-image Tracy Walker

My Illustration rep Shelley Brown of i2i Art Inc. is in New York City attending the Surtex trade show and conference and is writing about her observations for the Uppercase Journal. Check out her posts!

SURTEX: DAY ONE

After 25 fantastic years repping illustrators for everything from advertising to design and publishing, the economic crash in 2008 was a real catalyst for the already shifting business of 'traditional' illustration. There has been a growing trend towards illustrators producing art suitable for applications to surfaces on everything from greeting cards to household products. To this end, Surtex is a trade show offering artists an opportunity to introduce their work to a variety of manufacturers and retailers.

I attended the show back in 2006, but over half a decade later, I am noticing that the calibre of art is changing, as more and more illustrators are entering this market. Just imagine how exciting it is for an illusrator whose work is normally applied to a printed brochure or used in a campaign that has a shelf life of 4 weeks to suddenly see their work applied to a tea towel, a rug or a stationery package!

DAY 1

Today I attended three seminars:  Basics of Art Licensing, Parts I + II, and Understanding Legal Basics: Contracts and Copyrights.

If you are an illustrator or designer thinking of pursuing surface design, I would recommend that you visit Surtex, which takes place in New York city every May. The conference program includes sessions where industry pros help give you a foundation in licensing your art.

I'm happy to report that although about one third of the surface design industry may still sell the art outright for a modest flat fee (where the artist relinquishes their copyright), there is a growing appreciation for the value of the usage and the aritst's rights.

More to come after day two tomorrow!

Shelley Brown
Principal + Artist Agent
i2iart.com

During a recent trip to Italy I was reminded how much great vintage signage still remained as I walked the streets of Rome. They all took me back to a more carefree time of the fifties and especially of a time when tourism of that city seemed to take-off due to the film industry. Movies like Roman Holiday and Fellini’s own Roma seemed make Italy a star. These surviving signs are just another layer to the many rich layers and patinas of that locale. I decided I needed to capture this street mood and language in a small series of black and white photos I took using just my iPhone and an app filter. Photos were taken in mostly Rome, with a few in Florence and Venice.

Here are a few shots of my baseball bat for the Season Opener art show launch for the Garrison Creek Bat Company. These shots were taken during the process and the bat is pretty much complete as of a couple of days after these pictures. Similar in look but slightly more complex.  Come out to see the artist interpreted baseball bats!

Another flock of students is leaving the nest where I teach at Sheridan ITAL in the BAA Illustration program. In conjunction with the annual year-end show, this year the college has organized the Illustrationism Conference, a day long event of discussion, networking and exploring new models of creative idea building. There will be a full day of panel discussions, collaborative activities and fresh creative partnerships for the new grads as well as over 200 professionals from design, media, and the entertainment industries.

This action-packed day will be copped off with the evening graduate exhibition. As one of the thesis teachers for this group of students I am pleased and excited for the public to see their amazing work. The exhibition opens April 19 at the Glass Factory, 99 Sudbury Street, Toronto, at 7pm to midnight. Come join us!

I am participating in a group art show in a few weeks which will be a launch party for the Garrison Creek Bat Company. Yes, hand made bats! The small company is made up of Dave Murray, C.R. Fieldhouse, and Ryan Christiani and their aim is to create quality hand crafted baseball bats. The launch will include a show of custom painted bats by a roster of great artists, many of whom are friends. My bat is finally underway and I will post shots when the show launches.

The above website link will give you the full story including more artists recently signed up for the show.

Here is a great pillow again from my good friends at MADE. I think these cushions  reflect the vintage Canadiana vibe that seems to be so hot and everywhere right now. The fabric is bold red and black buffalo plaid and each cushion has one of several custom designed and embroidered crests, each with a different graphic. Another favorite is the picture of the beaver with the word ‘HAT’. This was a birthday gift from some good friends indeed last fall.

Several months ago I posted a video for Avi Buffalo that was directed by Andrew Huang. This new piece was the winner at SLAMDANCE 2012 of the Special Jury Prize for Experimental Short. Solipsist is gorgeous, hypnotic and inspiring.

This is a recent project for Green Source Magazine and despite some challenges with regards to how far I was allowed to conceptually take the piece, I am very happy with the end result. The other big challenge was that as a spread, the artwork had some serious real estate to occupy and I worried about the how I would be able to work around the gutter.

The article is about how engineers and architects from the past were once only concerned with their own task. These days, these once supporting players need to work together more than ever to be a part of a green design team. Buildings are not just bricks and mortar anymore, but more about energy and performance. Therefore these two roles need to have a more collaborative relationship.

The concept plays with the idea of those 2 sides coming together to form a stronger unit. The roughs in succession play with this notion of two sides switching up the ‘bones’ vs. ‘skin’ or swapping hats to convey this idea. The final rough/idea bravely embraces the gutter and utilizes its divisive properties for the concept of left brain vs. right brain. Thanks to AD Matthew Guemple for that suggestion of using the gutter to our advantage. Once the artwork was complete, the addition of the hand executed text header became the finishing touch. The final artwork becomes strong, centered and architectural in feel.

The Raveonettes: Aly, Walk With Me

Directed and animated by artist collective Ohhmarymary.

I found a small stack of old Valentine cards from grade school in a box the other day. Happy Valentine's Day!