Illustration excellence on view at Sheridan graduate show

Once a year, magazine people have a great opportunity to see some of the best work from the graduates of the Sheridan College Illustration program. This time Illustrationism 2013 is at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 18 at 7 p.m. at 99 Sudbury Street in Toronto. You'll be able to size up graduates of this, the only 4-year, dedicated Bachelor of Arts Illustration degree program in Canada. They work in traditional ways such as painting and drawing as well as digital technologies such as Web design and motion graphics. Many of these grads may soon, or are already, pitching their skills to art directors.

Sheridan illustration grad show to be preceded by day-long "Illustrationism" conference

The well-regarded annual graduate show of the Sheridan College illustration degree program has been expanded this year, with a lead-up of a day-long conference called "Illustrationalism". The conference on April 19 is by invitation only and will focus on partnerships and collaboration and the skills for building of creative ideas -- responding to the environment into which the talented grads will be venturing.

"Everything has changed. A visual world needs a visual language; a language that can cast a light into the darkest corners showing us a way forward. That new language is Illustrationism," say the organizers.

Speakers and participants will include upwards of 200 members of the communications, design, media and entertainment world as well as the members of the graduating class. Among the expected participants are Sean Moffitt, a writer on social media and the director of MaRS, David Ceolin,  a venture capitalist specializing in creative partnerships, Ian Grais, a partner at Rethink,  Bob Hambly of H&W design as well as noted illustrators such as Graham Roumieu, Ben Weeks and others). 

Prior to the conference, participants are being asked to 

"engage in creating images that demonstrate the value of illustration (great concepts, flexible ideas anything that makes you engage) and post these to #illustrationism through twitter and Facebook. The images will be posted to our web site to create image collages that express the power of illustration."

The event takes place Thursday, April 19 at The Glass Factory, 99 Sudbury Street, Toronto (in Liberty Village, near Dufferin and Queen). The symposium will be capped off by the 2012 Illustration grad show from 7 p.m. to midnight.

Sheridan offers the only dedicated Bachelor of Arts Illustration degree in Canada at its Trafalgar Road campus in Oakville. Many of its graduates contribute to the look and excellence of Canadian magazines and many more should. 

Sheridan grad illustrators to showcase best work

Canada's only dedicated illustration program is holding a launch for its grad student show on April 26 at the Steam Whistle Brewery. All the work has been created by the 2007 graduates of Sheridan College’s renowned Bachelor of Applied Arts Illustration program [the illustration above is by Jeff Smalley]. The show will feature work that probes behind today's front-page news, say the organizers.

The gala opening is on Thursday, April 26th, starting at 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. and continues Friday and Saturday, April 27 (5 p.m. to 11 p.m.) and April 28 (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.). The show's platinum sponsor is Heidelberg Canada.

The program has produced some of the world's leading young illustrators. Award winning graduate work can be seen in the New York Times, New York magazine, The Globe and Mail, Wall Street Journal and Penguin Books. 2002 graduate Graham Roumieu recently signed a deal with a major Hollywood studio for options on his book “Me Write Book: It Bigfoot Memoir” and “In Me Own Words: The Autobiography of Bigfoot”, which he began as a student project.