Category Archives: Illustration

What’s In A Name?

The New York Times has a fascinating profile on super-talented Illustration student Max Pauson, and his journey to Art Center.

“…This promising art student’s strong sense of self was hard-earned. It was forged in an unstable, emotionally wrenching childhood and, in an odd detail that might serve as a metaphor for his struggles, it comes after 19 years of life without a legal name. His birth certificate read only ‘(baby boy) Pauson.’ Name to come.”

Read more: What’s in a Name? A Lot, as It Turns Out

Albert and Trudy Kallis Foundation Endows Illustration Scholarship

Albert and Trudy Kallis

Advertising alumnus Albert Kallis, with his wife Trudy, recently established an endowed scholarship to support Illustration students with a gift from the Albert and Trudy Kallis Foundation. In addition to helping students receive an education at the College, they hope to inspire fellow alumni to participate in the tradition of helping the next generation.

Widely recognized as a founder of International House of Pancakes, Kallis is best known for his work as an illustrator and art director for American International Pictures. Many of his posters have become collector’s favorites. Prior to his association with AIP he illustrated album covers for Capitol Records, and worked with Saul Bass in film advertising.

In 1973, Kallis left motion picture advertising, and with his wife created the Albert and Trudy Kallis Foundation, which funds and produces documentaries to educate and inform audiences in unique and entertaining ways through a broad range of subjects including art, music, history, science and spirituality.

The Albert and Trudy Kallis Foundation Endowed Scholarship will be awarded for the first time this fall to a new or continuing Illustration student who demonstrates academic merit and financial need. For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid at 626.396.2215.

Es Tiempo Wins I.D. Award

Great news: Es Tiempo, a cervical cancer awareness campaign which resulted from a Designmatters transdisciplinary studio has won Best of Category in the Student Division of I.D.’s 2010 Annual Design Review. The project was among more than 400 entries.

The project, a collaboration between Designmatters, USC’s Keck School of Medicine and USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, took place last summer and was led by the College’s Advertising Department, including lead faculty Elena Salij and Maria Moon. Es Tiempo is a broad-based communications and outreach campaign encouraging Latinas to seek out early cervical cancer screening.

A warm congratulations to the student team behind Es Tiempo: Phillip An (Illustration), Mark Brinn (Graphic Design), Chris Lack (Graphic Design), Tracy Hung (Graphic Design), Haelee Kang (Graphic Design), Lucia Loiso (Photography and Imaging) and Camille Ontiveros (Fine Art).

Read more about Es Tiempo at the project’s website, and be sure to check out this great write-up by DesignObserver.

Stefan Bucher Remembers Norm Schureman

Advertising alum Stefan Bucher talks to Sean Adams of Felt & Wire about his time at Art Center, specifically studying with Norm Schureman and the impact he had on Bucher’s work.

Bucher says: “[Schureman] taught me how to enjoy having ideas. Which opened a whole new world for me. I remember drawing the first of my hybrid animals in his class and thinking, “This is FUN! … I must be doing it wrong.” It took Norm a while to set me straight, but he did it. He also took one look at the Wart-Hen, whipped out his pen, and added that wart-covered egg.”

Read more: Sean Adams: 3 questions for Stefan Bucher

In Case You Missed It

As you know, there’s always something going on when it comes to Art Center alumni, students and faculty. Some of the latest:

  • Catch the final days of Illustration alum Edwin Ushiro’s solo show, At Night, Lights Fell and Loved Ones returned Home, at Sloan Fine Art in New York. Arrested Motion
  • The Armory Center for the Arts presents Stitches, a group exhibition exploring contemporary art approaches to the techniques of sewing, knitting and weaving. Participating artists include Art Center Admissions staff member Nicola Vruwink. Armory Center for the Arts
  • Illustration alum Nathan Ota discusses painting, graffiti and spray paint. Graphics.com
  • Schools are working to develop creative MBAs. The Independent
  • Alum Mack King TRANS ’67 received honorable mention for a mixed media illustration at the Fine Arts Show featuring Cumberland County Artists at the Plateau Creative Arts Center in Fairfield Glade, Tenn. The catch? Mack says it was a homework assignment that he created at Art Center years ago! The Art Guild at Fairfield Glade

(Image: The Secret Life of a Rustling Brush by Edwin Ushiro)

DreamWorlds Opens Tonight

Don’t miss tonight’s opening of DreamWorlds in the Williamson Gallery. The exhibit, a behind-the-scenes look at the artistry and imagination of animated filmmaking at DreamWorks Animation, opens tonight with a multimedia presentation, panel discussion and reception. The presentation and panel will be held at Ahmanson Auditorium at 7 pm, followed by a reception in the Williamson Gallery at 8 pm.

Drawing from popular DreamWorks Animation films such as Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Monsters vs. Aliens, Bee Movie, Prince of Egypt and the soon-to-be-released How To Train Your Dragon (scheduled for theatrical release March 26), the more than 300 objects in the exhibition include original and digital designs and paintings, movie posters, character maquettes, miniature sets, an artist’s workstation re-creation and other creative stages of the complex filmmaking process.

Film Department Chair Ross LaManna will moderate tonight’s panel discussion, which will revolve around the connection between art, illustration, story and animation. Panelists include:

  • Gail Currey: PDI/DreamWorks Animation Studio Head
  • Kathy Altieri: Art Center Illustration alumna; DreamWorks Animation production designer for How to Train Your Dragon; first artist hired by DreamWorks
  • Kendal Cronkhite: Art Center Illustration alumna; DreamWorks Animation production designer whose credits include the Madagascar films
  • Sam Michlap: Former guest instructor at Art Center; DreamWorks Animation production designer and visual development artist; co-curator of DreamWorlds

DreamWorlds runs through May 9. The Williamson Gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from 12 noon to 5 p.m. with extended hours on Friday evenings to 9 p.m.

(Image is from the Williamson Gallery’s Facebook page)

In Case You Missed It…

As you know, there’s always something going on when it comes to Art Center alumni, students and faculty. Some of the latest:

  • Did you know that the “Godfather of Paparazzi,” Ron Galella, is an alum? the {warehouse} magazine
  • Illustration alumnus Tavis Coburn created a series of incredibly cool posters for last week’s BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards. (Pictured) /Film
  • The New York Times takes at look at the 2010 Acura ZDX, created by Transportation Design alum Michelle Christensen four years ago, while she was still a student here.  Also integral to the project were several alums: project leader Damon Schell TRAN ’99, interior designer Michael Wiedeman TRAN ’97 and color and trim designer Kimberly Marte ENVL ’99. New York Times
  • More on the upcoming Williamson Gallery DreamWorlds exhibit. Pasadena Star-News
  • Illustration alum Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad recently unveiled the FireBreather, a custom 2010 Camaro created for the upcoming supernatural thriller Jinn, which Zaheer is directing. AutoBlog
  • Photographer, alumnus and faculty member David Sotelo braves downtown L.A.’s shuttered El Dorado Hotel. GOOD
  • Faculty member Annette Weisser’s latest exhibit, The End of the World, opens Friday at Reception Gallery in Berlin. reception-berlin.de

Seymour Chwast Visits Campus

International design legend Seymour Chwast will be on campus tomorrow, February 25.

Chwast’s award-winning work has influenced two generations of designers and illustrators. Recipient of the AIGA medal, he co-founded Pushpin studios, which rapidly gained an international reputation for innovative design and illustration. Pushpin’s visual language arose from a passion for historical design movements and helped revolutionize the way we look at design today. Come and see the work, now collected by the Museum of Modern Art, and hear the story behind a lifetime of innovation and ideas. A book signing will follow the lecture.

Seymour Chwast
Thursday, February 25, Noon
Ahmanson Auditorium