ICON7 – Program Highlights

Posted on June 4, 2012 by The Pick

As ICON7 approaches I’m pretty excited to see some of these workshops taking place during the conference.  Here are some of the highlights (to see the full program click here):

Wednesday, June 13th                                                                                                                      The RISD Experience : “Colors, Contrast + Compliments” : Mary Jane Begin

“Can I Kick It Soccer Match with Jordin Isip”

“The RISD/ICON Party and Exhibit”

Thursday, June 14th                                                                                                                            “Art Director’s Pet Peeves”: SooJin Buzelli

“The Insane Awe Inspiring Mega-Music Pumping Figure Drawing Jam Session!”:           Mark Todd & Esther Pearl Watson

“Young Illustrators The First Four Years”: Nick Illuzada, Daniel Fishel, Kelsey Dake, Victo Ngai & JooHee Yoon

“Educating Entrepreneurs The ICON7 Educator’s Symposium”: Robert Brinkerhof, Vanessa Bertozzi, Susie Ghahremani, Alyssa Nassner, Stephanie Pereira, Whitney Sherman, Oren Sherman & Bill Foulkes

“Opening Night Party”

Friday , June 15th                                                                                                                                     “Opening Remarks Masters of Ceremony”: Jennifer Daniel & Nicholas Blechman

“ICON7 Rhode Show Bazaar”

Saturday, June 16th                                                                                                                                 “Our Favorite Art Director”: Steven Charny, Rolling Stone; Paul Buckley, Penguin Books, Thomas Schmid, Buck TV

“To-MFA or Not-to-MFA: A Debate”: Marshall Arisman, Chair MFA Illustration School of Visual Arts and David L. Porter, Professor of Illustration at Rhode Island School of Design

“The Unwritten”: Yuko Shimizu

“The Worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy”: Irene Gallo, Jon Foster, Greg Manchess & Same Weber

“Keynote: Drawn Together”: Brian Rea & Paul Sahre

“Moth Ball Closing Night Party”

If you haven’t registered yet, you still can!  Click here.

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Carrie Schechter :: Today’s Member Focus

Posted on May 29, 2012 by The Pick

Carrie Schechter is a fashion, music, and celebrity photographer living in New York City. Her free-spirited nature rubs off on her talent and her clients and she has a special way of getting people to let go of their inhibitions to create very conceptual work that has a strong impact on the viewer. Her work is described as haunting, provocative, beautiful and hyper-realistic.

Carrie’s work appears in magazines, ad campaigns, book covers, and album covers. She has recieved lots of press & won numerous international awards for her imagery and her technically outstanding use of light, mood and texture. She continues to be recognized world wide with exhibitions from Moscow to Dubai to Italy.

To see more of Carrie Schechter’s work go to her website and Altpick page.

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Hummingbird Beats: Johanna Goodman

Posted on May 24, 2012 by The Pick

Originally posted on HuffingtonPost.com                                                                             Written by Jill Donenfeld (Founder, The Culinistas)

Johanna Goodman is an artist and illustrator who lives in Nyack, New York.  Her work has been exhibited widely and her illustration work has appeared just about everywhere — she has painted portraits of world leaders for the cover of Time, rock stars for Rolling Stone, CEOs for the Wall Street Journal, and everyone in between. Johanna also loves The Jerk, which makes her someone I want to travel with.

What’s in your bag? When you pack for a trip, in your handbag, in the pockets of your jeans…?

My tiny gold disco wallet, my phone, lip balm, my keys, my camera, a hair rubber band, sunglasses.  In the pockets of my jeans I usually have something my son gave me to hold for him.  A rock.  Or a bottle cap.

When I pack for a trip I don’t need much.  Just this ashtray… And this paddle game. The ashtray and the paddle game and that’s all I need… And this remote control. The ashtray, the paddle game, and the remote control, and that’s all I need… And these matches. The ashtray, and these matches, and the remote control, and the paddle ball… And this lamp. The ashtray, this paddle game, and the remote control, and the lamp, and that’s all I need. And that’s all I need too. I don’t need one other thing, not one… I need this. The paddle game and the chair, and the remote control, and the matches for sure. Well what are you looking at? What do you think I’m some kind of a jerk or something! And this. That’s all I need.
(I apologize to all of your readers who are under age 40, which is probably all of them, who are too young to get that).

You have five minutes to pack up for a trip of which the duration you’re not sure. What do you take?

Plenty of cash — not that I’ll spend it but it’ll make me feel better about the fact that I’m about to forget everything that I’ll really want with me.

What is your most essential article of clothing?

My jeans with patches all over them — they actually fit and I feel good in them.  And a pair of good sunglasses — then you can even feel stylish in a pair of jeans with patches all over them.

What are the top five songs you need to have access to hearing at all times?

I kind of get sick of something after I hear it about ten times, which is why I always listen to wfmu online.  It’s a free form non-commercial radio station where they play the best music of all kinds and you almost never hear the same thing twice.  That said:
1. “End Love” by Ok Go
2. “Eternal Flame” by Joan As Police Woman
3. “Simba Goes down” by Falcatross
4. “Anything” by Nina Simone
5. “Caravan” by Les Paul

What is your preferred hummingbird beat/cities you like to frequent?

New York, Provincetown, San Francisco, Santa Fe

What’s something crazy that you did to follow your passion? (Like, did you live out of your car for a month? Drive 10 hours to pick up a certain, weird material you needed?)

The absolute, end-all, craziest thing I’ve done to follow my passion has been to keep drawing and painting and cutting paper and gluing and scanning and tweaking every chance I get, year upon year, even though it’s totally impractical and self-indulgent and excessive.  I have been consistently crazily following my passion against all better judgment for decades.  One car-living stint or ten hour drive has got nothing on me.

What is one tip you have for traveling — a beauty tip, a survival tip, a culinary tip… ?

Eat well and walk everywhere (which encompasses beauty, survival and culinary).

What makes you a good house guest?

I sing for my supper.

What’s a recent or favorite meal you had while bouncing around the globe?

Can I just be honest and say that I always want sushi?

Where have you had your best night’s sleep?

There’s no place like home.  There’s no place like home.

Who would you like to travel with — three people (you guys can caravan together or go on separate trips)?

Jesus, Einstein and Picasso.  Ha! Just kidding, fuck that.  At the risk of sounding contrived and domestic, I have to say my husband, daughter and son.  They are my posse and I rarely leave home without them.  And I like it that way.

Follow Jill Donenfeld on Twitter: www.twitter.com/theculinistas

See Johanna Goodman’s work on Altpick.com and her website.

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Inked : Skin Art

Posted on May 21, 2012 by The Pick

When photographer Kent Miller first met Azarja at an Inked Magazine party he knew they had to shoot together.  “She was down for it and my MUA Johanna set it up,” says Miller.  “We just wanted to make a few clean colorful shots for us to promote our work.”

A living breathing portfolio in a collaboration that leaves an indelible impression.


It turned into a full day shoot with many different looks.  The shoot went so well that they are already talking about the next location.

Need some new ink? Look her up. Azarja van der Veen.

Photographer: Kent Miller

Make-Up Artist: Johanna

To see more of Kent’s work go to his website and Altpick page.

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For Illustrators, Inspiration is Where You Find It

Posted on May 14, 2012 by The Pick

Originally posted on Agency Access‘ “The Lab“. Written by Illustrator Brian Taylor

Question: Can you give me some examples of top illustration pros and what they use to keep fresh and inspired?

Look Around

My biggest inspiration comes from looking at other illustrators’ work. Whether it’s contemporary or classic illustration, when I see a piece that really excites me, it inspires me to push myself creatively. While I used to pore over the Communication Arts Illustration Annual and the Society of Illustrators annual each year, I find myself more recently looking at individual illustrators’ work. A lot of artists share their work on blogs and I enjoy seeing the sketches and ideas behind each illustration. Allow yourself the time to look around at other work; if you’re constantly looking at your own work, it’s hard to put things in perspective.

I also like to work on personal pieces that excite me. I’m often inspired to do an illustrated tribute after watching movies. No specific direction, no pressure. I’ll just start drawing and combining elements with no fixed size or expectations. Some of these illustrations show up on my blog, some are never actually finished. These illustrations often double as promotional illustrations that I put on my website or on a postcard. A recent personal piece I created was a portrait of the main character from the television show “Breaking Bad.”

The Creative Lab Breaking Bad tv show television illustrators Brian Taylor resized 600

© Brian Taylor

Stop Drawing

Getting outside of the studio/office is a good way to get refreshed. Going for a walk or getting a bit of exercise is the perfect way to clear your head. Often, the time you’re away from drawing is the time you get inspired.

I’ve been out and not even thinking about illustration, and an idea will pop into my head. At that point, I’ll usually jot it down on a notepad or use my phone to email myself the idea. Getting away from your work allows your creative brain to reset and look at things differently.

Connect

Recently, I’ve found connecting with other illustrators to be a great source of inspiration. While a lot of this is done through online friendships, I’ve been making regular trips to New York City, where I’ve been able to meet and talk with fellow illustrators. Look around in your area for different types of networking events.

If you don’t have a large local art community, Twitter, Facebook and various online message boards have great illustration communities that enjoy sharing new work and inspiration. My online interactions have even led to the creation of a group illustration blog called Illo Confidential, where about 20 illustrators share their recent work.

I asked some of my fellow Illo Confidential illustrators what keeps them fresh and inspired:

Daniel Zalkus likes to collect illustrations from old 1950s and 60s magazines. He also enjoys drawing outside to break things up.

Chris Gash and Patrick McQuade force themselves to do something new in their work. It could be experimenting with new colors or new textures, or working on weaknesses in their work.

Thomas Pitilli and Mike Freiheit cite music as a big inspirational tool, while Jon Sperry likes to keep things quiet to allow ideas to develop.

Ryan Snook, Keith Negley, Joel Kimmel and Daniel Fishel look to art outside the illustration world for inspiration. Visiting museums or the bookstore can give you a nice perspective on things.

About Brian

Brian is an editorial and portrait illustrator. His clients include: Los Angeles Times, Billboard, Wired UK, The Washington Post, Fast Company, Games for Windows, The Boston Globe and USA Today. He lives in the Washington DC area with his wife, two daughters and a dog named Bill. BTillustration.com

Also take a look at Brian’s work on Altpick.com.

Check out more artists’ posts on The Lab and Agency Access.

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Culture Mix:: A visit with Veronica

Posted on May 7, 2012 by The Pick

Written by Italy Correspondent and Artist Carol Schultheiss in Cavallini.

Culture is a big playing field with lots of different aspects, Here in Italy, I love finding and exploring the overlaps. This one includes wine, design and a reclaimed quarry.

During the VinItaly Fair in Verona I met an engaging young woman, Veronica Tommasini. Her family has a vineyard and a new cantina in the hills northwest of, and overlooking, Verona. We met at an event where she received her Masters Degree diploma in Packaging and Wine Communications From the University of Verona

 I recently visited her at the family cantina.

We traveled up a winding narrow road with sharp turns where cars had to stop, half pulled into side roads, to let other cars pass, classic Italian countryside driving. We kept our eyes out for the name Piccoli and were almost ready to turn back, when; there it was, perched high on a hilltop. And what a surprise, the new and modern building with clean lines was built, inserted into the rock face of an abandoned quarry! Talk about recycling! They told me that the surrounding stone walls are also good for the aging wine; keeping it in nature and helping to maintain the stable temperature.

 The new cantina is the indicator of the family’s new activity. While they have long had vineyards, the grapes were sold to other producers. They have only recently entered into wine production; their first bottles came on the market in 2007. The business is small, producing a bit more than twenty thousand bottles a year. And this is where they want to be: a niche producer, creating special, quality products.

Back to Veronica. Her first love was/is design. She got her degree in design at NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti) in Milan, where she studied under the president, Alessandro Guerriero, a leading Italian figure in design and architecture. Her areas of interest were fashion, textiles and interior design. But after school, she got lured into running the commercial aspect of the families wine business. She hasn’t, however abandoned her design interests completely. She still finds ways to utilize her first love. She has designed the company’s logo, a rose design created as homage to her mother, the inspiring presence and name behind the cantina. She has also designed the wine tasting area. These rooms are frequently subterranean and almost always traditional; rock or brick vaults with massive wood details. Here the room is on the second floor with sweeping views of the hillside through the enormous glass windows. Veronica has chosen to create a clean white space with silvery details. The result is open and fresh and allows you to really see, examine the color of the wine in your glass.

The color of wine is very important to wine culture, and here there are creative surprises. One of these is their garnet (or rose petal) colored spumante. Created to support the other reds the cantina produces, Valpolicella and Amarone, it’s a tasty wine with an unusual and beautiful color. And it’s already in demand. While it’s suggested as an antipasto or pizza accompaniment, two local Japanese catering chefs have decided it is their preferred wine to serve with raw fish. The unusual festive color will clearly add to the spirited atmosphere of any occasion where it is served.

Another wine, a special mix has balsamic tones present. I was told that the pinewoods, bordering the part of the vineyard where those grapes grow, impart this flavor. I had no idea that perfumes carried on the wind could actually change the flavor of the grapes and the wine made from them. I thought it had to do with the soil. My respect for the complexity of wine creation as an art is growing.

So this was my outing: nature, design, recycling, something old, something new. Italian culture with its many facets and in the center, a modern Italian woman.

The wines, at this moment, are not exported to the USA, but you can go to the website below for a vicarious visit to the cantina and the hillsides outside Verona.

Photography by Carol Schultheiss in Cavallini.

Piccoli Wine: http://www.piccoliwine.it

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Duggal Works with Artist Jessica Lichtenstein for Scope Fair

Posted on May 2, 2012 by The Pick

Chessa Ferro at Duggal worked with artist Jessica Lichtenstein to create several pieces for Scope Art Fair and Gallery Nine5. Lichtenstein uses hyper-sexualized Japanese figurines in her work to entertain and give the figures a deeper meaning.

 

Duggal created lightboxes and large plexi pieces for the artist. For the plexi pieces, the prints were mounted to layers of custom cut, thick plexi and attached to a backer. The plexi pieces were laser cut to size with bevel edges and polished with diamond router bit. Plexi braces were adhered to the the plexi pieces (plexi to plexi bond is the strongest bond there is) to support close to 500 lbs. Check out the photos below!

To see more of Jessica’s work CLICK HERE

For more information about this project please e-mail Chessa Ferro at chessa@duggal.com.   See more artists’ work on Duggal’s website.

Written and photo credits by the Duggal Team

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Robert Carter’s ‘Tug of War’

Posted on April 27, 2012 by The Pick

Alberta Venture magazine  commissioned Robert Carter to illustrate the “tug of war” between the Alberta Provincial government and the Federal government regarding the oil sands and how they will be regulated. The piece was completely painted in PhotoShop CS5.  Kim Larson from Alberta Venture magazine was the art director.

Robert’s piece not only won 1st place in the Illustration Single category in The Altpick Awards, but also was selected for American Illustration 31.

Congratulations Robert!

To see more of Robert Carter’s work go to his Altpick page and his website.

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Infinite Jest – Cracking Two Skulls with One Stone

Posted on April 23, 2012 by The Pick

by AMD about Lacko Illustration

As the New Year approached, I found I had some unfinished business left to tackle.  One was the AltPick Deck of Cards artist’s promotion project and the other was the Brooklyn Art Library 2012 Sketchbook. My deadlines for both works were fast approaching and I wanted to create new artwork rather than reformatting existing designs.

The deck of cards took priority because it is a personal financial gamble designed to inspire new clients. AltPick.com curates a limited collection of cards that feature the works of selected artists in illustration, photography and design. Used for promotional purposes, the decks are sent to design firms, art directors and art buyers who use the cards as a reference for hiring freelance artists like me. I definitely needed my 2012 Trump Card!

I used the “Deck of Cards” as the inspiration for the artwork and created a visual pun on the Joker in every card deck. I wanted to create a Shakespearean skull like Hamlet’s Poor Yorick, the dead jester whose skull inspires the famous Act 5 soliloquy – a fellow of infinite jest. 

The basis for all my artwork starts with hand drawn sketches that I use as templates for vector art. Each of my sketches gets scanned and then filed away as reference.  After sketching too many skulls, I was at a loss for picking a favorite. As I lined up the skulls on the table to figure out which one to choose or how I could squeeze them all onto the card, the idea hit me –

“Trask-Radio! Trask-Radio!” echoed in my head.

For those of you who did not spend the late 80s watching movies like “Working Girl,”  Trask-Radio is something my wife says all the time when she has one of those EUREKA moments. She’s referencing the moment in the movie when a random notion inspires a major solution. Totally corny? Yes. But at my house, it means somebody is going to win…

With all my jokers in a row, I decided to develop the skull sketches from my AltPick deck and use them for the Brooklyn Art Library 2012 Sketchbook Project.

After selecting the best of the remaining skull sketches for the Sketchbook Project, I transferred them to the Scout sketchbook (provided by the Art Library) and enhanced my graphite pencil sketches with a variety of Faber-Castell color pencils, then Indian Ink and finished them with hand cut silhouettes. I wanted to take the sketches I so often use to create digital artwork and transform them with the illusion of motion. I needed to create a 3D pop-up animated flip book out of a 2D traditional paper medium.

My “Encyclopedia of Heads” will be the first in a series I’d like to create for the Brooklyn Art Library. In the back of the sketchbook I’ve asked viewers to send me their photo holding the book so I can use their faces as inspiration for the second book in the series – “Encyclopedia of Faces…”

Both the “Infinite Jest”playing card and the “Encyclopedia of Heads” sketchbook are Memento Mori, artistic reminders of our mortality that date back to antiquity.

The 20th Anniversary AltPick Promotional Deck of Cards is scheduled for release at the end of May 2012. The Brooklyn Art Library 2012 Sketchbook Project World Tour launched in Brooklyn, NY on April 14th-29th and ends in Melbourne, Australia November 10th-21st.

Check out Lacko’s Sketchbook on tour #S61289 and share your photos at http://www.arthousecoop.com/users/lacko For more information about Lacko’s Infinite Jest AltPick Deck Card or his illustrations: contact him at hello@lackoillustration.com / www.lackoillustration.com

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Build Your Business : Selina Maitreya’s Steps to Success

Posted on April 18, 2012 by The Pick

There are 3 areas no one discusses in business.  Yet these topics are key ingredients to your success. You are going to want to know them.

Join Selina Maitreya’s live free event on April 20th, 2012: Clarion Call 2012

Bringing together the people with the answer to the challenges of the modern commercial photographer,  illustrators, designers, animators or any business person can gain by Selina’s insight. Yes, we mean you.

Steps to Success will address a systematic host of issues that will help you advance, redirect and boost your career.  They’ll dig into topics like capturing the attention of agents, how to reposition your business and your brain, making yourself a lovable resource, ways to make your personal passion a profitable project and more…

. Discover the 3 steps that you must take to build a business that will thrive.

. Learn which attitudes you are unconsciously holding right now that are blocking you from success.

. Find out how to rid yourself of expectations that no longer serve you.

. Prosper from the information you learn and the changes you choose to bring into your life from this program.

. See your motivation grow and your efforts excel after shifting your attitudes and expectations.

For the first time ever, these experts will be all in one place at one time — and you can enjoy them from the comfort of your home or office.  They’re as close as your phone.

Selina Maitreya – The Wizard behind the curtain is a consultant who has been directing the Steps to Success for some of the industry’s top photographers for over 30 years.  She has spun her virtual Rolodex and dialed in seven amazing North American experts to join her on this latest Clarion Call.

Jodi Morrison – Senior Art Buyer, Global Creative Group, Starbucks Coffee Company Judy Hermann – Consultant                                                                                                                             Michael Grecco –  Photographer                                                                                                      Deborah Ayerst – Photo Agent                                                                                                                  David Harry Stewart – Photographer                                                                                                     Colleen Wainwright – Consultant                                                                                                     Scott Indermaur – Photographer

This is a life and business changing event.  Gain insight into passion-propelling, muse-motivating and financially-fulfilling inspiration and information for any photographer or artist at any level.  Anyone ready for the first step? We thought so.

Click here to register for this free event.

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