What are the course requirements?
Requirements for being an Illustration major are well structured yet offer flexibility to dive into a great number of class electives where you learn media skills (sophomore year) and markets (junior year). (View curriculum requirements here) The variety of electives changes a bit each semester so that a wide range of directions can be pursued. Check out the course descriptions in the Courses Offered section of this site.
Where is the IL office?
The IL Office is in the Fox Building on the 3rd floor. Just turn right off the elevator, go through the Julian Allen IL Gallery bearing right to the outer office of the IL Office. The Fox Building was once a shoe factory, many years ago before MICA bought the building and turned it into classrooms. The IL Offices arrived in Fox in 2006 after years in the Bunting Center. The IL Office, Julian Allen Illustration Gallery, and the Sr Studios were designed in the summer of 2006 by department Chair Whitney Sherman. The IL Office has an outer office lounge area featuring a large installation of faculty work. You can also find the faculty mailboxes, copies of documents for class changes and declarations, free postcards and announcements to shows. Alumni and current students drop by frequently and meet up with their faculty or to talk about what they are doing. Our Administrative Assistant, Tara Will, is the first office you see when entering the space. Next to it is the Office of the Chair, Whitney Sherman, but she spends more time in just about any other place! The outer office is always open.
The inner office contains faculty offices for full-timers Rebecca Bradley (IL Asst Chair), Jose Villarrubia, Alain Corbel, Warren Linn and Allan Comport. There is a section with 3 computers for part-time faculty which students frequently use. The part-timers also have locked cubbies for their books and personal effects, and there are flat files for class work and work that will hang for exhibition in the department gallery. There is also a conference table, carts with materials for hanging shows, etc and a photocopier. All this comes in handy when faculty and students need a place outside the classroom to gather and get things done.
Check the campus map to locate the Fox Building.
Can I take an IL class if it isn’t my major?
Anyone can enroll in an IL class during open enrollment, if they meet the pre-requisites. Upon review of work and with an interview, exceptions are made exempting the pre-req’s.
Do I need to know Photoshop and Adobe Creative Suite prior to coming to MICA?
No you don’t but it can’t hurt. Don’t worry that you can’t be successful in the department if you haven’t had any software experience. You’ll learn quickly if you have an interest because students share info if you ask. And asking is a great way to start networking and making friends. It’s also good to remember that the IL Dept is interested in seeing you draw, whether with a pencil, pen or stylus, drawing is where the ideas start.
As a student, you have the opportunity to learn software in Digital as Illustration, Digital Illustration, Advanced Photoshop Techniques and other software classes offered. Just remember that you have to start with a good idea to end up with a good piece. And you are eligible for discounts on applications should you decide to buy your own desktop or laptop computer. Click here to see what hardware the IL faculty suggest [hot link here to a list]
Where can I find Illustration resources?
The department has some resources available on request. We have a Cintiq stylus you can check out [and are responsible for if you lose it!], a guillotine cutter, wiro binder, several specialty staplers, light box, and button maker. Seniors have access to a common “making” studio as part of their senior thesis experience.
If you are looking for output, MICA has a fully staffed print lab for medium to large output. Check it out here [link]
What career opportunities are available?
Markets in illustration are changing, providing new young illustrators opportunities to break new ground, find a place for their art in the marketplace and re-envision the relationships with clients and the public. Traditionally most printed material used illustration. Magazines, newspapers, advertisements, book jackets, text books and more were the venue for illustration. These still exist, with publication’s websites added to the mix. Additionally, the surge in comics, graphic novels, picture books, concept art for film and animation have increased the territory for illustrators. Plus illustrators work is seen on apparel, products, installations, exhibitions and performances.
Yet these existing markets don’t reveal the variety of areas students trained in illustration can apply their skills to. Some had gone on to be award-winning illustrators, teachers, designers, animators, museum staff, exhibition curators and so much more.
Who are some famous Illustrators?
Sarah Fanelli
Lisbeth Zweiger
Henrik Drescher
Chris Sickles
Jilliain Tamaki
Marcel Dzama
Christopher Silas Neal
Sam Weber
Can I focus on graphic novels and comic art?
There are a number of ways you can focus on graphic novels and comics while doing the core/elective requirements. Students can take Sequential Art twice for credit of a 300-level IL elective. Several of our faculty [Jose Villarrubia, Alain Corbel, Brian Ralph, Dan Krall] work in this field exclusively and bring their daily experience with clients to the classroom and to general discussion they have with students. Department Chair Whitney Sherman organized a huge show on comics art [link to images and Comics on the Verge site] that really opened up people’s eyes at MICA. Jose Villarrubia was deeply involved in the public programming and served as Sherman’s mentor in the early stages. She also interviewed Sara Varon, Craig Thompson and James Kochalka at ICON4 [hot link].
Drop by the IL Office to see some of the awesome books Jose and Whitney have on comics and GNs [Jose has more because he is such a geek!]
Check out the News page and the faculty bios for links to things our faculty are doing in comics and GNs. And check out the Illustration Club for events relating to these interests.
Can IL be combined with other mediums and still be considered IL? (ie Fibers, Printmaking, Sculpture etc.)
The interesting thing about Illustration is that is is not driven by a specific media. We use it all, sometimes one thing at a time, sometimes combining this, so you can work in virtually any media [not dynamite tho], at virtually any scale, in 2D or 3D. Click on some of the famous illustrator links above to see a wide variety of media use and visual directions.
Many of our students do a concentration, some combine materials without declaring. It’s their choice. It’s important for the students’ choices to be authentic to their way of thinking and the best choice to express the kinds of ideas they have. Faculty get involved in giving thoughtful feedback to make these innate choices more sophisticated.