[As previously mentioned in the last post, this week I'll be posting the answers from illustrators who came out of SVA's Illustration as Visual Essay MFA, to learn just what they thought of their alma mater’s program.]

Next up is Paul Hoppe, a talented illustrator who’s done work for both editorial and children’s markets alike, as well as a healthy dose of comics/sequential work. He graduated in 2005 and has done a lot of work since. Please check out his site at http://www.paulhoppe.com.

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1. How many people were in your program?

PH:  18 in my year, 18 in the second year. So there’s always about 40 people in the studios.

2. Did you live in a dorm or off-campus?

PH: I lived off-campus, with roommates.

3. Did you apply to other programs? If so, which ones, and what made you pick SVA?

PH: No, only SVA. I wanted to do an MFA in illustration, and I wanted to get to know New York and work here.

4. Did SVA give grad students a space/studio to work in?

PH: Yep, that’s one of the best assets of the program, working with the others around you.

5. I hear a lot of the times grad school can be very competitive due to students competing for fellowships and financial assistance. Did you find that occurring with your classmates, or was it a more enjoyable sort of environment?

PH: Couldn’t be further from the truth; it was very enjoyable. There’s hardly any scholarships anyway. We competed for quality though, everybody was working hard and we were inspiring each other.

6. Were you working while you were in school, either through SVA, or at a different job, or actually freelancing? If so, was that difficult for you?

PH: I worked occasionally for SVA, helping with exhibitions. Also, I had worked in Germany for years and had good contacts to my old clients, so I received some jobs from them. Although I really wanted no distractions from the program, money was tight and I had to do them. There were many night shifts.

7. SVA gives a suggested syllabus to follow in their grad student book– is this what most people take course-wise? Or is there some flexibility to take different classes?

PH: Usually everybody does the same classes. It is possible to switch stuff around though from what I heard. Most of all, you get 4 audits that you can take in the entire school, e.g. in the undergrad department, where there’s plenty more exciting teachers. I took classes with Ben Katchor, James McMullan and others.

8. Did you ever have classes/interact with people outside your program? Undergrads, or people in a different MFA program?

PH: There is a ‘mixer’ with the MFA Design Program.

9. What sort of professional assistance did SVA provide for you, both while in the program and now as an alum (if any?)?

PH: You hear a lot from teachers about jobs. They bring in art-directors, editors, and professional illustrators that tell you a lot about the business world. Self-promotion is encouraged and part of assignments. But you have to find jobs yourself, of course.

10. Do you feel that this program helped you to grow as an illustrator?

PH:  Yes.

11. What sort of projects did you work on in the program? What was the most challenging one you worked on?

PH: The thesis is the most challenging. You have to come up with the entire thing yourself.

12. What do you think were the most positive aspects of the program?

PH:  Meeting great artists and guest speakers. Working with your fellow students in the same big studio and learning from each other. Getting to know the art scene in New York.

13. What were the downsides?

PH: It is very expensive. And if you are not independent, this is not for you. Nobody takes you by the hand.

14. What is your advice to someone approaching a grad school program like this one, in order to get the most of it?

PH: Work very hard–you have to be self-motivated. That way you get most out of the program, and most out of the teachers.

15. What do you specialize in now? Do you think SVA helped prepare you to tackle that field, be it advertising or children’s books or editorial or something else?

PH: I always had a big range. Now my range is even bigger because I was introduced to new fields like children’s books and editorial illustration. The program helped me mature and grow. It was a great time for experimentation that I still feed off today.

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Thanks so much for your answers, Paul!

More to come.

Well, I’m still effectively one of the slowest bloggers ever. To be quite honest, I don’t foresee Trade Secrets continuing with me at the helm for a long while– honestly, as someone who is still slowly learning about how to be a good illustrator I think I have a lot to figure out myself! (I still have a few more posts in me yet, have no fear though.) But due to that, the idea of attaining a MFA is often something my mind works back to. We’ve touched upon that a few times here, but recently I decided to be a little more proactive and learn beyond what the college websites and guidebooks have shared. So I wrote a couple dozen MFA recipients from the School of Visual Arts and asked more than a dozen questions trying to learn just what they thought of their alma mater’s program. I’ve received several responses, and will be posting them throughout the next week or two. Hopefully they’ll be as useful to you as they have been to me!

First up is from Elisabeth Alba, an illustrator focusing on the children’s market who just graduated this spring. You can check out her portfolio at http://www.elisa-alba.com!

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1. How many people were in your program?

EA: There are around 20 people per class, give or take a few. Since there are two years in the program, that totals around 40 students all around.

2. Did you live in a dorm or off-campus?

EA: I lived off campus. A few people in my class lived in dorms for a bit, but eventually moved out. I don’t hear great things about the dorms. They’re mostly for undergrads too so you’ll feel a little out of place.

3. Did you apply to other programs?

EA: There aren’t many graduate schools for illustration in the US, sadly. I applied to SCAD and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. SCAD offered me money, and I went to tour the school, but I didn’t get a good vibe. First of all, I’m from FL but before that PA, so I was absolutely sick of the south and wanted to move North. The tour was very impersonal, I was with a bunch of undergrads and didn’t meet any other grad students or faculty. You also don’t get a studio space. They offered me money but…. no. I didn’t even visit AAU because I went to tour SVA 2nd and liked it so much I didn’t even bother. I also got the feeling that AAU was similar to SCAD in that it was very impersonal and I heard icky things about them just wanting money, also similar to SCAD. I loved how close-knit SVA seemed. I got that impression from the start. And I met Marshall Arisman and he was just amazing and everyone was super nice. And it’s New York. It wasn’t a hard decision once I visited.

4. Did SVA give grad students a space/studio to work in?

EA: Yes you do, but being New York City, it’s not the largest space. It’s adequate though. It also depends on what kind of artwork you do. I was fine because I work small anyway. Some people did a lot of big things too though. Also, I saw some of the new spaces and they’re a little bigger.

5. I hear a lot of the times grad school can be very competitive due to students competing for fellowships and financial assistance. Did you find that occurring with your classmates, or was it a more enjoyable sort of environment?

EA: Actually… there wasn’t much competition at all. I think it all depends on your class though. Some classes are more competitive, and some aren’t. My class was very easy going and friendly and we all got along great. We just encouraged each other, even when we were applying to the same competitions.

6. Were you working while you were in school, either through SVA, or at a different job, or actually freelancing? If so, was that difficult for you?

EA: I didn’t really work much. Had a few part time jobs here and there, but I kept the majority of my week free for artwork. Did some freelance too, but not much. A few people in my class had part time jobs that required many hours. A few did fine with it, some had to quit.

7. SVA gives a suggested syllabus to follow in their grad student book–is this what most people take course-wise? Or is there some flexibility to take different classes?

EA: Most people take the same classes. It’s a small program so there isn’t much to choose from, unless you take extra audit classes. You pretty much follow the syllabus because… there’s nothing else You get to choose whether you take painting or drawing first year or second year though.

8. Did you ever have classes/interact with people outside your program? Undergrads, or people in a different MFA program?

EA:Not really. Some of us thought we should have hung out more with other students, but others didn’t. I didn’t really care. I didn’t have time to interact with otherpeople! Like I said, it’s a very close-knit group and you get to know everyone like family. There’s not much room to meet other people, unless you audit undergrad or continuing ed courses.

9. What sort of professional assistance did SVA provide for you, both while in the program and now as an alum (if any?)?

EA: Well there’s the SVA job board. I’ve never really needed to use it, but I’ve looked through it and it seemed like there were some good opportunities on there. In classes we met a lot of potential employers who we are able to contact outside of class to show our portfolios to. A lot of people get illustration jobs just from the people we meet in our classes. I got a few jobs from those connections. Getting illustration work IS all about connections so just…meet people, take notes, and don’t be afraid to contact anyone that comes in or is suggested to you. Also, sometimes Kim, the assistant chair, emails alum with job opportunities. I got my current bill-paying job from her, and it’s a nice one too!

10. Do you feel that this program helped you to grow as an illustrator?

EA: Yes, definitely! I came straight from undergrad at the University of Florida, where I pretty much learned nothing about illustration, so I really needed to just learn the business and understand everything about the career choice and what clients want.

11. What sort of projects did you work on in the program? What was the most challenging one you worked on?

EA: In the first semester you do a lot of smaller projects just to loosen yourself up and experience with various media. 2nd semester everyone works on a book project. Also, there’s a creative writing class and you learn to write better and be more creative with that. There’s also a computer class, so you do a few small projects for that to learn how to use various programs and make websites. 2nd year you work both semesters on your thesis project. The most challenging? They are all challenging at times. The little projects are because you just want to work on your big projects, so you get frustrated that you have to finish those too. The big projects just because.. they’re so huge and you wanna do your best and you have to work on all aspects -layout, artwork, design, print, whatever final stage you pick. You learn a lot.

12. What do you think were the most positive aspects of the program?

EA: The people. They become your best friends, and it was just a fabulous experience and I love everyone I came out of that program with! Also the teachers are amazing, and they look out for you. It’s just so… nice. I’m really bummed now that I’m done ): And since it’s new york you DO meet a lot of important people and fellow illustrators who are doing well, so you make a lot of sweet connections.

13. What were the downsides?

EA: MONEY. That’s pretty much it really. It’s extremely expensive to go through the program, and extremely expensive to live with. Unless you’re in it with savings or the backing of rich parents… you’re going to have a big loan. I have one! Ugh. There isn’t much money for scholarships either. You can get one based on how well you’re doing… but… it’s not nearly enough. There’s also a competitive one through the school, but again, not nearly enough. It definitely helps though.

14. What is your advice to someone approaching a grad school program like this one, in order to get the most of it?

EA: Be hardworking, listen to the professors and the professionals they bring in because they know what’s best since theyre in it and it’s new york, and MAKE CONNECTIONS. Don’t be afraid to talk to people, don’t tell yourself you’ll do it later or after you graduate. Start early, first semester, and don’t give up. The way to get the most of a program like this is to take care of things yourself. Don’t wait for others to make it happen.

15. What do you specialize in now? Do you think SVA helped prepare you to tackle that field, be it advertising or children’s books or editorial or something else?

EA: Right now I’m slowly creeping into children’s books and a little bit of other kinds of books. SVA definitely helped me. I had no idea what I was doing or how to get work before I came. Now I’ve made tons of connections and I’ve met with people who have started to find me work or who are sincerely interested in what I do. Your final year you pick a thesis advisor to help you with your thesis. If you do children’s books, find someone who is published who will help you! I managed to get an amazing published illustrator as my advisor and he’s given me tons of tips, connections, and he’s even hired me to do some work to help him finish a book. Again, it’s all about connections, I can’t stress that enough!

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Thanks again Elisabeth for all your answers!

More results to come!

(okay, so forgive me, I am ripping off Stephen Colbert with that one. It’s a homage!)

This is the first of what I hope will be many interviews logged for posterity to give us illustrators an insider view of how the other half lives and works: that’s right, the elusive and often colorfully plumaged art directors of the world. We do work for them, we talk to them, but do we really have any idea how their jobs work or how to be the best working partners we can be? Hopefully this will help.

First up on the chopping block is the ever stellar Benjamen Purvis, art director for the Las Vegas Weekly, whom I’ve had the great pleasure of working with several times in the past year. I gained work with Ben when I mailed off a postcard, found out the address I mailed it to didn’t exist, emailed him for the proper address, and then months later I got work with LV Weekly. Nowadays, it’s one of my favorite publications to work for. Anyway, here is the interview!

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TS: Introduce yourself! Where do you work; how long have you been an art director?
Benjamen Purvis: Hi Meg! It’s me, Benjamen Purvis, art director for Las Vegas Weekly. I started working for the Weekly seven years ago—not as an art director, but as an entry-level designer handling mundane chores like changing coupon expiration dates in strip club ads that I didn’t even design. But I really worked hard to get recognized, and was promoted to art director two years later. So, five years.

TS: What are your duties as art director?
BP: I art direct a weekly regional publication with one other editorial designer. Here’s how a typical week goes: Every Thursday at 10, we have an editorial meeting where we discuss what’s going on the cover and inside the book. The meeting ends at 11, and I have two working days to conceive and execute the cover, which goes to press on Monday afternoons. I still do most of the covers myself, and I do a lot of photos and illustrations for the Weekly. It’s necessary in order to stay within my budget—even though my budget right now is five times what it was the first two years I art directed the publication. Back then, I could barely get anybody to work with me for what I could pay, so I was really forced to develop as an artist. So I’m usually working out the cover and features on Thursdays and Fridays. On Mondays, I get the cover text, usually a couple hours before it goes to press. Our page count ranges from 120 to 136 pages, and we usually have five or six press forms, so Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are filled with deadlines. We mainly work off templates that I redesigned this past Winter, but a lot of the pages, like features, require customization each week. Copy is almost always turned into us at the last minute, so we have very little time to work on pages before we send them to press. I have an illustrator named Dan Sipple doing this week’s cover, so today, Friday, I’m able to answer emails, look for an illustrator to do some work for a feature, and make tweaks to my templates. The days and weeks really fly by fast here.

TS: How much of your publication utilizes illustration?
BP: I really love illustrators, and I try to incorporate as much illustration as possible into the publication. But my budget is a huge handicap—that and the fast turnaround time demanded by a weekly publication; I’ve already had two different illustrators turn me down this morning for that feature assignment I just mentioned, and it’s not due for another four days—so I have to be very choosy about what gets an illustration and what gets a documentary photo or a stock photo or nothing at all. I try to sprinkle illustration throughout the book from issue to issue, though, so that each pages gets its chance to shine.

TS: Do you prefer to work repeatedly with a select group of illustrators or are you often seeking out new talent?
BP: I guess this isn’t an either/or for me; I like to work with the same people repeatedly, and I also like to find new talent. I understand that a lot of artists who work with me are making sacrifices in order to do it—in pay or in time, or, sometimes, in both. So on my end, there’s more than just an excitement about and appreciation of their work; there’s also respect and gratitude and commitment to the artist. I like to give these people as much fun stuff to work on as I possibly can. Having said that, I also like to enrich the publication with new talent whenever possible. It’s not like I replace one artist with another artist who works in a similar style when I bring in new talent; every new addition is meant to complement the overall look.

A couple years ago I tried out Hawk Krall, Rick Sealock, Jerry Miller and Brandon Bird for my first time, and have tried to work with them whenever I can. Last year I used a lot of great illustrators for my first time: Autumn Whitehurst, Pablo, Eddie Guy, Johnny Ryan, Graham Roumieu, Dan Sipple, Robert Ullman, Mark Korsak, John Coulter and, of course, you, Meg. I’ve used most of these artists many times since, and would gladly use the others again if I could afford to. So far this year I’ve used for my first time Gilbert Ford, Joseph Adolphe, Gary Lacoste and Aaron Thomas Roth—and have already used most of them multiple times. And I have a bunch of post cards on my wall here of artists I’m hoping to use when the right project comes along: Helen Dardik, John S. Dykes, John Bent, Christian Northeast, Robert Wagt … Last year I approached Kirsten Ulve, whose work I love, about doing something for us, but I just can’t afford her!

TS: How do you find illustrators, or do they find you?
BP: I get post cards everyday, and some of them find their way onto this little cubicle divider next to me. I get emails, too, and I generally follow the links, but if it arrives when I’m on deadline, chances are it’ll be forgotten about until I’m cleaning out my inbox. I usually don’t reply to those emails when I get them; I don’t know if it’s expected of me or what. If it is, I’m sorry. But if it’s someone I’m really interested in using, I move the email to a folder I made called Freelancers, and try to check that folder every now and then. But post cards are really the way to go. I know they can be expensive to produce and distribute, but really, the illustrator’s work is more likely going to jump out at me when I look at their post card on my wall than it would in an all-text email with a hyperlink.

I found Brandon Bird when his site was linked on K10k a few years ago, and I think I might’ve given him his first editorial assignment (illustrations of Jerry Seinfeld). Jerry Miller is an art director in town who sent me a note complimenting my personal website, benjamen.net. In his email signature I saw a link to his website, which I clicked out of curiosity. I was surprised to see his site was filled with illustrations he’d done about 15 years ago. It was all celebrities who were famous between 1990 to 1992, so it was pretty dated work, but I was excited by them and asked him to contribute to the Weekly. He’s been doing it pretty regularly ever since and is now enjoying a lot of success as a freelance illustrator.

I also check credits in magazines all the time. That’s how I got into Johnny Ryan; in addition to his comics, he was doing these little characters for Vice magazine’s “Yo! What’s Up!” section every month, and I always thought they were really funny. And I probably check every credit for every illustration that appears in Esquire, because they have such great work in there every month.

TS: What is an ideal process for you when working with an illustrator on an assignment?
BP: Sometimes I have a considered idea that I present to the illustrator, or sometimes I’ll give a sort of briefing and ask the illustrator for thoughts on a concept. But I always try to provide the artist with as much info and reference material and creative freedom as I can. I usually get a rough sketch early on from the illustrator, and I’ll maybe make a suggestion or two, but I’ve usually worked things out before sketching even begins, so I often have nothing to say but “Looking good!” or something encouraging like that. You should see what Rick Sealock does: he’ll fax or email about 10 different crazy sketches for a single illustration, and they all look developed and cool! And he’s one of the friendliest and most fun-loving guys I’ve ever talked to. Even his billing invoice is a customized piece of art.

Anyway, there have only been a couple times in the last five years where an artist’s sketch had to be completely scrapped and approached differently, and I’ve taken great care to word things in a way so as not to hurt anyone’s feelings or discourage the artist. I’m very fortunate to have worked with illustrators who almost never miss a deadline, so I’m not often put in the uncomfortable position of having to hassle somebody.

TS: What is your biggest pet peeve when working with an illustrator?
BP: It actually has nothing to do with the illustrator, but with the nature of this job. I always hate it when I check my email on the weekend and realize that 12 hours ago or whatever, an artist sent me an email asking me to approve a sketch before he goes forward with anything. You try to take advantage of a Saturday like a normal person, and come home and check your email and realize there’s an illustrator who’s probably checked his inbox 50 times that day, waiting around for your approval. That really sucks to inadvertently do that to somebody. I always apologize, of course, and hopefully I don’t get on anyone’s bad side.

TS: What would make you reuse an illustrator in the future?
BP: Great work that I can afford and timely delivery are all that it takes for me.

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Many thanks go out to Ben for answering these questions so swiftly and insightfully. If you know any art directors or are an art director yourself, we’d love to pick your brains for this segment, so please email us! The questions may vary here and there, but essentially we just want your knowledge.