Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)

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Women’s Script: Teardrops of the Stars

Women’s Script: Teardrops of the Stars

Yixuan Wu
  • 2024
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Image
  • Paintings (visual works)
Artist Statement:
Belle The Brave

Belle The Brave

Diana O'Brien
  • 2024
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Image
  • Children's books
  • Digital art (visual works)
Diana O’Brien
Artist Statement
Glorified Expectations

Glorified Expectations

Sarah Yasmin Neil
  • 2024
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Image
  • Paintings (visual works)
Sarah Neil
Glorified Expectations

An expectation is defined as 1) a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future, 2) a belief that someone will or should achieve something. Did you have an expectation when approaching this body of work today? Perhaps expectations of the work's quality, subject matter, or scale of the pieces filled your mind. Maybe you envisioned a predominantly digital display, reflective of our digital age.
Expectations, I’ve come to realize, are the universal nemesis of the artist. Through vibrant brushstrokes intertwined with typography, juxtaposed against controlled linework and striking subjects, I aim to convey the duality of confusion and clarity when fulfilling unsolicited expectations.
In my artwork, I strive to convey a unique sense of style and confidence, viewing each subject through the lens of a woman in a society that often fails to provide such perspectives for young female artists. Vibrant colors and sophisticated chaos define my work, reflecting the struggle to express my biracial identity and queerness in the predominantly white, Western culture of my upbringing. Through traditional mediums, I aim to remind my audience of the beauty found in imperfection and the growth that comes from experiencing failure in the pursuit of self-discovery.
The process of creating this thesis show was a push through overcoming external critiques and internal doubts. What began as a large body of narrative text paying tribute to the ten lives I seem to have lived before the age of 25, led to the body of work you see before you in this show.
My written words transformed into ink drawings on board, eventually embracing acrylic on canvas and mixed media techniques. It was a path riddled with attempts to please everyone, mirroring the struggle I faced in my personal life. I hope these pieces ignite introspection, prompting viewers to reflect on their own encounters with expectations– whether embracing or breaking them.
Emotional Pollutants

Emotional Pollutants

Xiao Lyu
  • 2024
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Image
  • Paintings (visual works)
Artist Statement:
Dear Mom

Dear Mom

Soo Ji Lee
  • 2024
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Image
  • Prints (visual works)
Illustrator / Visual Artist
Other Odyssey

Other Odyssey

Linzi Chen
  • 2024
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Image
  • Drawings (visual works)
  • Computer drawings
  • Digital art (visual works)
Artist Statement:
Flood: Class of 2024 Visual Thesis Exhibition

Flood: Class of 2024 Visual Thesis Exhibition

  • 2024
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Image
  • Exhibitions (events)
  • Annuals (exhibitions)
  • Exhibition installation photographs
The 2024 Illustration MFA Visual Thesis Exhibition, titled Flood, represents the culmination of three years of graduate study for the FIT MFA candidates. Each graduating student develops and executes a unique body of work that represents the cumulative experience of three years of technical exploration, artistic growth, academic research, and professional development. The exhibition will consist of works on paper, digital art, augmented reality, graphic novels, and picture books.
Ink Made: Class of 2018 Visual Thesis Exhibition

Ink Made: Class of 2018 Visual Thesis Exhibition

  • 2018
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Image
  • Exhibitions (events)
  • Annuals (exhibitions)
  • Exhibition installation photographs
Program/Degree: Illustration MFA
MFA FIT Illustration Fall Show 2017 at Okay Space, Brooklyn

MFA FIT Illustration Fall Show 2017 at Okay Space, Brooklyn

  • 2017
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Image
  • Exhibitions (events)
  • Exhibition installation photographs
Semester: Fall 2017
Thirteen Stories: Class of 2017 Visual Thesis Exhibition

Thirteen Stories: Class of 2017 Visual Thesis Exhibition

  • 2017
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Image
  • Exhibitions (events)
  • Annuals (exhibitions)
  • Exhibition installation photographs
A diverse group of MFA candidates bound together by a passion for visual storytelling presents 13 unique visions, 13 artists, 13 voices, 13 stories. The exhibition features work by Cristy Road, Kendall Eddy, Robert Geronimo, Claude Hodelin, Hwayeon Im, Yueming LuLu Qu, Che Saitta-Zelterman, Karen Sheetz, Deepti Sunder, Mark Wang, Emma Wasielke, Ellie Ji Yang, and Necdet Yilmaz.
MFA FIT Illustration Fall Show 2016 at Okay Space, Brooklyn

MFA FIT Illustration Fall Show 2016 at Okay Space, Brooklyn

  • 2016
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Image
  • Exhibitions (events)
  • Exhibition installation photographs
Semester: Fall 2016
Bookends: Class of 2016 Visual Thesis Exhibition

Bookends: Class of 2016 Visual Thesis Exhibition

  • 2016
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Image
  • Exhibitions (events)
  • Annuals (exhibitions)
  • Exhibition installation photographs
The annual exhibition of the Illustration MFA graduating students will open on Saturday, June 11 in Gallery FIT in The Museum at FIT. This year’s theme and title, “Bookends,” was chosen because it conveys a sense of narrative—that of starting and ending a chapter in one’s journey. The 11 artists in the show ― Laura Boren, Maria Carluccio, Giuseppe Castellano, Mildor Chevalier, Joshua Frank, Naru Kang, MJ Kim, Ligang Luo, Stephen Schaffenberger, Diana Schoenbrun, and Sharon Volpe ― were challenged to convey a feeling of completion, but also of continuation, through their work.
Chroma: Class of 2014 Visual Thesis Exhibition

Chroma: Class of 2014 Visual Thesis Exhibition

  • 2014
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Image
  • Exhibitions (events)
  • Annuals (exhibitions)
  • Exhibition installation photographs
Program/Degree: Illustration MFA
Application of Papercutting: Art with Modern Illustration

Application of Papercutting: Art with Modern Illustration

Meina Zhang
  • 2023
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Text
  • Thesis
This paper explores the origins and evolution of the paper cutting art, as well as its impact on contemporary illustration. Paper cutting is defined by engraving, carving, and pattern design on flat material. It has an extensive history universally but especially in the Western Zhou Dynasty, China.
The Cyclical Nature of Illustration

The Cyclical Nature of Illustration

Jane Yeager
  • 2023
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Text
  • Thesis
This paper will explore the cultural and technological changes that influenced the popularity of illustration within mainstream American women's magazines between the nineteenth century and the present and will set out to prove that the popularity of illustration within these magazines has a cyclical nature, increasing and decreasing regularly over time. The historical section of this paper will document the initial rise of illustration in women's magazines and the histories of prominent illustrators and styles, while also examining the cultural and technological changes that occurred in each time period and assessing how they affected the popularity of illustration in this context. For example, in the 1930s advancements in photography technology and modernist design movements hailing from Europe caused a decline in illustration and a shift towards photography. Starting in the 1960s and continuing into the present, inventions such as television, computers, and the Internet caused advertising money to be redirected away from magazines, shrinking magazines budgets and leading some to bankruptcy. In 2020, the United States experienced cultural unrest as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, political tensions, and the Black Lives Matter movement. This time of national flux led some magazines back to illustration, not only because the pandemic made it more difficult for art directors and models to meet in person for photoshoots, which forced many magazines to rely on art to fill their pages, but also as a means of distinguishing important issues from everyday topics. This paper will then assess the "Current State of the Art" by examining each issue of a list of specific magazines that are representative of the industry from five separate years: 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 and noting how their uses of illustration change from year to year. This approach provides a structured sample set and shows how the popularity of illustration has ebbed and flowed since the start of the digital age. Based on this information, as well as interviews with magazine executives and contemporary illustrators, this paper will make a prediction as to whether the popularity of illustration in women's magazines will continue to operate in a cyclical fashion.
The Influence of Chinese Figure Painting on Modern Illustration

The Influence of Chinese Figure Painting on Modern Illustration

Sixian Wang
  • 2023
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Text
  • Thesis
Chinese figure painting is one of the major painting branches of traditional Chinese painting. It is based on the character image as the main part of the picture. Figure painting can be further divided into Taoist paintings, beautiful woman paintings, portrait paintings, genre paintings, Historical story paintings. The painting form of Chinese figure painting is to paint on silk or paper with a brush dipped in water, ink, or color. Tools and materials include brushes, ink, Chinese painting pigments, rice paper, silk. In terms of painting techniques, it can be divided into white-line painting, meticulous (Gong Bi) and heavy-color painting, and freehand painting. Chinese traditional painting appeared earlier than landscape painting and flower and bird painting. This paper will briefly introduce the history, development, and representative figure painters of Chinese figure painting to pave the way for the subsequent influence on contemporary painters.
Historicity and Decoration of Tibetan Tangka Art

Historicity and Decoration of Tibetan Tangka Art

Chuyin Wang
  • 2023
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Text
  • Thesis
This paper explores the history of Tangka, which is a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton and silk. It existed from Tibet and from early 7C AD to the present. It has nine different forms, but this paper mainly focuses on the three most essential painting schools, Mian Tang School, Chinze School, and Karma Gazi school. The paper will also explore its impact on contemporary illustration.
Modern Chinese Style Illustration's Origin in Chinese Traditional Art

Modern Chinese Style Illustration's Origin in Chinese Traditional Art

Yikei Miu
  • 2023
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Text
  • Thesis
This paper explores what is Modern Chinese style Illustration[国风插画] today and how it influenced by techniques, modeling and element selecting in traditional Chinese Paintings of Gong Bi Figures painting[工笔人物画], Gong Bi Hua Niao[工笔花鸟] (Flower and Birds Painting), and Shan Shui w[山水](Mountain and Streams Painting).
Architecture Drawing as Art Illustration

Architecture Drawing as Art Illustration

Laura Marciniak
  • 2023
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Text
  • Thesis
This paper examines North American 20th-century architectural drafts, plans, renders, and drawings as art illustrations. For the purpose of the paper, illustration is defined as a creative pictorial representation of a concept - And architectural drawing is defined as any rendering of a built or natural environment. Both illustration and architectural drawing are forms of visual communication, delineated by the intended audience, methodology, and syntax. Therefore, architectural rendering can be defined as an illustrative art form.
Latin America Illustration an Exploration of Influences

Latin America Illustration an Exploration of Influences

Maria De Los Angeles Lopez
  • 2023
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Text
  • Thesis
This paper explores the various origins and evolution of Latin American illustration. Latin American illustration is the visual imagery of South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, and illustrations made by Latin American artists living in other countries. Latin American artists explored their indigenous traditions and those inherited by other regions to create illustrations. Latin American Art has many origins that have evolved pre and postcolonial times. The style has a unique genre evident through the different mediums used to express historical, social, and economic struggles and achievements that distinguish many parts of Latin America. It is not universal and illustrators from different countries have been molded by their experiences, culture, and surroundings. In this way, many of these artists consciously attempt to be authentic by staying true to their heritage. Latin American illustrators have developed disciplines that were partially influenced by other regions, such as America and Europe.
The Beauty of Caisson: The Application of Caisson Art in Modern Art And Design

The Beauty of Caisson: The Application of Caisson Art in Modern Art And Design

Jiaxin Liu
  • 2023
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Text
  • Thesis
Caisson is the most luxurious dome-like part of a coffered ceiling in traditional Chinese architecture, sometimes referred to as a spider web ceiling. It is a sunken panel in the center of a dome. This paper aims to study the history of the caisson ceiling and discover its impact on modern Chinese decorations. This paper attempts to explain different kinds of caisson decorations and how contemporary designers use these architecture and mineral painting techniques as inspiration.
Pop Art Influence on Keiichi Tanaami

Pop Art Influence on Keiichi Tanaami

Haozhe Li
  • 2023
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Text
  • Thesis
Keiichi Tanaami was a pioneer of Pop Art in Japan. His career began with his graduation from Musashino University of Fine Arts in 1960 and joined Hakuhodo Advertising Agency in Japan. In 1975, Keichi Tanaami accepted an invitation to be the first artistic director of PLAYBOY (Japan) and has been a professor at Kyoto Arts University since 1991. As a Japanese pop artist, Keiichi Tanaami creates a unique style with the flavor of Japanese culture and presents the combination of Japanese traditional culture and avant-garde art, and integrates various fields such as sculpture, painting, and graphic design, and animation.
The Impact of British Children's Book Illustration of the Victorian Era on American Children's Book Illustration in the 20th & 21st Centuries

The Impact of British Children's Book Illustration of the Victorian Era on American Children's Book Illustration in the 20th & 21st Centuries

Katie Kalupson
  • 2023
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Text
  • Thesis
Rising rates of literacy, inexpensive yet high-quality printing technology like wood engraving, and changes in distribution helped to popularize children’s books among the emerging middle class in the Victorian Era (England, 1820-1914). As a result, the illustrations in popular children’s books of this era were widespread and influential.
Monsters and Elves in Chinese Folklores

Monsters and Elves in Chinese Folklores

Naodan Hu
  • 2023
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Text
  • Thesis
In Chinese Folklore, monsters and elves represent the wisdom of the ancient, containing the Chinese religion and philosophy of over for more than four thousand years. Thus, they have symbolic meanings for both primitive and modern societies. The meanings have changed over time, as have the images and the context which has enabled them to become an excellent creative resource for illustrators and artists today.
The Evolution of Ukiyo-e Art

The Evolution of Ukiyo-e Art

Yu Fu
  • 2023
  • Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Text
  • Thesis
Ukiyo-e Art is a form of illustration of Japanese traditional printmaking using woodblock prints. In its early period, the Edo Period (circa pre-1670s), traditional paintings were displayed through brush, ink and watercolor including Ukiyo-e Art. During the 1670s, painters added textures, pigments and screen prints exploring changes and artistic innovations.