AIB Illustration & Animation Blog

An Illustration Pop-Up Shop: Please Touch!

Please Touch hopes to reintroduce illustration to consumers not as just drawings in books and magazines, but as objects to be experienced. In the past fifteen years we have seen a change in illustration that mimics this sentiment. Illustration is leaving the page and enriching our cultural landscape.

The Please Touch shop shares our creations with the viewer and invites you to inspect, enjoy, and take the work home, as opposed to viewing it temporarily from a comfortable distance. Pop-up shops are perfect for limited edition products from niche retailers, such as artists. We also love our work, and want it to live and thrive outside of our view.

So please, touch.

See our progress on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pleasetouchshop

Work Featured From:
Sadie Allen
Ashley Almeida
Lucia Balcazar
Anna Beck
Samantha Benc
Olivia Dinnall
Ellen Dubreuil
Tegan Harmonay
Rue Hartsell
Kris Phero
Nate Mitchell
Nick Nazzaro
Chelsea Osgood
Tai Sae-Eung
Erin Stainken
Adele Tobin

May 7th - 12th 2013
Tuesday - Friday: 12 - 8pm
Saturday and Sunday: 12 - 7pm

Opening Reception on 
Saturday May 11th 5 - 7 pm

The Art Institute of Boston Gallery at University Hall
1815 Massachusetts Avenue 

Cambridge, MA 02215

*Please note the PLEASE TOUCH shop  only accepts debit or credit cards payments. We will be utilizing PayPal Here for all transactions.

DIG Boston “Oh Cruel World” Internship Questions by Coner Corbett

DIG Boston “Oh Cruel World” Internship Questions.
By: Conor Corbett - AIB Illustration

What did you find to be the most challenging aspect of working in the world of editorial illustration?
Definitely scheduling my time around meeting deadlines. Sometimes I would get the next article on Thursday or Friday, but the deadline was always Monday morning. My entire weekends were soon dedicated to working on the Dig, especially when I was given a featured article!

What was the most rewarding part of working for Dig Boston?
Besides picking up the latest copy to see my work in print, as well as establishing a good sense of what a deadline entails, I would have to say the most rewarding part of this internship was how confident I have gotten at drawing digitally. It was a challenging and repetitive workout for my tablet skills!



What are the three most important things you learned from this internship experience?
1) Communication – whenever I felt stuck or crunched on time, I would always shoot Scott an email about my concerns and we would figure them out together. 2) Time Management – really having to set aside time to have a comfortable and efficient working schedule. 3) Research – I can honestly say that I’m not familiar with the markings of the Juggalos’ face paint.

How did your training as an AIB Illustration Major best prepare you for this job?
As an illustration major at AIB, we are always taught and told to express ourselves how we see fit and rid ourselves of all boundaries. I’ve grown to become comfortable enough to voice my own personality in my work, which I believe shines pretty bright in my sketches for the Dig!

As a student how did you balance your internship with your academic responsibilities? 
I was fortunate enough to be working for the Dig over my summer break, so I didn’t have to worry about my school life. I did, however, have to cut some weekend hours from my other job, but that was absolutely fine with me (haha)! 

How did you feel knowing your illustrations were being published and seen by thousands of people in the metro-Boston area?
It really didn’t dawn on me until after I started to notice how often I would catch someone nose-deep in a Dig while riding the T. It was really cool and fulfilling to see my work functioning in the real world!




What was the strangest Oh Cruel World article you illustrated?  and… Did you do illustrations for articles that never went to print?
The strangest article I was given to illustrate was during my fourth week at Dig. It was about a famous homeless Bostonian who was getting pissed off at how often they were photographed without a tip. I totally agree with the guy in saying he was completely justified for the reaction; a fat group of loud and tacky tourists, cradling countless bags of leftovers from dinner, tags still stapled to their neon palm tree shirts (palm trees in Boston?), snapping carefully posed photos and leisurely strolling off without any appreciation for anyone’s time would steam me up! I just couldn’t imagine how a passive aggressive homeless celebrity would look posing for a photo. 

How was it working with the Art Director, Scott Murray?
A super awesome and funny dude with an incredible passion for what he does! His critiques and opinions were only honest and very informative, and he was always available by email. He never allowed me to get away with leaving even the slightest details out!

“Oh Cruel World” Internship Questions by Nick Nazzaro

DIG Boston “Oh Cruel World” Internship Questions.
by: Nick Nazzaro - AIB Illustration, class of 2014

What did you find to be the most challenging aspect of working in the world of editorial illustration?
Working on a computer knowing the image would ultimately be 1” x 1.5” with very different colors than you intended was very difficult. I really couldn’t anticipate how well something would turn out in print until I actually saw it.

What was the most rewarding part of working for Dig Boston?
Finally seeing my work in print! Having it look accurate was even more of a bonus, and when they spelled my name right, that was the best.

What are the three most important things you learned from this internship experience?
Work as quickly as possible because if something needs to be changed, or you have a question, you have no control over how quickly your art director responds to you. Establishing relationships via email is not as easy as in person, but you have to be as friendly as possible in case of emergency. Really! Always be prepared to receive and reply to emails, you really can’t afford to be unavailable to people who need your services.

How did your training as an AIB Illustration Major best prepare you for this job?
Very well, there really is an exact formula for how editorial works. You read something, you do thumbnails, you do roughs, and then you finalize. It’s is exactly what we did in multiple classes.

As a student how did you balance your internship with your academic responsibilities?
I cheated and used my final illustrations as homework for my Advanced Computer illustration class. Also, the internship came before homework, always. Missing homework is no big deal to missing illustration that’s supposed to be printed and distributed to thousands of people!

How did you feel knowing your illustrations were being published and seen by thousands of people in the metro-Boston area?
I felt very accomplished, even though I was working for free and the actual images were tiny. I saved a hard copy of every paper and so did my grandma.


What was the strangest Oh Cruel World article you illustrated? and… Did you do illustrations for articles that never went to print?
I have two that are both strange. I broke my hand mid-internship and couldn’t draw at all so I did a sculpture with my left hand and photographed it instead. Itwas a very bizarre result. The next week they never gave me an article to illustrate and the night before my deadline they finally told me to write my own article. So I complained about how I broke my hand and drew myself crying.

How was it to work with Art Director, Scott Murray?
He was very supportive and easy going. I was really hesitant to admit I broke my hand at first, but eventually I felt I had to. He ended up offering to do my drawings for me! I ended up doing them all myself, but he was really willing to help me out.

Scott Murry, DIG Boston - talks “Oh Cruel World” Internship!

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be highlighting one particularly unique internship opportunity, along with the students who’ve completed it thus far.

Dig Boston, a free weekly alternative newspaper graciously interns one AIB Illustration student per semester. Over the course of a 14 week semester, the student works closely with Art Director, and AIB Illustration Alum, Scott Murry, to complete one illustration for the “Oh Cruel World” column per.

Recently, Murry agreed to answer a few questions for us, here’s what he has to say about AIB’s internship program.

What do you see as a benefit to hiring student interns? Why do you continue to do it?
During my time at AIB, I enjoyed the classroom setting and projects we did, but always yearned for something that felt more official. That "official" experience is what I'm hoping the illustrators get out of this experience. It's always fun to see your own work in print, knowing that it’s reaching thousands of readers. And outside of the academic environment, it's much more comfortable to draw a vomiting dog and be proud of it. I love seeing what students come up with each time when they're given assignments that reach a new audience. And it's awesome for us to have good looking illustrations in the paper, of course!

Have there been any drawbacks?
Nick Nazzaro. Next question. I kid, everyone has been a lot of fun to work with. There have been assignments where both the illustrator and I are facing a hard deadline that can make meeting goals tricky, but that pressure is all part of the job. There have also been weeks where an illustrator wants to go all out with details, and I have to bring up the hinderances of reproduction in newsprint at a smaller size than they're working. Tiny detail lines can get lost very quickly scaled down.

How has your experience been working with the students at AIB?
I quite enjoy it. Seeing new styles and clever solutions from each new student is always enjoyable. From the beginning of an internship to the end, I enjoy watching the work grow and get more daring both in content and skillz. (The "z" shows their exceedingly proficient skills.)

What has the response been from colleagues or customers since this programs inception?
There have been a number of illustrations that catch the attention of readers on our site, twitter, etc. Whenever I hear excitement around a student's illustrations in the office or through social networking, it gets me all worked up. That's an all-around victory.

Help A Heart Fight! for AIB Alumni

Justin "Judd"McGill, AIB alumni '96, recently sufffered from a Thoracic Cardiac Aneurysm – McGill underwent  immediate Open Heart surgery, the survival rate for this medical emergency is less than 1%, at the amazing Boston Mass General. We are incredibly lucky to have Judd and his artwork with us today.

After a successful eight-hour surgery, which involved replacing three inches of his ascending aorta and heart valve, bio-medical replacements (parts of a cow!) were put in place. McGill came through the surgery better than anyone could have thought and doctors said he will be better than 100% when he is fully recovered.

HELP A HEART FIGHT! is a benefit to help raise funds for the McGill family - to help with medical costs, food and anything else he may need during his time of healing.

Event Information
http://justinmcgill.eventbrite.com/

LIKE Help A Heart Fight! on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/HelpAHeartFightJustinJuddMcGill/

McGill will be in attendance at his upcoming exhibit, Lessons in Life, at the Oneway Gallery, Narragansett RI. On view from May 1 — MAy 26. Opening: May 4th from 6pm—9pm

Youth Art Month (YAM) @ Boston City Hall

Calling all art students!
The Boston Public Schools Visual & Performing Arts Department is seeking volunteers to assist with Youth Art Month (YAM), an exhibition and celebration of BPS student artwork at Boston City Hall.

The YAM exhibit will be on view at City Hall from April 1-27, 2013. Volunteers are needed to assist in the installation of the exhibit on March 27 and 28; the Opening Gala Reception on April 1; and the Interactive Opening for Schools on April 2.

We'd love your help for any and all of these events, and thank you for your support of BPS art students and teachers! Please register as a volunteer at: http://goo.gl/DzS6x, where you can find exact dates and times, and contact Leslie Karten, BPS Program Director for Visual & Media Arts, at lkarten[at]bpsarts.org with any questions.

Letterpress Printing at AIB!

Two weeks ago, AIB installed a brand new letterpress studio! After months of planning, searching for presses and coordinating schedules, three volunteers from the fabulous Museum of Printing arrived with two letterpresses, lots of ink and type and even a fancy paper cutter for all of our bookmaking, edition-printing needs.

Letterpress is a form of relief printing using a press. It can be similar to certain forms of printmaking, often involving printed editions, bookmaking and other paper-y things like stationary, business cards and notebooks.

Like any art form, letterpress printing ranges broadly from the traditional to the experimental, and right now, several printing shops are working with illustrators and artists to make editions of beautiful work. Check out these people and places: Mama's Sauce, Ladies of Letterpress, Heroes & Criminals Press, Mikey Burton, Jessica Hische, Julie Chen, Barbara Tetenbaum...and there are so many more.

Right now, we are putting the finishing touches on the new studio, located centrally at UHall in Cambridge. Our plan is to run introductory workshops in the fall for interested folks and then run a semester-long course, Letterpress Studio, in the spring. In the meantime...maybe it's time to start thinking about a student-run letterpress club? If you have any questions or are interested in participating in letterpress things, feel free to get in touch with Margi Kimball: mkimbal3[at]lesley.edu

SHARK LOVE INC. Art Benefit for Sharks & Oceans

PangeaSeed Presents: SHARK LOVE INC. - Art Benefit for Sharks & Oceans

In collaboration with Pow Wow Hawai'i, The Box Jelly and the Refinery Project, PangeaSeed is pleased to present Shark Love Inc. during Pow Wow Hawai'i 2013. PangeaSeed, with an inclusive approach to spreading its message by engaging audiences through the mediums of art, design, photography, film, music and discussion, will host a series of events tailored to address one of the biggest threats facing the health of the world's oceans, the rapid mass depletion of sharks.

UPDATE: Other Worlds @ AIB

AIB Screenprinting Workshop

Illustrator Anna Jo Beck, Art Institute of Boston Alumni, will be hosting a silk screen workshop and demo on Saturday February 16th at AIB. The workshop is free to attend and watch. Workshop participents will have the opportunity to print your own design - please be prepared to pay $15 and purchase a few of your own supplies. 

Email Anna an RSVP if you would like to attend: anna[dot]annajobeck.com

Please indicate if you just want to watch or intend on printing yourself!

The event is limited to 8 people. First come first serve. Sign up today!

Additonal workshops may be scheduled if more people show interest. If you have any questions, ask Anna and visit Annajobeck.com