Illustration (BFA)

Steve Martin has done everything from standup to starring in comedy film classics and even banjo-playing, but it turns out he can only draw stick figures. According to The New York Times, when Martin told a friend about an idea for a collection of cartoons, his friend knew the perfect collaborator—Harry Bliss BFA ‘90 (Illustration). Bliss is a cartoonist and illustrator whose work has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Time and other publications. He has illustrated more than 20 New Yorker covers, numerous children’s books, including the Bug Diaries series, and his syndicated cartoon panels have appeared in publications internationally. The UArts alum collaborated with actor and comedian Steve Martin on his latest endeavor, A Wealth of Pigeons: A Cartoon Collection.

The surreal subject matter of A Wealth of Pigeons seems to reflect the essence of the world right now, while giving readers some much-needed, lighthearted humor. For example, one irreverent cartoon features two people on a cliff facing an adjacent cliff with one occupant, separated by water, and the caption reads, “Too crowded. Let’s go.” In another cartoon, parents debate whether to “encourage or discourage” their toddler, who is depicted juggling and riding a unicycle. The scenes speak to the current social climate, with people forced to find new forms of entertainment and new definitions of “too crowded.” Ironically, there are no pigeons featured in this collection. Martin and Bliss explained in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning that the pigeon comic idea was scrapped and instead became the book title. 

The entire creative process happened during the pandemic, which meant Bliss and Martin’s collaboration took place over email. On CBS Sunday Morning, the two talked about their cartoon collection and discussed their creative—and socially distanced—approach. Martin said he would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with a caption idea and send it to Bliss, who would reply with an accompanying illustration. They went back and forth until each cartoon was complete, and within a few months, they had compiled over a hundred cartoons to feature in A Wealth of Pigeons.

In their conversation with CBS, Martin described cartooning as comedy’s “last frontier,” citing the precision and unique comedic skill needed to execute the medium. Since there is no live audience, there is no immediate gratification from a cartoon, something Martin isn’t very used to as a comedian. Martin went on to say that this is his first comedy that didn’t depend on the audience. The collaborators enjoyed working together so much that they have hinted at a forthcoming narrative project.

Watch Martin and Bliss on CBS Sunday Morning

The School of Design at UArts redefines what it means to educate a 21st century designer, providing creative, cross-disciplinary and business practices in the curriculum. Its key innovation is a celebration of the reality that the boundaries between all sorts of contemporary design practices are more permeable than ever before, and that a modern designer needs a greatly expanded skill set at their disposal. 

The School of Design 1st Year Core is a unique and critical first year experience for all undergraduate design majors. These collaborative courses will expose you to multiple modes of practice and technologies while providing a solid grounding in design thinking, drawing as thinking, communication, audience and meaning, design technology, and collaboration and team building. You'll complete projects that encourage experimentation and develop your unique artistic voice across a range of social, cultural, political, technological and historical topics. This year of focused studies will prepare you to enter your discipline successfully. During your first year in the School of Design, you’ll also take course modules in the university’s Makerspace and Center for Immersive Media.

Explore the core courses and see student work.

Illustration senior Sean Ellmore has been pretty busy in quarantine. Not only is he finishing his BFA in Illustration, he’s also been collaborating with pop star Miley Cyrus on her new Instagram Live show Bright Minded, where Cyrus connects with special guests on “how to stay lit in dark times.” Ellmore spoke with UArts about the collaboration.

UArts: Can you describe the work you’ve been creating for Bright Minded?

Ellmore: For the past few weeks, I’ve been painting portraits of the guests on Miley’s show. These portraits served as promotional material for Miley and the celebrities that were on the show, but they also were animated for promotional videos. I also created many small paintings that were then used in animations. For example, I made three paintings of Miley’s arm and hand so it could be animated to look like she was reaching out and grabbing her Bright Minded mug! Miley also hired me to do some merchandise for the show. I was fortunate enough to be able to design four shirts with her, but I’m not sure when they’ll be released.

UArts: How did the collaboration come about?

Ellmore: The collaboration came about in a really strange way, honestly. I’ve been a huge fan of Miley’s for most of my life. I’ve seen every episode of Hannah Montana, and I've seen her live a bunch of times. 

I started making art of her in 2012 and still paint her from time to time. Last year, she mentioned me in her story, so I’ve been able to DM her anything I’m working on, and she eventually saw my messages. When she started Bright Minded, she made a post on her story saying she needs artists, designers and animators, so naturally I replied and sent her some portraits I’ve made of her that I animated. She finally replied to me and then followed me and sent me reference pictures, and we brainstormed a bunch of ideas.

UArts: What is it about her and/or her work that appeals to you?

Ellmore: She's insanely free-spirited. She does whatever she wants and doesn’t care if anyone is giving her dirty looks. It sounds cliché, but I saw her on the 2013 VMAs and told myself that if Miley could do that on national television, I shouldn’t be scared to do anything at all. She’s definitely inspired me to just be who I want to be with no boundaries.

UArts: Your work focuses heavily on the role of the “icon.” How do you think the role of icons has shifted during this pandemic?

Ellmore: I think that during this pandemic, the role of icons has totally shifted. When this quarantine first started, so many celebrities were posting about how bored and “depressed” they were about being stuck inside of their $10 million homes. People were calling them out left and right, and I think they deserved it. But I think this pandemic [is] also very positive for a lot of celebrities because they [are] able to create something to work on or use their platform for good. I think this era in the world really makes people look at these “icons” so much more as a distraction, so it’s really amazing to see [how] so many people [are] using their audiences to raise awareness or money for certain causes. I still think Jersey Shore is my best form of escape during all of this, though.

UArts: Bright Minded is a show about celebrating light in dark places. How have you been searching for and finding light these days?

Ellmore: I think my top two ways of staying lit in these dark times are staying creative/busy and full-blown distraction. I’ve been rewatching all of my favorite reality TV shows (Jersey Shore) and they’ve been inspiring me to make more art. I’ve also been deep-diving into Tik Tok—not just watching it though—I’ve been painting and making art videos a lot more since I’ve been stuck inside. 

UArts: How has your education supported you as a working artist?

Ellmore: I’ve met so many amazing artists since coming to this school, so it’s amazing that I have a group of people who can critique me whenever I need. I am also super-thankful for my professors, who I can reach out to. Their experience in the field has been a big help to me during all of this!

UArts: I know it’s difficult to think about the future at the moment, but do you have any exciting projects coming up or plans for after graduation?

Ellmore: Actually, yes! I’ve had an ongoing collaboration with MTV [that is still going on], in which I paint celebrities, either for their birthday or their album releases. It’s been amazing, and it’s keeping me busy. I’ve also had a few cool people reach out about upcoming projects that I’m super-excited to work on when the time comes! 

Bright Minded airs weekdays at 11:30 a.m. PST on Instagram Live. Tune in to see more of Ellmore’s work, or follow him on Instagram @seansartaccount.
 

Explore Illustration at UArts.

 

UArts Illustrators are the imaginers of society. They develop their unique visual voice through hands-on training in technique, image making, concept development, marketing and business. This booklet shows some of the incredible work created by the graduating class in 2020.

View the Illustration Senior Portfolio 2020.