the hot point at ICON6 earlier this month in Pasadena, CA was the topic of motion in illustration as the next great thing or not. i wont get into pointing fingers or saying what is right or wrong but i do think the way the topic got people stirred up and talking can only lead to good things. it stemmed from the idea that magazines specifically WIRED magazine is spearheading the way on how magazines can potentially  utilize new devices and programs to allow readers to have a direct interaction with the editorial content by having graphics that can be multi-dimensional and by having illustrations that move. the hot point was that illustrators are illustrators not animators, that the power of a single image that can bring the reader into the text is a skill that shouldn’t be watered down by simply making something move for the sake of eye candy. the high point was that the content should remain the focus. if the content calls for something to move, then by all means move it, the software needed to do that is now becoming more accessible… the point that i see from all of this is that we as illustrators should continue to push our mediums and allow things to grow and expand and with open minds we will continue to ride the flow of up and downs and still continue to move forward in our careers.

with that said i wanted to post an illustration i did last fall and include a little animation that i did as an experiment in seeing how an illustration of mine could potentially come to life. admittedly this animation is not much more than eye candy, i don’t think it adds to the concept of the illustration, but i does allow the viewer to see that the characters are moving along and doing there best to spread the message of their brands which we are all trying to do these days.

the project was the cover for the October 2009 issue of Deliver magazine. the topic was on how direct mail can work in tandem with other methods of marketing.

here are the three roughs submitted for the piece.

here is the clipping from an old history of war book that i have had on my worktable for several years that was the inspiration behind the trumpet mobile contraption.

here is a preliminary shot with the sketch overlayed to check for composition and fit into the layout.

the final shot

and the final cover, thanks to Grayson Cardinell for a fun project.

here is the animation test to see how movement could potential enhance the visual concept. there is no audio in this test, and being that it focuses on trumpets that is an aspect that could take this experiment to the next level of interaction. if you can imagine Devotchka’s Basso Profundo playing over the animation.

this is sure to be one heck of a group exhibit with a whopping 50 illustrators. it co-insides with ICON6 the 6th Illustration Conference, which starts this thursday July 15th in Pasadena.

here is a link to more information on the show from fine folks at Gallery Nucleus.

the piece i have for sale in the show is called ForeArm. there will be a signed, framed print on display along with the original sculpture/puppet.

here are a few shots from  the opening. the folks at Manifest Gallery sure know how to do it up right. a tremendous thanks to Jason Franz for spearheading my involvement. here are a few shots he sent of the evening.

It’s only been about 5 years since this many of my pieces have been on display in one place. Jason Franz of Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati Ohio has worked closely with me selecting a body of work from my illustration and personal work for an exhibit called Seeing Red (Nose).

Along with sculptures and framed prints of the work there will be my personal sketch books on hand and animations showing, some Red Nose classics like ForkBoy and The Red Thread Project along with never before seen test scenes of Scout and the new super silent short Bandit Blood.

here is the release form the gallery:

Manifest digs deep, exploring the fringes of visual arts which include design and illustration (not just philosophical conceptualism and nihilism). Adding to its history of such exhibits begun with Transportation Design, the Drawthrough Collection by Scott Roberston, and Funny Men which included works by noted illustrators Ryan Ostrander and Gabriel Utasi, Manifest invites Chris Sickels of Red Nose Studio back to Cincinnati for a full spectrum experience of his intense and highly unique illustrative process. Seeing Red (Nose) will feature a start to finish range of works by Sickels that lead to his stunning photographic images. Like artists such as Sandy Skoglund or the Brothers Quay, Sickels employs a painstaking process of crafting every element within each image as an object, then combining and manipulating them, then lighting and ultimately photographing. Manifest’s exhibit will include original sketchbooks, hand-crafted sculptural models, finished photographic illustrations, and stop-motion animation featuring the compelling characters in haunting moving dramas.

the opening is July 9th 2010 6-9 pm the show runs July 9 – Aug 6th 2010

Manifest Gallery 2727 Woodburn Avenue Cincinnati Ohio 45206

HERE is a video from a book signing for ‘Here Comes The Garbage Barge!’ i did as a fund raiser at my favorite non profit organization Happen Inc.

a special thanks to everyone at Happen Inc for a fun event!

i am happy to announce a benefit auction to help raise funds for the Art Association of Randolph County. Randolph County is where i grew up in rural Indiana, and hopefully this auction can help out those who helped foster some of my first exposure to the arts.

the auction is live on ebay for the next 8 days thru Friday June 18th. you can link the the auction HERE!

the piece up for auction is called ‘Well Read’ it is a personal piece from a few years back that has been hanging on my studio wall.

if you have any question about the piece or the auction feel free to contact me at 317 313 1252

thanks,

chris

a great big KIND thanks goes out to Nate Williams creator of the site Illustration Mundo ‘where illustration gets all the love’ for asking me to do a little interview for the site.

if you are not familiar with Illustration Mundo, be sure to look around. it is a great place to learn from a community of illustrators as well as find inspiration and interesting work in all sort of nooks and crannies.

every once in a while i get a request by the terrific art director Irene Gallo at TOR books to illustrate one of the short stories showcased on TOR.COM.

this time it was for a short story called The Cockroach Hat : A literary love story written by Terry Bisson

it is quite a fun little read that crack you up on your most ironic day.

here are some of the submitted sketches and the final piece.

it’s always a delight to work with Irene.

i am happy to announce that i was asked to submit a piece for the show  EARTH: FRAGILE PLANET that opens this friday June 4th at the Society of Illustrators. the exhibit will have over 100 powerful images from the world’s foremost illustrators, addressing the current environmental issues that we face today.

here is the image that will be in the show

along with The Seeder puppet

here he is being fitted for his crate. i know its a little ironic that a wooden crate had to be created in order for him to be shipped. but at least the crate will be able to be used a multitude of times.

i am not a big believer in having a statement alongside my work, but being that one was requested here is what i sent.

I no longer live on the small farm I was raised on and now that I have children of my own, I wonder how I can teach them all that I learned while planting and harvesting the fields. I wonder how I can instill in them the values of knowing where your food comes from, that you have to replenish what you take. I wonder how I can plant the right seeds in their minds and give them the foundation to nurture those seeds so they can one day share those seeds with others around them.

last week i was honored to be part of an event that took a look into the the idea of what illustrators and art directors are doing to expand their work beyond the traditional printed page. the panel consisted of Anita Kunz, Yuko Shimizu, Christoph Nieman, Bridgid McCarren Art Director of HOW magazine, and Tyler Darden Art Director of Virginia Living magazine.

having anita kunz introduce my work the way she did was a highlight of my career. she was a  huge inspiration in the beginning to me. Yuko clearly has an amazing ability to teach, and her personality just glows. Christoph is an entertainer! easy to talk to and has an insight and clarity that is admirable. it was good to see Brigid McCarren from HOW again and to hear her challenges of designing for designers put things into a different perspective for me. Tyler Darden is a gentleman who reinforced that well thought out, executed and designed promotions can cut thru the endless solicitations he receives and can make an impression.

i was told there were 700 students in attendance for the symposium…

i have to admit having lunch, diner and sharing a panel with the likes of that group made me feel a little out of my element but talking with all of them was pretty natural (even for this farmboy)

there were some good points brought up about collaboration and how many are built upon strong relationships and even friendships, and having your preparedness help put you in the best place when opportunity is ready to intersect with your work.

some good innovations were featured with such things as hanock piven’s face making app for the iphone to the innovative They might be giants business growth and the idea of taking content to the marketplace. i spoke on a few of the animation collaborations, along with mumpuppet, target giftcard, books, and specifically the artalog and the collaboration between Magnet Reps and Frank Sturges Reps. and i ended with an inprogress collaboration between myself and my son.

i also learned that savannah is not the town you want to forget to take a camera to… beautiful!