Calef Brown

Associate Professor
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Calef Brown
BFA, Art Center College of Design

Illustrator and children’s book author Calef Brown studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. He is author and illustrator of a dozen books for children including Polkabats and Octopus Slacks: 14 Stories (1998), a collection of story poems that won the Marion Vannett Ridgeway Award for Poetry; Dutch Sneakers and Fleakeepers: 14 More Stories (2000), a Parents’ Choice Recommended Winner; Tippintown: A Guided Tour (2003); Flamingos on the Roof: Poems and Paintings (2006), winner of the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry and a 2007 Children’s Book Council Choice; Hallowilloween: Nefarious Silliness (2010), Boy Wonders (2011), Pirateria (2012) and most recently Hypnotize a Tiger(2015). Using engaging and nonsensical characters, Brown crafts narrative story-poems with accompanying paintings and drawings. In interviews, he has cited wordplay, dreams and the rhythms of music as inspirations.

A well-known illustrator, Brown carries a notebook for daily sketching and has illustrated the work of a variety of authors, including Daniel Pinkwater, Edward Lear and Jonah Winter. Brown’s illustrations have also appeared in Newsweek, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Time and Travel + Leisure. He has taught illustration at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, the Maine College of Art in Portland and, most recently, Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, BC.

Courses

Fall 2023 Courses

ILLUS 3052-01 - ANIMALIA
Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

ILLUS 3052-01

ANIMALIA

Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: TH | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Calef Brown Location(s): Illustration Studies Building, Room 413 Enrolled / Capacity: 15 Status: Closed

SECTION DESCRIPTION

Animals have enjoyed a prominent place in art for as long as humans have been creating it, beginning with the caves in Lascaux. Along the way they have figured prominently in myths fables and allegories, fulfilling symbolic roles in a wealth of picture books, and appeared as frequent players in visual metaphors employed by editorial illustrators. This course will provide opportunities for students to work within a variety of illustration genres, finding their own approach to working with representations of animal life. There will be in-depth exploration of creature anthropomorphism and its uses- from social and political satire to its capabilities in a wide range of storytelling methods. From JJ Granville to Spiegelman's Maus, to children's book greats like Richard Scarry and Arthur Geisert, the human-animal/animal-human is an enduring motif that will continue to be reinvented and expanded upon. Students will have the ability to channel projects and assignments towards formats of their choosing - including painting and other gallery-based practices, children's publishing, artist books, comics and zines.

This course fulfills the Illustration Concepts Elective requirement for Illustration majors.

Open to Junior or Senior Illustration Students.

Elective

ILLUS 3638-01 - PICTURING SOUND: MUSIC + ILLUSTRATION
Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

ILLUS 3638-01

PICTURING SOUND: MUSIC + ILLUSTRATION

Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: F | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Calef Brown Location(s): Illustration Studies Building, Room 407 Enrolled / Capacity: 15 Status: Closed

SECTION DESCRIPTION

Illustration, along with painting, printmaking and many other visual art practices, is continually intertwined with music. From illustrators collaborating on videos, packaging and promotion, to creating graphic novels and picture biographies of musicians and musical movements, the tradition of connecting the visual to the acoustic has a rich history. Music is often celebrated in larger and in a more tactile ways than on a screen-and we are seeing the enduring inventiveness of the gig poster, and even the 12 inch LP cover is still alive as a canvas. Projects in this class will explore promotional, interpretive, and investigative approaches as they relate to musicians, lyrics and titles, as well as parallels between music and visual art. Students will have the chance to interpret musical works in a number of ways, including through narrative approaches, using sculpture, animation and GIFs, and other less conventional means. There will be exploration of analogous aspects of music and visual art-sound and color, time based works, performative aspects and related ideas (e.g.: the movements of the hand while drawing/painting as analogous to playing an instrument). There will be some focus too, on genres and movements where music and art have close relationships, ie: psychedelia, pop and op art, comics and set design. Lectures and discussion will also be devoted to learning about artists who create both visual and musical work.

This course fulfills the Illustration Concepts Elective requirement for Illustration majors.

Open to Junior or Senior Illustration Students.

Elective

Spring 2024 Courses

ILLUS 3432-01 - ILLUSTRATIVE TYPOGRAPHY
Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

ILLUS 3432-01

ILLUSTRATIVE TYPOGRAPHY

Level Undergraduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-02-15 to 2024-05-24
Times: TH | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Calef Brown Location(s): Weybosset St Studios, Room 305 Enrolled / Capacity: 15 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

Illustrated typography and hand lettering are enjoying a wonderfully prominent place in the visual landscape of design, publishing and illustration, and have become an increasingly vital part of many illustrator's professional portfolios. What can illustrated type and it's particular characteristics provide as an alternative to established typefaces? How does an illustrator find the right balance between form and function, expression and readability? This course will provide the opportunity to employ drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, photography, digital tools and other media in the creation of unique letterforms. Students will be encouraged to experiment with non-traditional materials -including three-dimensional ones. Beginning with an introduction to basic typographic elements, terminology, and font families, students will move into creating their own unique lettering for projects including posters, book covers, and packaging. Typography will be the central focus, but students will have leeway as to the degree with which it is integrated with other illustrative imagery. Along with these projects students will create a complete unique typeface over the course of the semester. Relevant issues related to hand drawn text-type for comics, picture books, and graphic novels - including appropriateness, readability and voice, will also be covered.

Open to Junior or Senior Illustration Students.

Elective

ILLUS 505G-01 - GRADUATE ILLUSTRATION STUDIO II: NARRATIVE STRUCTURES
Level Graduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Spring 2024
Credits 6
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

ILLUS 505G-01

GRADUATE ILLUSTRATION STUDIO II: NARRATIVE STRUCTURES

Level Graduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Spring 2024
Credits 6
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-02-15 to 2024-05-24
Times: T | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Calef Brown Location(s): Weybosset St Studios, Room 304 Enrolled / Capacity: 12 Status: Closed

SECTION DESCRIPTION

A defining aspect of human consciousness is creation of meaning through the construction of narrative- a particularly potent mode of communication because it conveys information in a way that allows us to empathetically imagine the lives of others. Beyond the limitations of facts, polemic or data narrative entrances, narrative entertains and enriches us. As such, it is a basic element of Illustration. This class seeks to examine why and how stories matter in the context of traditional and contemporary world culture. We will explore how story construction, narrative voice, imagery, and choice of media intersect to create meaning and reach various audiences. We will look a broad scope of narrative strategies (linear, symbolic, interactive, etc.) from the revelations of the handmade artist's book to cutting-edge technology that is shaping narrative and its reception.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $25.00 - $150.00

Open to Graduate Illustration Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Illustration

ILLUS 605G-01 - GRADUATE ILLUSTRATION STUDIO IV: THESIS
Level Graduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Spring 2024
Credits 9
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

ILLUS 605G-01

GRADUATE ILLUSTRATION STUDIO IV: THESIS

Level Graduate
Unit Illustration
Subject Illustration
Period Spring 2024
Credits 9
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-02-15 to 2024-05-24
Times: F | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Calef Brown, Jamie Uretsky, Leela Corman Location(s): Weybosset St Studios, Room 304 Enrolled / Capacity: 12 Status: Closed

SECTION DESCRIPTION

As a culmination of the MFA program, this intensive studio challenges students to design and craft a significant, topically-focused body of work. Although students may choose creative formats and media according to their own interests, they must publish thesis work produced in class. Publication through digital platforms (podcasts, websites, apps, etc.) will be coordinated with analog forms when possible and appropriate to the project. Together with the research and writing produced in ILLUS 606G Paradigms and Contexts: Publishing the Thesis and Beyond, a comprehensive body of work and a written thesis document will be produced.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00 - $1,500.00

Open to Graduate Illustration Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Illustration

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Calef Brown
BFA, Art Center College of Design