Merry Christmas (... a little late) and 

Happy Happy New Year to you all!

My first post to the blog.

Happy new year

I know that the purpose of this blog is for us t discuss industry and educational issues but I wanted to post this pic of my daughter because I thought that this was the best way to show you all how big she has gotten. She just turned a year a week ago and I am so proud. In a way I consider her a product of the masters program since my wife told me she was pregnant the day before I defended my thesis.

Happy New Year
Nathaniel Gold

Question

Does anyone know a good place to get high quality scans or digital pics of art 18x24 or bigger? I am working on a book and I want the best scans possible.


Thanks in advance
Nathaniel

Happy Holidays!!!

This is my: "Is it really that time of the year again?" card
Hope everyone has a great Holiday!!

My Web Site

Hi everyone, I've been meaning to post on the ol' blog for a while now. Just wanted to let you all know that I've finally put up a web site. I feel like I've officially joined the twenty first century. 

I'm going to be putting up a few more things I've been working on, but it's a start...

www.monikamaniecki.com

Back for another round.

Thank you to everyone who attended my opening at the Society of Illustrators!

New Website

www.heekyunghur.com
I redesigned and updated my website this weekend. Check this out when you have time. It would be wonderful, if I could get some valuable feedback from you all.

Happy Holiday From Sharon

Redesign of my site

Hi everyone:

I just finally finished redesigning my website:

sharonvolpe.com

let me know what you think.

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays love the Gold Family

Upcoming show- Jeff A. Menges

My FIT friends and family-

Here is the text of the press release I put together for a one-man show I have going up this coming March. It looks to be 25-30 pieces, about 85% paintings with a few drawings also. There will be some previews on my dreamcolony site in the months to come, so don't be strangers. Be in touch-

Jeff, MA07
www.dreamcolony.com/user/jmenges

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JEFF A. MENGES TO EXHIBIT
“OCEANS OF IMAGINATION”
A collection of paintings and illustrations
exploring legends of the sea, real and imagined

Northport, NY (November 2008) Jeff A. Menges, 20+year veteran of the fantasy illustration market, is exhibiting March 2-March 31, 2009 at the Northport Public Library. The Library and its gallery are located at 151 Laurel Avenue, in Northport, NY.

Three quarters of our planet is covered by ocean. Water represents a barrier, a means of travel, and a “great unknown”–all at once. It has been a source of myth as long as man has told tales. Its depths still hold true mystery.

“I find myself drawn to these stories of the sea, and that is reflected in many of the images I choose to create. Though my subject range is broader, I tend to enjoy it the most when pirates, merfolk, or sea serpents are involved. More than two decades into a career in illustration, I do not believe that any other single theme recurs in my work more than that of the sea.”—Jeff A. Menges

This show contains over twenty-five images from legend, myth, and history, with the sea as a common element. From the lighthouse at Alexandria, to phantom ships on open water, to Kipling’s Captains Courageous, these visuals explore the depths of the ocean, above and below.

An original artist for Hasbro’s Magic:The Gathering™, White Wolf’s Vampire, the Eternal Struggle™, and Atlas Games’ Pieces of Eight, Jeff has contributed his talent to scores of game products and fantasy publications since 1987. He has edited more than a dozen published collections of fairy-tale art, Victorian painting, and Golden Age illustration, and received a Masters degree in illustration from FIT in 2007.

For additional information, contact Jeff A. Menges, 631-239-6199
skaircrow@optonline.net
www.dreamcolony.com/user/jmenges
# # #

Holiday Greetings

What am I thankful for this Holiday Season? Well to be brutally honest, this was the first thing that popped into my head. Not the most altruistic I admit, although doesn't it feel good that that the oil companies are getting a little less and we are saving a little more? And feeling good is what the Holidays are all about right?

What are you thankful for? What gets you annoyed about the Holidays? What are your thoughts? Post your seasonal illustrations and let's get a gallery going.

Frustrated with Contracts

Greeting Alumnus

I was hired by a national magazine to do a few illustrations, cool! Right? However, I was given a contract where the corporation, who owns the magazine, as well as many other magazines, wants to own licensing rights that I would be financially compensated with an additional 25% more to my fee. (Which amounts to an additional $200 dollars). I discussed this horrible contract with the embarrassed art director who couldn’t change it and felt badly. I empathized with the art director and many ADs who have no choice to dish out a contract like this.
The contract specifically wants to have the right to use the illustration, not only in it’s other magazines, but wants the right to sell it to other magazines, publishers, advertisers, etc and who knows stock houses like corbis for NO additional compensation to me. I will be allowed to sell the image on my stock site as well.

Has anyone else encountered this type of contract? I am frustrated with wanting to work as an illustrator and a business owner, but this hurts me and our business of selling rights to our works. What do I do? Advise anyone?

Laurel Lake

I've been experimenting with some old sketches to see how far I can take them digitally. Then I plan to make paintings from them. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Back to the Drawing Board

Hey everyone, we had a great model session last week. It was a nice mix of students from the 2007's class to 2010's. And that's just counting Stu! (Just seeing who is reading this.)

A special thank you to Melanie for making the arrangements and to Vicki for getting us our traveling papers. The papers worked like a charm. Of course we could not have done it without our two models, Vanessa and Marilyn. They made us work our tails off.

Keep on the lookout for details about our holiday get together. After all, Thanksgiving is only two weeks away. (Are those Jingle Bells or my 401k crashing to the floor?)

If anyone would like to give a lecture for the society, or knows someone who might, please drop me an email. Please keep checking the blog and post your thoughts, ideas, and comments.

I sometimes think there is nothing so delightful as drawing. —Vincent Van Gogh

MODEL SESSION

Just a reminder November 7th is our next model night. We plan on having two models. Melanie is making the arrangements and FIT is covering the cost. It will be held in the new building where we had our Alumni meeting (236 W 27). Maybe we can start plans for a holiday gathering that night as well? Hope to see many of you there.

SHOW ME YOUR PAPERS
Vicki G. at FIT is working on having papers for us. This will make visiting the campus easier and will not entail a visit to the guard station or frantic calls to Melanie. Hopefully we will have them on the 7th.

David Levine: American Presidents Exhibit

David Levine has a show at the Forum Gallery in midtown until Nov 8th GO SEE IT!!! There are presidential caricatures dating back from the 1960s through today as well as over 30 of his watercolors. There is also two new illustrations one done in pencil of Barack Obama. The artist has begun using pencil instead of ink now that the artist is 81 and suffers from macular degeneration, a diseases that is slowly making him blind. The show makes me think of another political artist that had two very different visual lives that also went blind at the end of his life. Goya anyone?

LOCATION: 745 5th Avenue at 57th Street, 5th Floor

HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday - Saturday

TELEPHONE: 212-355-454

[FYI] Drawing Babar: Early Drafts and Watercolors

I saw the exhibition of Jean de Brunhoff and his son, Laurent de Brunhoff, and it was really nice.

Drawing Babar: Early Drafts and Watercolors
September 19, 2008, through January 4, 2009
The Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street
Hours
Tuesday through Thursday: 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission is free on Fridays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Click here to see about the exhibition

Creative Quarterly Winners!

Congratulations to all the Creative Quarterly winners from our Alumni!

In the Professional Illustration category Chad Wallace received a Silver while Monika Maniecki and Bri Hermanson received Merit Awards.

In the Student category Heekyung Hur and Stu Suchit both won Merit Awards.

Keep up the great work!

Models and Artists

We are having our model drawing session on Friday, Nov. 7th. The idea for this is is having two models in two different rooms. One will most likely be for portraits and the other for figure drawing. The session is planned to run from 6:30-10 pm in room SF107. Melanie and Vicky are working hard to make access to the buildings easier. Hopefully something will be in place for us that night.

Please post news of your own, ie: shows of your own, shows we should see, books, etc. Let's hear from you quiet ones out there!

News and Notes

Hey Everyone, Welcome to our new Blog. Melanie and I had a great meeting last week and were able to get some things accomplished. She and Vicky G. at FIT are working to get a handle on access to the school among other things. More to follow.

In the meantime, here are two dates to keep in mind.

1) The next open house for the class of 2011 will be held on 10/22 from 6-8pm. I don't know who the guest speaker is yet but it is always someone interesting. Again, a great way to meet future classmates.

2) Melanie arranged another drawing session! Models supplied by the wonderful folks at FIT. It's set for November 7th, Friday. More info to come. I hope to see many of you there.

DON'T FORGET about writing your Congressman about the Orphan Act!!