ICON 7- The Illustration Conference, Day 2

All that stuff from my previous post was merely from one day. One giant, LONG day! This post is about the Saturday happenings.

First up in the morning was the “Our Favorite Art Directors” panel. Steven Charny (Rolling Stone), Paul Buckley (Penguin), and Thomas Schmid (Buck TV) were there to show what they do in their respective companies, and the kinds of things they look for in art.

There was a “debate” about whether or not you should get an MFA or not. I nearly skipped this one, due to the fact that I will never get an MFA… but these two guys- Marshall Arisman (Chair, MFA Illustration for the School of Visual Arts) and David Porter (Illustration Professor at RISD) made it an interesting an broader discussion.

They both sort of agree that an MFA isn’t as necessary as life experiences and developing your own conceptual thinking.

Tim O’Brien, a photo-realist with a self-described “aggressive” style, changed the course of his own career when he discovered he kept being hired to do work he wasn’t enthused about. I thought it was a good point- that you have the power to change the course of your career if you want to.

Yes, Tim did the Hunger Games book art, amongst many other unbelievably excellent pieces. Check out his website.

Here is Tommy Lee Edwards, creator of beautiful concept art that is used in all kinds of ways… comics, video games, movies, etc. He likes to help create a feel for the world of each movie or game, something that other people can refer to. I think he’s been successful at that- I definitely connect his art with some of the movies and related media I’ve seen.

Robbi Behr and Matthew Swanson started up Idiots’ Books on their own, after ditching the comfort of the real world and moving into a barn. Their story and their collaborations are charming, funny, and mostly weird. They are great role models for doing whatever the heck you want and making it work.

Sketchbooks… what do they mean to you? Here are 3 rampant sketchbookers- Jillian Tamaki, John Cuneo, and Marcellus Hall. Jillian said that her sketchbook is a personal place and a respite from clients. Marcellus likes to use his for “reportage”… bearing witness to everyday life.

Christy Karacas is the guy behind Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim show, ‘Superjail!‘ I have never seen such violent and creepy animation, frankly… and I am pretty sure Christy and team are proud of that! Content-wise, this is not something I would ever watch on my own (sorry, I’m a remorseless bunny-drawer for a reason), but I am glad to have seen their process, which is very hands on, traditional(ish) animation, produced here in the US of A. There is integrity in the way it is made, for sure.

Yuko Shimuzu create covers for DC Comics/Vertigo, which are more artistically sophisticated and adult oriented than typical comics. One of the things she did during the earlier, searching part of her career is make a literal “Dream List” of people and companies she wanted to work with… and has managed to cross off most. She said it’s not important, really, to get everything off the list, but to try for them.

It was fun to hear from some of the masters in the fantasy and sci-fi realm. Irene Gallo (Creative Director for Tor Books), Greg Manchess, and our old RISD classmate Jon Foster were on hand to discuss how fans help drive the excitement in the genre. It really is it’s own world, where fans truly support individual artists. Sci-fi and fantasy conventions are key places for them to connect with their fans, and in turn, to keep them motivated to create great art. And man, they make GREAT art. Check it out.

Another fun and unexpected talk was given by radio producer and storyteller Starlee Kine and illustrator Arthur Jones, who collaborate to make personal, funny and insightful animated and illustrated projects that really capture their spirits.

And then, it was time for closing remarks. Icon president John Hendrix thanked the mountain of volunteers, and then introduced the winner of the first ICON Medal for Collaborative Vision.

Brian Rea and Paul Sahre, the medal winners, took us through the logistics of creating hundreds of designed and illustrated pages from Malcolm Gladwell Collected.

The evening ended with a crazy “Moth Ball” party, and a last loud chance to see everyone. I was happy to run into one of my favorite teachers from RISD, Erminio Pinque, the guy behind the local puppety/costumed/musical phenomenon known as Big Nazo.

All in all, I was very glad this thing came to Providence!