Student Interview~ Stephanie Struse

Stephanie Struse uses a combination of eccentric collage and refined oil painting to produce illustrations that are unique to say the least. Being plugged into contemporary art, fashion, music, and a love of Renaissance painting her work is steeped in a rich cultural foundation that speaks to young and old alike.

Why did you start using collage in your paintings?
I always had an interest in collage and would take every opportunity to introduce it into assignments that I did early on in school. I've been looking at a lot of illustration and got the idea to incorporate it into my work. A great benefit is being able to move around a piece and try out different pieces without having to scan it or worry about painting over it. That and I just like the aesthetic!
Every year there is a competition attached to the Senior Thesis Exhibition and this year you were the artist who placed 1st. What did that mean for you and what did you take from the experience?
Well, I guess in other years the nature of school wasn't really a direct competition, but rather a place to better yourself and be around other artists. But the further you get into illustration and the business of it, you recognize the line between your personal connection to your work and seeing it as a career. Obviously it meant a lot and something like this really encourages you in that last leg of school when things get dry and tired out. It's like finally knowing you're getting somewhere.
Illustration is art, but one that is often made for a specific context- editorial, book cover, posters, etc. How has your view your own art changed over the course of the last 4 years as you chose to study illustration?
It's something I've been thinking about a lot recently. In my earlier work I was really experimental with my subject matter, but my focus changed to material experimentation. I want to get back to that and focus on developing more conceptual illustrations. It's important to balance both sides so that you can cover a broader base as an illustrator and be available to create art for a large range of clients.

Student Interview~ Megan Bux

Megan Bux's work is imbued with a liveliness and sense of fun that spreads its personality across many genres. Her distinct stylization, excellent sense of design, and choice of imagery make her work standout as one of the most distinctive of the senior illustrators.

Your style is easily applied to children's books, but where else do you see your work going? What markets do you want your work to go in?
Other than books, I'd love to work in kid's magazines, packaging, clothes, etc. You see fun illustrations geared towards kids in all kinds of stores whether on their products or even used by the stores themselves for advertisements, signs, etc.
Illustration is a field that welcomes all kinds of personalities, but generally those people don't interact in the freelance environment. How do you feel about the way a school/studio environment puts so many different people together in one space?
I think it's great that there's so many different styles and markets being explored around me. I get the chance to not only be exposed to something I normally wouldn't have seen, but be inspired by it as well. Moreover, it helps me to have so many different ways of thinking in one place. I often get really into the characters I design, so it's beneficial to hear the opinions from people who don't see the image the same way I do.
Does the way you stylize the figure come from the way you draw naturally or was it a conscious design you made at school?
It's a mix of both. When I draw from my head, I don't draw realistically but more cartoony and fun because I see things in terms of line and shape, not form and volume. However, when I'm doing an assignment, I'll really work out a character within that style to get the best result. I also consciously try to keep my animals and people consistent.

Student Interview~ SM Vidaurri

SM Vidaurri 's work is built around sequential imagery and a sense of serenity. A watercolorist who doesn't shy away from, but rather takes advantage of the nature of his material.

What is your ideal assignment?
I try to be open to a lot of different art forms. I'd want to do a comic that reflects the emotions that are evoked in the literature and music that inspire me. In their basic forms these are stories, and they have a certain mood or feeling. Ideally, I'd like to translate those same feelings into a visual.
What purpose does dividing space and using panels play in your work?
Building a page of a comic is like building a sentence. When two or more elements are near each other, there's a meaning that is created from their relationship that wasn't there before. I try to think of unique combinations that have a powerful effect. I just finished a comic about The Band and used the Canadian geese as a symbol for them because the goose, like the band, migrates from Canada to America.
How do you handle making revisions with such a delicate medium?
I do it over again. And again and again. I'm still at the stage where I learn from each painting. I enjoy painting so it's no chore for me to have to do it over. Most often I'll redo a piece if I'm personally dissatisfied with one that I know can be better.

Student Interview~ Eric Braddock

Eric Braddock is a fantasy illustrator who does his pieces in traditional oil painting. The focus of his work is craft, drama, and being able to realize that which exists in the imagination.

What artists, past and present, inspire you to work?
Off the bat I would say Old Masters like Rembrandt, Caravaggio, and Michelangelo. And Rubens. Rubens is good. Along with that, I admire more contemporary illustrators like Donato Giancola, the Wyeths, Dan Dos Santos, and Jon Foster.

What is the most challenging problem you've come across this year?
The transition from last year to this year was more dramatic than I expected. The workload was a lot more and the expectations were raised. It's important to stay productive and I enjoy seeing the progress I've made but it was a difficult adjustment that I had to make in order to rise to a professional level and continue to impress myself.

What makes a picture a great illustration?
Great illustration grabs your attention right away. Composition, great craft, fresh style, and a good use of light. They all contribute to a picture's success. It needs to have strong fundamentals and clearly communicate a strong concept.

The Salmagundi Art Club

Portfolio Day is held at the Salmagundi Art Club on 5th avenue. The beautiful brownstone has a history that is closely tied with American illustration and its past members have included the likes of NC Wyeth, Howard Pyle, and other fathers of the craft.
In previous years, the event was held at the Society of Illustrators itself, but only last year did we move Portfolio Day to be closer to the center of many New York publishing houses. We arrange one of their larger gallery spaces to accommodate each illustrator, each one setting up their own space to showcase their work. We invite art directors, designers, art buyers, and editors to come share our years of work in the hopes of developing our first professional relationship in illustration and design.