Interview with: Rohan Eason

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art, artist as brand, artwork, digital media, drawing, illustrator, illustrators journal, innovation, social media, technology, this week in digital media on blogtalk radio

Rohan Eason Interview

When did you first think about art as something you wanted to do? Were you encouraged or discouraged by family, friends, teachers, mentors?

My Parents are both artist, my grandad was a sign writer and my uncle was a Royal Academician, so there was certainly the seed of an idea, that art was something in- spiring and imaginative, something I could delve into even from a young age. I remember in primary school I was drawing fully formed figures and faces, while the other kids were still not joining the sky to the ground, and that was because I was so interested in looking and recreating what I saw. I remember my teachers at High School never knew what to do with me, which way to steer me.

Rohan Eason Illustration

They were brought in one day to the heads office, with my art teachers, and the discussion, was as to what i wanted to be, an artist or an illustrator. The idea I couldn’t be both didn’t make sense to me,  that there was even a difference didn’t seem something I would ever concern myself with. To      be an artist was my dream, it was the poetic journey through torment and discovery, love and hate, as an artist I could make illustrations or artworks, they were one of the same. Its an age old argument, and  I think I will always think of myself as an artist first, but the work I make professionally is illustration, and thats the difference.

What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up? What were your influences?

I was born in the industrial city of Middlesborough, on the same road as the football stadium, Ayresome Park Road. It was a great community, every- one knew everyone, doors were open all day. Then we moved to a small town in Lincolnshire, and everyone said I talked funny. I got very quiet and introverted, and didn’t really enjoy the whole school thing. I think most kids are bullied, and i wasn’t any different, bullying comes in different forms, and I just happened to be the sensitive type that couldn’t really deal with the constant push and pull of friendship circles. My parents both worked so I would often not go into school, instead staying home and drawing or reading, anything to not face a school day.

But those days made me more interested in look- ing at life from a removed viewpoint, in a way there was no other way I could look at it, as I had removed myself. When i reached art school I had already decided that there were two ways to live your life, take part, or take notes, my artworks were my notes. A constant running dialogue, a description of what the other people did, but not what I did.

When I left University with an art degree, everything fell apart, life came flooding back in, and I couldn’t cope. The idea that I would go on just making art, came crashing down, when I couldn’t afford food or rent. Music got me through this time, companion- ship with my band mates helped me find a structure and drive again, and I was finally creating something that related to my life, while I took part in it.

From Rocker to Artist, how did that happen? And how did you progress?

It was around 2002, I was playing lead guitar in a band called Cyclones, having left University with a BA HONS in Fine Art, and having not really done much artistically for a while, other than I would sometimes do a quick sketch. The girlfriend of the lead singer, Rina, saw a drawing one day, and suggested I come see her boss, who owned a high end fashion boutique in Notting Hill. The owner Annette Olivieri, decided I had a little some- thing, and chucked me a bag in white kid leather, “tattoo that” she said. So I found pens that would work on leather, and I tattooed the bag. The draw- ing was black and white, and involved very detailedflowers and hair. Annette was impressed and gave me a leather jacket to do, so I did, this time with a horned girl, feather wings and flowers centre back. From there I went on to create fabric prints and artworks for Annette’s label for the next 2 years. I did private commissions, one was sent to Vogue editor Anna Wintour, and later created my own glove collection, with the first pair of dress leather gloves going to Yoko Ono. Two shoe collections followed and a spattering of other commissions, but I believed my career lay in fashion. This didn’t last long, fashion is not the nicest industry to work in, and I quickly felt like I was back in school, the bitchy back stabbing, the creative theft, and the broken promises, left me a thoroughly broken man. The upside was the pens I used for the leather, Rotring Rapidograph became my pens of choice, and the style I developed in this period with it’s intricacies and magical detail, and obsessive qualities became my illustrative style. My first children’s book came soon after I quit fashion, a collaboration with the great writer Geoff Cox, and music mogul Stuart Souter, saw a wonderful return to children’s books of old. Dark and frightening, with a psychedelic undertone that resonated with the peers around me, Anna and the Witch’s Bottle was critically acclaimed, released through Black- maps Press, it was a beautiful cloth bound hard- back, and it finally brought me attention for my artwork.

For More…

 

Interview with : Jade Dressler/Branding Strategist/Designer/Illustrator

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artist as brand, digital media, illustration, illustrator, illustrators journal, levinland, social media, technology

Interview: Jade Dressler

When did you first think about art/design/ marketing as something you wanted to do? Were you encouraged or discouraged by family, friends, teachers, mentors?

I was the type of kid born with imaginary, over- sized, futuristic Hollywood sunglasses looking at the world as if every molecule was a crystal ball into the future. I was always confidently doing things a little different like in third grade, deciding to defiantly wear a brand-new crisp light blue Swiss dot pajama top as a blouse with my grey flannel pleated skirt as a precise outfit choice full of contrasting texture and meaning. (for me in any case) I vividly remember the thrill of sit- ting in class with a secret, that I was wearing a PJ top. At 15, I was instructing my needle-pointing Aunt to make a Warhol soup can on a lime green background for a pillow she wanted to make for my bedroom. My visual and style confidence was in the creation of art, no matter what form.

I always felt like a playful old soul, always creating, always inspiring, lovingly-teasing and suggesting to other kids what they should do with their art. (that’s where the PR, brand consultant aspect comes from!) In high school pottery class I convinced a classmate to a challenge that, whatever the assignment was, we had to over-embellish and go a million miles beyond in the assignment. It was like the “Show- stopper” challenge on The Great British Baking Show reality show except with clay. My family were fiddlers who created outside of the lines. My Aunt Adele colored flowers on her plain white curtains with Crayola crayons for décor and I was mesmerized.

 

My Dad would tinker in the garage to take a copper cooking pot lid and make it into a centerpiece of an antique fireplace grill. My mom wrote a silly poem with little drawings on every birthday or Xmas gift. I collaged the walls of our playroom with magazine images and drawings which be- came my studio in later years. I always think where your ancestors came from influences your life path, those that came from Romania and Russia give me my gypsy spirit and the side from Vienna gives me the focus of a meticulous crafts-person.

I was encouraged by family and teachers. I had many mentors. One, Frank Hyder, artist and teacher at Moore College of Art taught me the sacred art of non-doing, just look- ing at a simple object or scene and taking time to visually record it, versus feeling that lines, brush strokes or marks be made on canvas with the fierce passion of an abstract action painter. Slowing down has always been a teacher!

What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up? What were your influences?

I was an alternative, nerdy, cool kid that grew up in the suburbs. As a toddler, my toy preferences were pouring over magazines. Saturday morning cartoons were shunned in favor of Soul Train, voraciously

Immortal Beloved

consumed and studied, and of course, being a suburb of Philadelphia, the Gene London show, featuring an illustrator who drew pictures and then went into magical worlds.

I was also very influenced by a relic from my mother’s youth. Her next-door neighbor grow- ing up was a lawyer named Ilo Orleans, who illustrated a 365-day book with little rhymes for his kids. I was fascinated by the charm of it all, the simple, humorous illustrations & poems. Impressed and influenced by the idea that a man self-published his own book!

My influences as a teen were con- sidered “alternative lifestyles” back then in the 70’s, the African American and gay cultures. They seemed to know how to have more fun in life. I tell a story in my book about my first encounter with a gaggle of fantastically-dressed trans-people at a Gay Pride parade. Around color, the worlds of fashion, art and entertainment opened up. I wanted to be there! Then, when I was 16 I entered a national Levi’s denim design contest and won an award. That set my path towards fashion and fashion illustration.

When I was 16 in 1976 I went to Europe for the first time. I was like a sponge in London, awed by the people on the streets, the punk rockers with huge, colored Mohawks contrasted with the proper banker types. I still have the ID magazines documenting the street style photography and describing the individuals photo- graphed. It really was the first I saw the documentation of street style that is huge today on Instagram.

Capturing moments and sketching inspiring people and making little stories today, well there’s where it all started for me!

For more of the interview

 

JUST MY OPINION: Troubled Times

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artist as brand, digital media, EDITORIAL, illustration, illustrator, illustrators journal, innovation, Levinland studio, social media, technology, twitter

What are the challenges artists face today?

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art, design, illustration, innovation, inspiration, technology

Illustration by Oleksandr Shatokin

BTCA (Before the Computer Age) getting noticed as an artist was difficult at best. Especially if you were an illustrator working on the West Coast. There just weren’t enough venues handing out freelance work. There were only a handful of reps and they only repped known artists. You could do comp work for movie studios and agencies. But getting a finished illustration in a magazine, newspaper or on a movie poster was rare for a young artist. A few broke thru but the majority worked anonymously handing off their brilliant ideas to older more seasoned illustrators to finish of the work. Some who I knew from art school quit and joined (as my father would say) “the real world”.

My experience as a young illustrator was painful and it finally lead me to taking night courses in art production work and marker comps so as to become an art director. While I honed those skills I worked in construction for my parent’s family business. My thinking was most art directors can’t draw and express there ideas as well as I could so maybe my skill level would set me apart from the norm. I was right and my career as an art director was solid starting out as an art director for 20th Century Fox feature films.

As my career in the entertainment business flourished I still held the thought that one day I’d be an illustrator so I keep creating artwork with the goal of one day leaving my directing positions and stepping into the artist arena.

In 2006 I left my position at Warner Bros and started illustrating kid lit books. I haven’t looked back.

The freelance world had changed drastically and the challenges of being an illustrator in the digital age was challenging and exciting. However, I could see how a young artist might find the whole process overwhelming. Aside from having to master social media, an artist today competes worldwide with artists who are very skilled and will work for less than their American counterparts. What to do?

Connect. Connect. Connect.  Call, eMail, DM, Text send videos do anything and everything to promote your work. Do not be shy, because it’s true that no one cares about what you’re doing unless they see it and see it a lot. 

There are inexpensive ways to reach art directors. publishers and creative directors in every field of art. Think Bomb Bomb, MailChimp etc Post your work everywhere (add copyrights!) and…be yourself. Do what you like to do not what you think will get you  work. This almost never works and can be frustrating if it does. I’ve experienced both and I can say this. I’d rather work in another field and keep my artistic integrity. The only way you will truly discover your “real artistic voice” is to do what please you. Finally and most importantly never, never, never, quit. Your success as an artist may be right round the corner.

 

You Gotta Love It

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artist as brand, digital media, digital painting, illustration, innovation, social media, technology

 

If you want to be an illustrator then don’t expect riches. I’ve struggled with this aspect of being an artist my whole career and now I’m finally ok with that. The solution I adapted was to become a real estate agent for money and an artist for the love of it. During my career as a creative director in the entertainment business I bought, renovated and sold real estate. What I made in real estate eclipse my salary. When I left Warner Bros in 2006 I decided to illustrate children’s books. This is not a path to riches I assure you. Along the way I bought some run down homes, fixed them up. (mostly doing the work myself ) and sold them for profits. This allowed me to navigate my artistic endeavors the way I wanted to. It took quite a while to get to the point where I was satisfied with the direction  I was headed but I stuck with it. I am still in the process. I can honestly say I love creating imagery and learning new ways of approaching my work every day. The most that I hope for is recognition among my peers and helping others succeed.

 

Post &Repeat Post &Repeat Post &Repeat

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artist as brand, illustration, innovation, Levinland studio, technology

I’ve been listening to inspirational and educational info all day. Not about art or illustration but about real estate. Whoa, back up, yes I’m a real estate agent. I actually split my time between art and business. However, and this is important, I am an artist first. The real estate came after my career as an art director/creative director. I first invested in renovating houses, then I got my license because I wanted to have a business that wasn’t age sensitive. I still spend a lot of my time creating as evidence shows above in an illustration I created for Lucy: The Lavender Elephant

Anyways, I’ve been listening to Peter Lorimer of PLG Estates in Los Angeles talking about social media and how it helps drive branding and business. Peter comes from the music business and entered real estate 12 years ago. He is very successful now. So how does this relate to me and you as artists?

It relates because we are all in business whether it’s as an artist or a real estate agent. And social media is a vehicle that anyone can use to generate business leads and brand themselves. The key is what you’re posting and how consistently you post. What you shouldn’t do is expect instant return on your time investment. Hence Post &Repeat, Post &Repeat, Post &Repeat. Tweak along the way, sculpt your message to fit your vision but don’t worry about the outcome right away. If your vision is unique enough and peaks interest business will come.

Now I say this as I’m trying to generate business myself. I’m speaking to you out there but I am also to speaking to myself. We’re relaunching the Illustrators Journal and our art business and will try and improve it each time we approach a story or an article. It’s for us as much as it is for you. Keep up the good work and never, never , never give up the dream. and we won’t either

The New Modernists of Illustration Define The California Spirit

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art center, artist as brand, digital media, illustration, illustrators journal, innovation, technology, this week in digital media on blogtalk radio

I’m prejudice.

When I saw this notice I was excited because I’m an Art Center Grad and to see where the school and it’s students are heading gives me a thrill and reminds me of all those late nights or all-nighters I spent trying to master being an illustrator.

So I’m reprinting this article and giving a boost however big to my fellow ACers in the hopes they achieve their goals!

“Self Portrait” by artist and illustrator Patrick Hruby. March 06, 2017

New Modernists of Illustration Featured in Land of Enchantment Exhibition Organized by ArtCenter College of Design

Patrick Hruby, Loris Lora, Ellen Surrey and Alexander Vidal Define the California Spirit for the 21^stCentury

 

March 8, 2017 through August 19, 2017

A fresh crop of Modernists of Illustration defining the California spirit for the 21st Century are featured in Land of Enchantment, an exhibition organized by ArtCenter College of Design opening Wednesday, March 8, 2017 and continuing through August 19, 2017. The vibrant graphic work of four recent ArtCenter alumni; Patrick Hruby, Loris Lora, Ellen Surrey and Alexander Vidal, leaders of the New Modernists art movement, will be on exhibition in the Hutto-Patterson Exhibition Hall in the College’s Fine Art and Illustration building at 870 South Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, Calif., 91105.

An opening reception with the artists on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., is free and open to the public. Admission is always free to the Hutto-Patterson Exhibition Hall located just one mile south of downtown Pasadena, and a short walk from Metro’s Gold Line Fillmore station.

“Green Parrots” by illustrator Alexander Vidal.

Land of Enchantment features the innovative work of Patrick Hruby, Loris Lora, Ellen Surrey and Alexander Vidal. Paying homage to the legendary American Modernist, Alexander Girard, the works offer a dramatic departure from what is usually considered traditional illustration. The bold and playful work represents a new form of illustration in partnership with technology and its limitless possibilities.

Visitors will experience illustration as environment since the work adopts an unexpected scale and plays with mood and emotion on multiple surfaces such as products, interiors and as home décor. The premise for the exhibition is to show illustration in its new form, surface design, and celebrate the specialization recently launched at ArtCenter College of Design within the Illustration department chaired by Ann Field.

The work of freelance artist and illustrator Patrick Hruby has appeared in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He is the author and illustrator of ABC is for Circus, a children’s board book published by Ammo Books in 2010. The book celebrates the colorful and festive world of the circus through each letter of the alphabet. Natural Wonders is a coloring book by Hruby that features forests, flora and fauna.

Los Angeles based freelance illustrator and 2014 graduate of ArtCenter College of Design, Loris Lora has had her work published in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal as well. In addition, her artwork has been featured in galleries across the globe. Her book, Eventually Everything Connects, published by Nobrow Press, was a project she started while a student at ArtCenter. The book highlights the relationships and connections of creatives during the California Modernism movement, an innovative and exciting period in design.

“Betty-Drapper” by illustrator and designer Ellen Surrey.

Ellen Surrey is a Los Angeles based illustrator and designer. She earned her degree from ArtCenter College of Design in 2014. Her primary sources of inspiration come from old Hollywood, mid-century design and vintage treasures. She finds beauty in the past and incorporates it into something contemporary. While most illustrators these days do their work in Photoshop, she likes to do most of her work traditionally. She primarily works in gouache, a medium she loves because of its flexibility and history in illustration. Her clients Include AMMO Books, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Google and The Wall Street Journal.

Before starting his career in illustration, Alexander Vidal studied cultural anthropology, and spent time living in Africa and Asia. Travel and exploration continue to drive his work. His clients have included adidas, The Wildlife Conservation Society, Smithsonian Magazine, and the California Academy of Sciences. So Many Feet, his children’s board book about animal adaptations, will be released by Abrams this May.

Land of Enchantment is made possible in part through the generosity of global design manufacturer Herman Miller.

WHAT:
Land of Enchantment features the innovative and vibrant graphic work of
Patrick Hruby, Loris Lora, Ellen Surrey and Alexander Vidal.

WHERE:
ArtCenter College of Design, South Campus
Hutto-Patterson Exhibition Hall
870 South Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, Calif. 91105

WHEN:
Exhibition: March 8 through August 19, 2017
Opening Reception: Wednesday, March 8 at 5 p.m.

HOW:
Admission to the Hutto-Patterson Exhibition Hall is always free and open to the public.

About the Hutto-Patterson Exhibition Hall In 2014, ArtCenter College of Design opened a new home for two of its dynamic visual arts programs—Fine Art and Illustration—at the College’s South Campus in Pasadena. Renovation of the former U.S. Postal Service property was made possible in part due to the generosity of the Hutto-Patterson Charitable Foundation, providing a dramatic atrium space (1,260 square feet) in the center of the building to showcase the work of ArtCenter students, alumni and visiting artists through a rotating series of exhibitions. The collaborative Hutto-Patterson Exhibition committee includes administrators, faculty and students. The committee’s goal is to help students understand the nature of being a practicing artist and professional curator, as well as apprehend a larger worldview by learning how a gallery generates dialogue with the broader public. Woven into the curriculum, exhibitions are accompanied by public lectures and special events. In keeping with ArtCenter’s efforts to increase access, affordability and appreciation of art and design in our communities, the exhibition hall is always free and open to the public.

About ArtCenter College of Design Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. ArtCenter offers 11 undergraduate and seven graduate degrees in a wide variety of industrial design disciplines as well as visual and applied arts. In addition to its top-ranked academic programs, the College also serves members of the Greater Los Angeles region through a highly regarded series of year-round educational programs for all ages and levels of experience. Renowned for both its ties to industry and social impact initiatives, ArtCenter is the first design school to receive the United Nations’ Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status. Throughout the College’s long and storied history, ArtCenter alumni have had a profound impact on popular culture, the way we live and important issues in our society.

Contact:
Teri Bond
Media Relations Director
teri.bond@artcenter.edu
O 626 396-2385
M 310 738-2077

Graphic Novels Casting a Long Shadow

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artist as brand, digital painting, graphic novel, illustration, innovation, levinland, technology

I’m an artist who grew up on comics and cartoons. I used to sit in front of the TV when I was a kid and draw cartoon characters as they raced across the screen. Later I drew my own cartoon. One of my first influences was Ed “Big Daddy” Roth

My friends and I would draw all types of drag racing monsters in hot rods emulating our hero. Later this gave way to “Mad Magazines” Artists like Mort Drucker, Jack Davis and Sergio Aragones fueled my artistic desires. In fact Sergio showed up at my high school to talk about his career. (He was married to one of our teachers) I was mesmerized.

Then sometime latter when I was in college I met Ralph Bakshi, who allowed me to hang around with him and Frank Frazetta as they created Fire and Ice. I learned a ton and after a few months Ralph declared me an illustrator not an animator and suggested I go back to school. I enrolled at Art Center after graduating UCLA. Three years later I emerged as a multi-talented illustrator/art director.

My training as an art director and later a creative director served me well and allowed me to thrive in the rough and tumble entertainment world.

Now coming full circle I’ve evolved into a hybrid cartoonist,graphic novelist,webisodist crafting my vision of the world I grew up in. The explosion of the graphic novel format has birthed a slew of interesting projects. My “Kid From Beverly Hills” is part of that explosion. Although I remain (purposely) on the outskirts of this art form I am all in on developing something I hope viewers will take a liking to and value the content. I am not ruled by publishers or my pocketbook. It is a labor of love and truth.

This article below by Fiona Smyth is instructive and to the point. Her art is terrific and her voice is clear and to the point. Dig it…

 

Art above by Lon Levin  all right reserved. For more go to http://www.levinlandstudio.com

By Fiona Smyth, painter, illustrator, and cartoonist

In the Comics and Graphic Novels course in OCAD U’s Continuing Studies, I explore and share information about the exciting contemporary comics scene. In recent years the media has rung the death knell of publishing but surprisingly there is a wealth of graphic novels being published.

The biggest trends in comics:

• The popularity and critical acclaim of autobiographic and graphic memoir work like Art Spiegelman’s Maus, Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home
• The rise of newer cartooning genres like journalistic comics such as Joe Sacco’s Palestine and Graphic Medicine such as Joyce Farmer’s Special Exits and John Porcellino’s The Hospital Suite
• Digital platforms are looking for creators of compelling content
• Comics are being employed as an accessible and engaging literacy tool
• Universities are finally recognizing the merits of the comics medium as literature, and as a research and educational tool

An emerging cartoonist doesn’t have to rely on a large publisher to have their work printed these days:

• You can begin a blog and use social media to create an audience
• Crowd funding can be used to publish one’s work (Kickstarter, Indiegogo)
• There are Canadian festivals and conventions that offer the opportunity to sell self-published zines and books such as The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF), Canzine (Toronto and Vancouver), Expozine (Montreal), FanExpo, ComicCon,  Zine Dream (Toronto) and the Toronto Queer Zine Fair

The comics medium is currently flourishing through self-publishing, smaller publishers, and an insatiable reading audience’s search for stories told by creators outside the mainstream media.

You can learn more by registering for Fiona Smyth’s Comics and Graphic Novels course this summer at OCAD University.

Fiona Smyth is a Toronto based painter, illustrator, and cartoonist. Smyth’s first graphic novel, The Never Weres, was published by Annick Press in 2011. A collection of her Exclaim comics, Cheez 100, was published by Pedlar Press in 2001. She illustrated writer Cory Silverberg’s Kickstarter funded picture book What Makes A Baby in 2012, re-released by Seven Stories Press in 2013.

The Kid From Beverly Hills Strikes Again

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artist as brand, cartoonist, comics, digital media, graphic novel, illustration, innovation, Levinland studio, technology, webisodes

Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s in Beverly Hillsand Los Angeles was quite the experience. We regularly saw great performers at the Whiskey,Troubadour and Hollywood Paladium, went surfing at Topanga, Malibu and Point Dume. and hung out at Randy’s Doughnuts, Ships and DL’s. These webisodes are design to give the viewer part of that experience.

The Kid From Beverly Hills: Episode Two

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cartoonist, innovation, Levinland studio, lon levin, technology, twitter

Remember Beverly Park and the Kiddie Rides?

From 1945-1974, children growing up in Los Angeles had their own mini-fair year round. Beverly Park operated on less than an acre, on the corner of Beverly Blvd. and La Cienega, the present home of the Beverly Center Mall. There were usually about twelve kid-sized rides, as well as animals, hot dogs and cotton candy. Parents sat on benches watching their children ride the merry-go-round, and birthday parties were celebrated at picnic tables. For the children who grew up going to this pebble-strewn, family- run park, it was a respite from city life- quite simply put: “It was heaven.”

Article By Hadley Meares | November 1, 2013

Art by Lon Levin 2015