FLICKR

POINTY PEOPLE

 

AIB Senior Illustration Exhibition

On Friday April 27th, in AIB's Main Gallery, the Illustration Department proudly opened the exhibition that featured the work of 21 graduating Illustration Seniors. The show was well attended due in part to the standing room only crowd exiting the PIXAR event hosted by both the Animation and Illustration Departments, that preceded the senior opening.

To See more photos of opening night please visit:

http://www.flickr.com//photos/aiboston/sets/72157629987349985/show/

 

Shown Above: Mimi Alves

Shown above: Aaron Pino

AIB Student Interview with Illustrator Rob Dunlavey

Rob Dunlavey (with paper sculpture)

Web Promotion for Illustrators asks students to connect with creative profesionals through student interviews to learn what it takes to be a profesional Illustrator working in todays various markets. Julia Walters, one of AIB's own Illustration/ Fine arts undergrads reached out to one of her favorite illustrators, Rob Dunlavey. 

Dunlavey's interests and accomplishments are in the fields of: Children's book illustration, Editorial illustration, Educational illustrations (for Museums), as well as advertising and book illustration! Rob was nice enough to share some of his expertise in the world of self promotion, check out what he has to share!

1. What was your first job and how did you find it? Was it paid, or did it lead to other paying jobs?

My first jobs as a free-lance illustrator were for the Christian Science Monitor whose offices are in Boston. I walked in the front door, with my portfolio and announced my desire to see an editor. I knew that they published an international newspaper that was widely respected. Of course the job was paid and it led to many more assignments over a period of years. I feel loyal and nostalgic about the Monitor. They are still publishing but I think the years have not been easy on small newspapers (that have no advertising!).

2. How much are you willing to cater your style to fit a client's demands?

I think my style is pretty set and we're always in agreement about that. I am usually very willing to dialog with the client about the content and editorial concept of the illustration.

"Riffii et Azimut" 2010 for "Les Belles HISTOIRES" Bayard Presse, Paris FR

("Les Belles HISTOIRES" - a magazine for children)

 3. How do you deal with client rejection?

Sometimes you wish they would just reject the project rather than getting the shoe to fit "no matter what". It doesn't happen too much and is often the result of some breakdown along the way or a misunderstood chain of command. But, it's all business. Some things work great and others don't. You do need to assume (or agree beforehand) that there is compensation in place in the form of kill fees based on how much of the assignment you have completed. Yes, sketches, even rejected ones should be paid for.

 4. Do you find any websites more "profitable" than others, by volume of sales or commissioning of work?

Not really. I'm not part of any paid portfolio sites. I've made profitable relationships through work I've posted on drawger, illustrationmundo, flickr and facebook. The volume is not great nor is it consistent.

 5. How else do you promote yourself (maybe mailings, promotional items, paid advertisements, etc.)?

I post many images on-line (at my peril I think --but that's another discussion). I do several postcard mailings a year and a few other targeted mailings (I make a special calendar that people collect). I often send specific work to specific people. It's very personal. It's my attempt to keep them in the loop; just passing something in front of their eyes. Often, there is no immediate response; it's a form of tending one's garden of contacts and being proactive. I try to enter competitions. I've found purchased mailing lists to not be so useful as they once were, but I use them once or twice a year.

"Riffii et Azimut" 2010 for "Les Belles HISTOIRES" Bayard Presse, Paris FR

6. How often do you submit work to galleries or participate in call for entries?

As often as I can. 3-4/year. I wish I could do more.

7. How do you determine the sale price for your artwork? Originals vs.prints?

This is a tough call. Family members say I charge too much. Colleagues say, and my research shows, that my prices are reasonable. But this is all DIY entrepreneurship (Etsy, etc.). A gallery or rep situation would probably increase and stabilize the rates.

8. How do you retain copyright when negotiating with clients?

It's all in the contracts: For editorial: first magazine rights and various forms of "electronic" rights. The picture in book publishing is a bit murky with publishers attempting to set a minimum compensation for electronic forms of books. I retain all rights to any original art that I sell. And in general, I assume ownership of ALL rights and refuse to enter into any situation where my ownership is assumed by the client.

9. What is something you wish you had known when you first became a professional artist, or general advice for those starting?

Don't be afraid to embrace the fact that Art or Illustration is an actual career and that regardless of the practicality of your work, it's of value to people and other businesses. That's how our economic system works. The more joyous, honest and inspired you are, the more people will know about and value your work.

personal work (from sketchbook) watercolor, charcoal

A special thanks to Rob and Julia for sharing swith all of us here at AIB!

To view More information and work, check out Robs online galleries:

Website: http://www.robd.com/

Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/robdunlavey

Store : http://www.etsy.com/shop/robdunlavey

And for More of Julias work, check out her online portfolio:

http://www.wix.com/juliawalters/illustration

AIB Web Promotion Student Picks

We asked the AIB Web Promotion class to find illustrators and artists who are know how to promote their work and get the creative jobs done! Below are AIB student picks of some of the leading contemporary minds that they are following, check them out!

               

Ryan Andrews , Loish Van Baarle: Loish , Joey Bates 

Mark Powell Biro , Olaf Breuning, Diem Chau 

 Andrew Chesworth , Richard Colman , Cyanparade / Kidchan 

Zadok Ben David , Peter Diamond , Julie Dillion 

Rob Dunlavey , Gregory Euclide

Mike Freiheit , James Gurney , David Hale 

Trevor Henderson , Don Hertzfield , Faith Erin Hicks 

Paul Hoppe or Paul Hoppe Design , Seonna Hong 

Rueben Ireland , Thomas James , Jean Jullien 

Peter Konig , Jana Liptak: The Cultured Cuttlefish

               

Laurie Lipton  , Travis Louie , Tim Mcdonagh 

Elizabeth McGrath , Mike Nash , Tony Ong 

Noah Patric Pfarr, Stepehen Powers , Ashen Ray

Emi Sfard , David Shrigley , Chris Sickles 

Lim Swee , Taxali , Wendy Cogan Toyoda 

Teagan White , Matthew Woodson

 If you would like to add some of your own artists to this list please contact:

Tegan, AIB Blog Intern - tharmonay[at]hotmail.com

Year of the Dragon Group Show @ FOE Gallery

Year of the Dragon Group Show
March 9-April 8. Opening reception Friday, March 9th 6-9pm. 

FOE celebrates the first of their second year of art openings with the “Year of the Dragon” group show.  Dragons and dragon mythology have inspired artists for over 2000 years.  Come out to see works by local and international artists, including AIB's Illustration faculty Ryan Maguire (shown below), as they interpret the legendary, mythical creature.  Eastern dragons are characterized as a benevolent force bringing good fortune and prosperity.  They adorn temples and are depicted in artwork, literature and film.  In the 2012 year of the dragon we should all try to channel our positive power to radiate goodwill and blessings, or at least, look at some cool dragon art.  The show will remain up through Sunday, April 8th.

Shown Above: AIB Illustration Faculty Ryan Maguire,
New York Knicks Jeremy Lin 'Year of the Dragon', digital collage, 2012

FOE Store & Gallery
28 Pleasant St 
Northampton MA 01060
www.shopfoe.com

 
ARTISTS: William Schaff, Toby Barnes, Spencer van der Zee, Sloan Tomlinson, Ryan H. Maguire of DYCO, Rin Ascher, Rick Beaupre, Ramiro Davaro-Comas, Nate Duval, Mister Ruesch, MCA of DYCO, Mat Matera, Martin Ontiveros, Maeg Yosef/Edison Rex, Luke Cavagnac,  Koji Harmon, John Hung Ha, ThEm DoLLz, Erik Wayne Patterson, Erik Johannessen, Eric Talbot, Eben Kling, Dana Ellyn, Coby Ellison, Christopher Gendron, Chris Piascik, Bob Eggleton,  Alex Zirrit, Adam Connor 

Make It: A Puppet a Day

Check out AIB's Erin Stainken's Puppet a Day project, a creative collaboration of Erin Stainken and Jenna Walsh. Erin makes one puppet and Jenna writes one poem every day for the month of December.

"We don't preplan and the pairings are random and suprise to everyone including us. We're hoping this project will be a fun motivator to help us generate more work and keep us creating daily."










View more on the Puppet a Day project website: http://ekspuppetaday.blogspot.com/

Studio Visit: F84 Games

AIB Illustration Faculty Ryan Maguire recently visited Floor 84 Studios during his Hartford Illustration MFA contact period in Pasadena, CA. Floor 84 was founded by Jeff Hardy, a graduate of Syracuse University Illustration program.

F84 illustrates, designs, and develops interactive content for various games and mobile devices. Recent projects include; Man vs. Wild, Dragon Eggs, Dinger, and Hip Hop DJ. Check out their demo reel here. Below are some pics from F84 studio visit.

Red Nose Studio @ AIB

AIB welcomes guest artist Chris Sickels to The Art Institute of Boston’s Main Gallery, where the celebrated animator and illustrator will display his work from Nov. 7 to Dec. 15, 2011, with a special lecture on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Auditorium (Room 215), 700 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass.

The exhibit, “The Big Small World of Red Nose Studio,” features sculptures, drawings, sketches and videos by the artist, who is creator and director of the award-winning Red Nose Studio. Red Nose Studio’s illustrations appear in advertising, magazines, books, newspapers, packaging, character development and animation.

Sickels builds his 3-D illustrations from a variety of materials, creating sets and puppets from a combination of wire, fabric, cardboard, wood, miniatures and found objects. His endearing characters and intricate sets draw in the viewer with wit, whimsy and charm.

“My work isn’t really graceful,” says Sickels. “It’s usually pretty awkward - like if the puppet moved, he’d fall off or he’d trip or he’d run into a wall. It’s a bit of beauty and a bit of awkwardness. And I think that’s kind of how I am.”

AIB is excited to host such a talented artist and hope all come to see the gallery and lecture!

Read full press release here

Update: AIB 3D Projects (cont.)

AIB 3D Projects continue to make their 3D illustraion worlds come true! C'mon, Everybody Loves Hot Dogs...


Anna Jo Beck


Aaron Pino


Adele Tobin


Annemarie Petroni


Brittany Wood


Chelsea Osgood


Connie Deng


Emma Mcdonnell


Julia Eichhorn


Kaila Gee


Kate Sheridan


Vincent Coviello


Will Patriquin