Dog Park

This is a series of dog scratchboards that I exhibited at the FIT Museum to mark the culmination of my MFA in Illustration. I received an MA from FIT in 2007, and went back to grad school for one year as they expanded the program to an MFA. That added "F" marks the terminal degree in Illustration. Thanks to everyone at the museum, my incredible classmates, and the amazing program chair Melanie Reim for a great show.








From my statement:
Dog Park is a visual exploration of the canine companions who fill the negative space in our urban environment.  In a place where both private and public space are coveted, many New Yorkers find ways to fit dogs of various sizes into their tiny apartments, jam-packed daily routines, and the densely woven fabric of the city itself.  In the midst of tall buildings crammed together tightly, sections of outdoor space are preserved and left empty for dogs to run, play, and engage each other while embracing their intrinsic dog-ness.

On seven kaolin clay panels of various sizes, life-size illustrations of dogs twist, skitter, leap, and crouch, as they individually inhabit a portion of empty space in their own unique way while interacting with each other across the wall. Executed using a self-generated approach to scratchboard, ink is splashed with a brush into black silhouettes on the clay surface. After the ink dries, white lines are carved into these flat, dark shapes to build dimension. The two sides of the process come together to create dogs that move organically in ways that both defy and follow their form, dripping, splattering, and shattering to life.

Henrietta Skullclucker

This summer, I started going to grad school at FIT again. I graduated with an MA in Illustration from FIT in 2007, but they have since expanded the program to be an MFA. Past graduates were given the chance to complete the extra courses during a bridge year, and I jumped at the opportunity. One of the classes this fall that just finished was a character design course. This is a character of my own devising named Henrietta Skullclucker, and, naturally, she is a rough and tumble chicken on a human roller derby team.

These thumbnails were the start of the character. From here, I did the scratchboard illustrations, where I really started to get a feel for her.





These initial illustrations provided a point of departure to start thinking about the character in 3D. To start this process, a clay maquette was made from tinfoil, wire, mesh, and super sculpey. I had never done anything like this before, and though it was a struggle, seeing things in 3D helped me to start thinking about the structure of her face. It's far from perfect, but it provided enough of a foundation for the next step.



And that next step was to build a 3D model in ZBrush. I sculpted this in zbrush from 5 spheres (her head/neck, each eye, helmet, and chinstrap) that were then pushed, pulled, added to and subtracted from until it got to what you see here. I really
enjoyed ZBrush -- it was easier and much faster than working with clay, probably because we had an incredible instructor (thanks, Michael!). Here is a video of the sculpt on a turntable.



I'd love to go back now and make some new illustrations of Henrietta that reflect some of the things I was able to resolve in 3D.

FIT Sketching, the Sequel

We went back for another sketch night at the old alma mater on Thursday evening. Two nights of long figure drawing sessions in one week was a total luxury, and I was so glad to be able to take advantage of such lovely opportunities. Here are a couple of drawings from Thursday...Thanks to my partner in crime Stephen Gardner for keeping everything in check and for bringing such great music along. If only I could draw from four models to Mazzy Star every night...

Sketching at FIT

Last night I went to a wonderful sketch night at FIT organized by the always inspirational Melanie Reim. It was a night steeped in nostalgia in many ways, drawing on our old turf for several hours. I'm a big fan of the way Melanie structures drawing sessions. Most poses are kept very short, giving you time to put it down without getting too fussy. This creates a great energy in the room, which everyone contributes to and feeds off of. The drawings below are a few of my favorites from the night. The sketches on kraft paper were from one minute poses, and the ones on white were five minutes.

A-Squared

I just got back in tonight from visiting my sister in Ann Arbor. While I was staying with her, I realized that one of the figure drawings hanging in her living room is from the first night I ever drew with ink.In 2005, I was in my first semester of the graduate program at FIT, in the drawing class designed and taught by Melanie Reim (one of my all-time favorite people). That class was a time of tremendous growth for all of us, and that night in particular, something clicked inside me. Melanie handed out cups of ink and bamboo pens and gave us no other option for materials. It's something I doubt I ever would have tried left to my own devices, and that push was something I desperately needed. Drawing from life changed over from this nerve-wracking, labored activity into something natural and fluid that just felt so right. I'll always be grateful for Melanie's influence (which continues to this day).
The drawing above is from the same night, and it was my very first ink drawing. On the left of the page, I was trying to get the feel for how the pen worked.


Ann Arbor was beautiful -- snow-covered and completely charming. I always enjoy visiting there, and this trip was no exception. I also have to say, it's kind of great to have a little sister who asks for your drawings to hang on her walls.

FIT Network Article

I was mentioned in an article in the Spring/Summer 2007 edition of FIT Network, a publication for FIT alumni. It discusses my involvement in a Dante event where I discussed my take on the imagery from the Inferno. My ink sketch for Circle II accompanies the article.

First Class: Stories & Pictures

Congrats to the first class of FIT Illustration MA graduates on our show. Here's my wall with the Circles of Hell. The show is fantastic, and I stronly urge everyone who's able to check it out.

First Class: Stories & Pictures
The MA in Illustration - FIT Capstone Exhibition

June 5 - July 28,2007

The Museum at FIT
Seventh Avenue at 27th Street, NYC
Hours: T-F: Noon-8pm Sat 10am-5pm
Exhibition Information 212 217 5800
Museum Website

Masters in Illustration

Here's to my classmates. We made it!
The class post graduation at the Society of Illustrators

With my family in Radio City right after the ceremony