PSI Newsletter - Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators

MEMBER NEWS cont.PSInside November 2012On ExhibitTwo PSImemberstook topprizes in WyldChyld’s Art ofthe Unlivingshow whichran October25-November20. Best ofShow wentto JohnManders for“Three WeirdSisters” andKeith BastianinitookFirst Prizefor “NightMistress”(see Oct PSInside cover). Shown at the openingis Wyld Chyld owner Sarah Miller (center) andfriends, including “The Ringmaster of the Macabre”special guest, Barnabus.photo courtesy of Vic ShadeKelly Blevins was 1st Place winner for “Self III,”a 50” x 75” workin charcoal onpaper, in The LoreDegenstein GalleryFourth AnnualFigurative Drawingand PaintingCompetition. Theautumn exhibitionis on display October27 throughDecember 7 atLore DegensteinGallery atSusquehannaUniversity in Selinsgrove.Sean Dockery and Ryan Taylor will have an artshow on November 30 at Social Status.Worthy ofNoteA brief interview with FredCarlson appears at theWriters Weekly web onlinezine.http://writersnewsweekly.com/interview_carlson.htmlKudosSarah Miller’s dino-cop was the winner inEpisode #4’s challenge on Ink Master, Season 2.Watch episodes at 10 pm Tuesday on Spike TV.Help choose the season’s winner by voting foryour choice of the designs each week at:http://www.spike.com/shows/ink-masterSusan Castriota and her poodle Wilson appearedon CBS Pittsburgh telling about theirbook, Wilson and the Whitehouse Pups. Watchthe segment at http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/video/7899492-local-illustrator-publishesbook-about-white-house-dogs/#.UJJkl0gekCs.facebookEventsKathy Rooney was invited to participate inHeinz History Center’s annual book fair: Books inthe ‘Burgh. More than 60 authors will participatewith book signings and for the first year they willfeature Pittsburgh artists. Kathy will have a table,selling prints of her work. This year’s event is setfor Saturday, December 1, 10 am-3 pm, whichcoincides with the Gridiron Glory: The Best ofthe Pro Football Hall of Fame exhibition. Therewill be live entertainment, light refreshments,and special talks with local authors. Read moreat: http://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/events.aspx?EventID=202Nora Thompson participated in the ArtHouseCoop Sketchbook Project . Her sketchbook(digitized here: http://www.arthousecoop.com/library/6123) was chosen for a curated selectionof over 1,000 sketchbooks sent on a mobiletour, which included a stop in Pittsburgh onNovember 16. Here is Nora’s statement abouther book, Stitches and Folds: One spring eveningin 2006 I started a new sketchbook just for me.The characters that jumped out on that first pagewere nothing like what people paid me to draw.They were irreverent. They were a little twisted.They were fun. They had been crawling around inmy head for weeks, and they wanted out. So I’veallowed them to escape without apologies or regrets.”More about the tour’s start at: http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=35ce5c0c4ef364d3ea13db67c&id=55e035ab46&e=b0fab0f840Kit Paulsen reports that Plein Air Mt. Lebanonwas “fabulous” and hopes to be invited to paintagain next year. This one is called “6th GradeHistory Tour.” Kit says, “While I was painting thisscene, a 6th grade teacher and class paradedacross the street right in front of me; I even gotto hear a bit of the lecture about the history ofthe buildings. I quickly snapped some pics andadded them later. This one sold.”The Scream Park Preview Premiere thrilled audienceson Halloween night! The film played for alively and engaged packed house in Meadvillenear Conneaut Park where most of the filmingtook place. On the right are Alexander PathoJr and Rhonda Libbey, the film’s art director,shown with friends in a photo taken by NathanW. Fullerton, director of photography.http://meadvilletribune.com/local/x1400192462/Halloween-night-screening-forlocal-slasher-filmRob Rogers and Pittsburgh’s ToonSeum presenteda public screening of Cartoon Delegate: AVideo Sketchbook from the Conventions on November5. The mini-documentary follows Rob’s2continued on page 3...

MEMBER NEWS cont.PSInside November 2012journey as a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editiorialcartoonist as he travels to cover the RepublicanNational Convention in Tampa, FL and the DemocraticNational Convention in Charlotte, NC.Rob showed his work and talked about what ittook to cover the conventions with nothing but asketchbook and a Flip Cam.Courtesy Pittsburgh Post-GazetteWorthy CauseTickets for Pittsburgh Animal Friend’s annualBlack Tie & Tails benefit sold out a week beforethe November3 event. DaveKlug andWayno wereamong theseven returningHonoraryArtists for thisyear’s Best InShow theme.Animal Friendsraised over$400,000 atthe event whichbenefits homelessanimals.Each artistdonated a printfor the silent auction. Dave Klug’s “Americanine”is a 22” x 30” 2-color silkscreen he made himselfat Artist Image Resource on the Northside. Theimage is sold as limited edition prints and on notecards,chosen for its timeliness. Wayno’s printappears on page 1. The signs at each auctionarea featured reproductions of the artists’ workand were also auctioned.AnnouncementsGPAC:Arts Loud and ClearHere’s a not-to-be-missed op to get an overviewof Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council’s functions andmeet hundreds of other Pittsburgh art professionals!GPAC’s annual meeting will take place Friday,November 30, 8:30 am to noon, at August WilsonCenter, 980 Liberty Avenue. Keynote speakerwill be Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO,American for the Arts (AFTA) based in Washington,DC. AFTA is hosting their annual conventionin Pittsburgh next June, coordinated locallyby Ashley Paulisick. Register at: http://www.pittsburghartscouncil.org/component/events/event/5Fred Carlson reports on:SATURNALIA 2012PSI’s 15th Annual Crowning Social TraditionCome and Celebrate!DID YOU KNOW?All PSI memberscan and shoulddownload and printout the convenient8-page pdf titled“PSI Member Benefitsand Responsibilities”from thelower right sectionof our PSI homepage.You’ll find benefitsand guidance veryhelpful for yourcareer track. Withannual dues renewalscoming up for 2013 in January, reading theby-laws and dues section is a helpful guide aswell. You can help our society’s fiscal and organizationalhealth by attending to these duties---and it just takes a couple of minutes!Utrecht Art SupplySAVE 10%*All PSI Members with FREE Utrecht ArtSmart Card* Discount can not be combined with any other offer, does not apply toclearance or sale items, Gift cards, BEST BUYS, Furniture, Lighting, anditems designated as nondiscountable.1930 East Carson Street, Southside412.432.1945 www.utrechtart.comFifteen years past, in the dusty days of the late 1990s, a group of illustrators numberinga mere 28 gathered to celebrate the year just past and look ahead to another year of great art andterrific camaraderie. It became speedily clear that illustrators a., love to party and b., love to talk shop.This year marks the 15th anniversary of the PSI annual celebration entitled Saturnalia. We encourageone and all from our group, now numbering over 170 illustrators, to come one, come all, and inviteclients!This year’s edition of holiday revelry will begin at 8 pm on Saturday, December 15 at the home of JohnBlumen, 25 Sceneridge Avenue (Brentwood area off Brownsville Road) Pittsburgh. PSI will provideham, smoked turkey breast and sandwich rolls, hot hors d’oeuvres and an assortment of pop andbottled water. Members arewelcome and encouraged tobring your choice of food ordrink. Any questions, email:jjblumen@aol.comUpcoming MeetingsPSI MEETINGS HAVE CONCLUDED FOR THE YEARsee our website for more info!To those musically inclined: Yes!John has planned to have aroom set aside for those whowould like to jam with othermusically inclined members.Guitars, fiddles, and basses arecertainly a part of the fun.Saturnalia is our most-attendedevent annually so come jointhe fun!Saturnalia 20123

FEATURESPSInside November 2012New Members:Full MemberViolet Scarponevioletscarpone@yahoo.comwww.viscarpone.comViolet is a graduateof the Art Instituteof Pittsburgh withan Associate Degreein SpecializedTechnology anda major in VisualCommunications.She won theMerrill-StanleyScholarship Award,Desi Award forgraphic designand illustration,and First, Second,Third, Honorable mention and Best of Show at avariety of art exhibits. Her years of experience asa professional graphic designer/illustrator enablesher to design, balance color, and effectively paceimages to enhance all of her projects.Violet’s interest in human anatomy enables herto successfully capture form and light in herportraits. She uses a variety of mediums andher style ranges from realistic to impressionistic.She has also painted murals for residences andrestaurants. Violet is a member of the PittsburghWatercolor Society.Affiliate MembersWilliam McCoywmccoy3@stu.aii.eduWill is a student atthe Art Institute ofPittsburgh set tograduate in December.He writes, “I hopethat by surroundingmyself with peoplemore talented than me,that I can improve myskills as an illustrator,and make a few friendsalong the way.”Lauren Millerlauren@laurenmiller.comLauren is a graduateof Columbia CollegeChicago with a BFA ingraphic design. Whilenot formally trained inillustration, she enjoysusing it as much asshe can in her design,especially when it involveshand drawn typography.Lauren livesin Coraopolis and iscurrently working as afreelance designer. Shewas encouraged to joinby Dale McNutt.Fred Carlson reports on:The Businessof Illustration:October MeetingOctober’s Businessof IllustrationMeetingshowcased PatLewis, one ofour fine humorillustrators, inthe comfortablesetting ofMary Dunn’shome in WestMifflin. Takingthe same chairthat Phil Wilsonpresentedfrom at the Julymeeting, Patreviewed his career and passed out samples ofhis comic strips, a graphic novel, physical portfoliopieces, and numerous examples of his promocards. What many in the room found especiallyfascinating was Pat’s background---he was awriting major at Penn State and could never fitthe long studio arts classes into his academicschedule!Pat’s forte at this key point in his education wasthe format of the comic strip, where the writtenidea takes pictorial form in sequence. While stillat Penn State he was already pulling together thebusiness savvy to circulate his comic strip ideasto various syndicates around the country. Onthe heels of his graduation in 1998, Pat receiveda development deal from one of the syndicateswhere he was paid for a few months of regulardelivery of the strip to see if he could satisfy thequality and deadlines of the daily comic strip field.As Pat settled into the Pittsburgh area aftergraduation and began branching out into variouseditorial assignments away from the comic stripmarketplace, Pat presented many exampleswhere his involvement in PSI helped develophis technical artistic expertise. Illustrators CraigMrusek, Mark Brewer, and Mark Zingarelliall helped Pat technically and in his businessoutreach. I found this part of Pat’s presentationfascinating because it illustrated what PSIis all about---illustrator’s education, extendingcareers, growing professional opportunities, andencouraging and promoting new directions in ourmembership’s work.There was a lot of discussion relating to Pat combininghis hand-drawn roughs and line finishes(he showed these to the group, pulled out of his“Pat Lewis box”) by scanning those into files andcreating his finished work using color programsin Photoshop. Various ways to execute texturesand patterns were discussed among the group---what was over my head was understood by mostof the attendees! What summarized Pat’s presentationwas the ongoing quest for self-educationand self-fulfillment in his desire to grow and learnnew techniques to grow his artwork and career.Speed reviews followed with work by JoshPerry, Mary Dunn, Kathy Rooney, Todd Murray,Fred Carlson, and new member prospectKelly Ackerman shared. President Mark Brewerpresented The Question of the Month: “How DidYou Get Started in the Business of Illustration?”The group listened to responses of length fromPresident-elect Evette Gabriel, VP John Blumen,and David Coulson on this topic.Mark Brewer made a public note that thisBusiness of Illustration meeting would be the lastof the year and his last as President. It appearsPresident-elect Evette Gabriel and VP-electAshley Cecil will be keeping some form of thisprogram in place next year as we reschedulethe Mark Zingarelli talk and look forward tohearing from many other talented PSI-ers. Thegroup present applauded both Mark’s and John’sservice to the Society after their four-year stintsas officers ends next month. The success of theBOI series also was greatly applauded by theattendees.The table spread was bolstered by the generosityof the membership, including hoagie sections,cookies, snacks, iced tea, wine, soft drinks, andDunkin Donuts coffee. If you aren’t planning oncoming to BOI meetings next year you have beenforewarned: you will be missing some great tablespreads! Thanks to Mary Dunn for her generoussecond hosting of a BOI meeting in 2012.In addition to those previously mentioned, inattendance were: Vince Ornato, Treasurer GinaAntognoli Scanlon, Rick Henkel and PhilWilson, for a total of 17 present.This was the last Business of Illustrationmeeting for 2012. Thanks to those whoopened their homes to host meetings andto the Featured Artists who shared theirexperience and expertise.4

BEHIND THE BRUSHPSInside November 2012Behind theBrushThis piecefor the TableTalk quarterlycolumn, Philips-ExeterAcademy,was deliveredby FredCarlson toart directorDave Nelsonat the end ofSeptemberand wasprinted inthe Fall 2012Alumni Bulletin.SubjectJen Holleranis the drivingforce behind the “Startup: Education” programremaking the Newark School system. The pencilfor approval was shown in September’s PSInside.This final printed piece by Fred for the GuitarWorkshop teaching series was just released inOctober. The sketch for OK was shared withPSInside in the May issue.Here’s a new Silver Screen Icon from Jim Zahniser.Jim will participate in a big artists marketat Bakery Square in East Liberty, November 30- December 1. Lots of unique vendors and gifts,just in time for the holidays.Here are two more spreads plus the coverfrom the book Phil Wilson just finished, TheAdventurous Tales of Philip Wells. His next bookassignment, the fourth installment in the BabySanta series, will begin later in November.This a cover illustration Dan Hart did recently forthe fall issue of CMU Meche News. He created itusing Adobe CS6.Vince Dorse writes, “I did a quick spot illustrationfor the City Paper that marked the third timein a row that I’ve had to draw someone in a maskfor them. Apparently the art director isn’t sure Ican draw noses.”Here’s Wayno’s December PittGirl illustration,for a story about Western PA’s claims to havingoriginated the wedding cookie table tradition.Taylor Callery created this image for PC Worldfor a story about security threats to watch for inthe coming year.Life DrawingSessionsThursdays 6-9pm • Short – 30min poses • $7Panza GallerySedgewick Street in Millvale off Route 28Enter basement gallery on left side of buildingwebsite7continued on page 8...

SECTION HEADER cont.PSInside November 2012Kyle Findley’spromotional piecefor ImaginationAwarenessplaced 2nd in theBradford SchoolJury exhibit inSeptember.“Cereal City” isa perspectivepiece. Kyle alsoshares page 1 ofa self-publishedHalloween comic.This scaryJack-in-the-Box tattoo isSarah Miller’sdesign for theHalloween Episode#5 challengeon SpikeTV’s Ink Master,Season 2.These illustrationsby MarkBrewer forthe Sept/Octissue of Yankeemagazineaccompanieda humorousarticle byKen Sheldondescribing theplethora of fallfoliage visitorsNew Hampshirereceiveseach year andthe various visitorswho photographit. The art also appearedon a localNew HampshireTV news programwhich featured Kenand some of hisother humoroustakes on life.“The IllusionOf InternalControls” wasdone for thecover of October’sStrategicFinanceMagazine toaccompanythe feature articleabout thefalse sense ofsecurity withincorporatebusinesses.This is Mark’ssecond coverfor the publication.“Mixed Marriages”appearedin theSunday October7 edition ofthe PittsburghTribune-Review, aboutcouples whohave opposingpolitical views.PSInside newsletter items are due during the first seven days of each month for that month’s issue.Send any new images you’ve completed or are working on for BEHIND THE BRUSH. Send news on exhibits, awards, book signings, art donations and other announcements for MEMBER NEWS.Got an assignment or commission through PSI’s website gallery, PSI eblast, exhibit, or other PSI contacts? Send details for the new PSI WORKED feature.Images must be low res jpegs 72 dpi, max 600 x 600 pixels. Send your info to: annimatsick@mac.com8