Department of Design

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The dream of starting a successful children’s publishing company is finally coming true for BYU graduates Ben Ehlert and Mitch Stevens, as their company, Dreamling Books, prepares to release its first book. The Boy Who Spoke To The Earth is a children’s book written by adventure photographer Chris Burkard and illustrated by Disney interactive artist and alumnus of the illustration program, David McClellan. The story follows a young boy who is on a long and difficult journey to find happiness. With the help of the Earth, the boy travels far and wide as the Earth show him his greatest creations. In the end, the boy discovers that there is happiness all around him and that he just needed to open his eyes. “This is our first book and we couldn’t be more excited about it,” said Stevens. “The Boy Who Spoke To The Earth is very inspirational and has great messages for both kids and adults. It encourages them to explore the outdoors and find joy in the journey.” Dreamling Books | Our Story from Dreamling Books on Vimeo. While studying at BYU, Ehlert and Stevens took Writing for Children and Adolescents from English professor Rick Walton. Professor Walton’s class affected them in such a strong way that they both became passionate about children’s publishing. “If it wasn't for Rick Walton, I never would have let the idea writing stories even become a reality in my mind,” said Stevens. “The first time I ever read one of my stories out loud was in his class, everyone laughed and applauded. I was shocked. But that was the first time I felt accomplished in story writing. It was an amazing feeling that has stuck with me over the years.” Elhert and Stevens’ friendship with Walton and their love for BYU is still strong as Dreamling Books continues to work with both the illustration and editing programs here at BYU. “We have been super lucky to work with the BYU editing and illustration programs,” said Stevens. “We pull many of our interns from both these programs. I know that BYU helped cultivate our dreams while we were here. I think that we are just trying to pass this message along to others.” Dreamling Books is currently running a Kickstarter to help raise funds to publish its first book. To help support Ehlert and Stevens’ cause and get your own copy of The Boy Who Spoke To The Earth visit their page here. The Kickstarter ends on April 3, 2014.

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To commemorate the 50 year history of the HFAC, we have selected a few individuals we consider as prophets, founders, friends and alumni of the arts and communications who have either gone from the HFAC into a global arena or have been impacted by our students and faculty. The fourth floor of the HFAC features posters that include quotes from these individuals. We are putting up one poster a week until the gala celebration. Kevin Cantrell CFAC Alumnus (BFA, 2008) Principal of Kevin Cantrell Design I believe there is a third lens we must all have: the lens of conscience or a belief that transcends and guides our design. At the end of the day, making something beautiful isn’t enough. A designer must be guided by a set of values or principles. If the designer chooses to be guided by this lens, or an inner voice of light and truth, then s/he will discover that the Lord can grant him/ her capacities far beyond their normal abilities. Kevin Cantrell is an award-winning graphic designer, branding expert, and alumnus of the Brigham Young University, specializing in typography. Cantrell worked for BYU Magazine as a writer while studying graphic design in the Department of Visual Arts. When he graduated in April 2008, Cantrell was selected to speak at the department’s convocation. After graduating, Cantrell was hired by Hint Creative as an art director. While there, he won several awards for his print design. In 2012, he branched out on his own to create his own company, Kevin Cantrell Design which he did in addition to his continuing duties at Hint Creative. By the summer of 2014, he took it on full-time. Much of Cantrell’s work is religiously themed. In 2013, he produced a Christmas promotion that depicted the true light of Christmas. The artwork was printed on Gruppo Cordenons Moondream paper, which turns translucent upon hot stamping and reinforces the concept of light when backlit. Since starting Kevin Cantrell design, he has earned several other awards and recognitions. In October 2014, the Art Director’s Club awarded him with the Young Guns award which honors promising artists under 30 years old. Additionally, his startup has won three other recognitions in CommArts 2014 Typography Annual. In 2014, Cantrell worked with fellow alumni (and coworkers at Hint Creative) Gloria Pak, Christian Hansen, and Rory Bruggeman to collaborate with the Museum of Art and Design (MAD) exhibition, The Art of Scent, 1889-2012. It was a unique exhibit that elevated scent to the same level of design. Written by: Derek Gurr

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Encompassed by the cold of winter’s night, soldiers on both sides of the line gradually peered beyond their own trenches, captivated by a violinist’s tune of “Silent Night.” One hundred years ago, a series of widespread but unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front of World War I led to what is now known as the Christmas Truce of 1914. In commemoration of this historic centennial, the work of Brigham Young University Illustration professor Robert T. Barrett has been chosen to bring to life what happened that Christmas as part of a worldwide peace initiative called the Christmas Truce and Flanders Peace Field Project. As part of the initiative, eleven of Barrett’s illustrations have been presented to the mayor and people of Messines, Belgium. “Most people think that the Christmas truce was a small, incidental event,” Barrett said. “But it actually went about two thirds up the militant line, all the way into Germany, France and Belgium. It was a massive showing of Christmas spirit, with Messines as the epicenter.” Having found motivation and meaning from his own family’s relationship with the events surrounding World War I, Barrett encapsulates the sober background of war-torn Europe with the powerful and poignant story of soldiers who laid down their weapons to exchange gifts and special holiday traditions. “If you can make the project personal to you, you will see it reach more people and it will be much more meaningful. My family’s ties to World War I did that for me on these illustrations,” Barrett said. “The thought of a German soldier standing up to play the violin when he could have been shot touched me. That kind of message reaches people.” Barrett first developed the illustrations for a children’s book, “Silent Night, Holy Night,” which includes choral additions from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and narration from Walter Cronkite. “It’s not often that your illustrations have a second life,” he said. The illustrations have since been used for additional harmonious celebrations such as Peace Quest, an organization that seeks to mark the anniversaries of World War I with commemorations that emphasize peace. Soon the eleven original pieces will be permanently installed in the crypt of St. Nicolas Cathedral in Messines, Belgium. It was in the crypt of St. Nicolas that Adolf Hitler recovered from wounds he received at the “Bethlehem Farm,” a farmhouse that continues to stand erect in Messines. Although he was based in Messines at the time, Hitler refused to take part in the spontaneous Christmas truce because he considered it dishonorable. Don Mullan, the force behind the Christmas Truce and Flanders Peace Field Project, said about the history and hope of Messines, “We intend to make Messines the antithesis of all that Hitler represented. And, as we remember World War I, commemorate peace.” Barrett hopes this project will illustrate the truce for what it really was, an epoch of peace in a time of war, inspired by a sense of common humanity and the Christmas spirit.

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A BYU illustration student’s work is helping to showcase the program as one that challenges, strengthens, and provides students with a context that allows them to develop a personal voice. Miranda Meeks credits her soon-to-be alma mater as the springboard for her recent success. Since coming to BYU, she has worked with clients like Popshot Magazine, Spirituality & Heath Magazine, Diesel Apparel and Issimo Productions. “The art program here at BYU is so inspiring! It gives us more to work with than what traditional art schools offer because of the interactions with other majors and programs,” Meeks said. “The spiritual aspect of the school has also helped me view my art differently.” Meeks’ art has been featured and honored in a number of different exhibitions over the past two years. In fall 2014 she participated in Light Grey Art Lab’s Skate or Die exhibition in Minneapolis, MN. At the same time, two of her works were included in Gauntlet Gallery's Digital Renaissance exhibit, and another piece featured in a front-page linked article on ConceptArtWorld.com in April 2014. In 2013 her piece, The Gardener was selected by a panel to be printed in American Illustration 32, a national competition selecting only 369 of 8,742 entries to be included in the hardcover annual published worldwide, with winning works also appearing on The Archive at ai-ap.com. When asked how she balances school, work and being a mom, Meeks encouraged persistence. “It gets hard trying to balance work and life, but if you just keep working at it things will pick up,” Meeks said. “For me, it helps not trying to be all things at the same time. When I’m working, that’s what I’m doing. When my girl’s awake, then I’m being a mom.” Meeks’ work contains soft and detailed drawings, beautiful images, and subjects of mystery, growth, and transformation. Owing much of her inspiration to the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Chris Van Allsburg’s The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, she hopes that others will be able to recognize the beauty behind mystery. After graduation Meeks plans to continue her career as an illustrator, in addition to being a wife and mother.

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Interview by Nicole Vance of the Department of Visual Arts This month, Andrew Zundel, an Illustrator student and Wheatly scholarship recipient, answered questions about his experiences in New York City. How did you find your your work with Peter de Seve and your weekend work helping at Brooklyn galleries? Honestly it is all about putting yourself out there. Bethanne Andersen asked me in an internship meeting last December who I would like to work with, and when I told her Peter de Seve. We called him right up and asked. As for my work with the gallery, I contacted everyone I knew in New York asking for advice about city living and work experience, and gallery director and non-profit founder Jason Andrew generously offered to mentor me through several projects and events in his art circles. What is it like working for one of your favorite illustrators? Typical days working with Peter are very exciting, enriching and inspiring. There are some simple chores I perform, like organizing artwork and filing it, but that has been very enriching and inspiring on its own. Peter also has me scan in current drawings and characters he is working on, cleaning up the images in photoshop and tweaking some of the levels to punch out the color and contrast, and then get them ready to send to the different studios he is working for. And then I would get to sit down and have lunch with him, picking his brain about obstacles and triumphs that have shaped his career, ideas he has for me to strengthen my work, and just hilarious occurrences that he has come across as a professional. What is it like working in NYC galleries? As for working with Jason Andrew, I have been plunged headlong into the fine art world. On a typical day I sit in one of his galleries, helping people who come in learn about the shows going on, and occasionally selling artwork and catalogs. I was also put in charge of running all of their social media accounts; updating Twitter feeds, Facebook accounts, and their websites; adding new subscribers to their mailing list, and keeping orders and requests organized. I also have been helping in collaboration books between artists and authors. They give me their respective work, images, poetry, or literary works, and I work with them to create layouts for their books. What is your favorite part of living in NYC? Honestly it’s the food. Any delectable flavor, style, ethnicity, or quantity of food you like can be found. And it’s everywhere! Also I love the museums! There are so many, and they are all stuffed full of outrageously awesome stuff. If there is ever a time you feel uninspired, or are in a creative rut, a couple hours in any of the museums here can spark the imagination and fill you with great ideas.

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Animation is often used to create worlds, people, creatures and places that only exist in an artist’s mind. Animators have also been known to use their vision and technical skills to recreate individuals and places that actually exist. But one recent animation graduate’s senior project took on both roles while restoring a medieval cathedral to its original look. Dennis West, who received his BFA in animation in April 2014, restored the Amiens Cathedral to its former beauty for his senior project. The final product is a video that takes viewers on a tour of the 13th century place of worship. Amiens Cathedral: City of God from Dennis West on Vimeo. West’s education has taken a route that many would consider to be unconventional. Several years ago, he received an associate’s degree in graphic design and worked in that field for years until he was unexpectedly laid off in 2008. After freelancing for a while, he decided to come back to school and get his bachelor’s degree even though he was already more than 40 years old. West says his time spent at BYU the past 3 1/2 years has helped him learn plenty about himself and his capabilities. “If I have enough interest in something, and I learn the technology and skills necessary to do it, I can create whatever I want,” West said. West chose to animate the cathedral even though he wouldn’t be able to visit it in person. The cathedral is well documented and recorded with photos, which allowed him to be accurate in his animation. “It’s the most complete cathedral I could find, and it’s the tallest one still standing that is still in operation,” West said. “But not everything in it is the way it was in the 1300s, so I wanted to create an animated version that made it look like it once did.” Seth Holladay, a BYU professor whose credits include Pixar’s Ratatouille and Up, served as West’s faculty mentor on the project. “Once you get into the industry, it’s more than just being able to do the individual pieces. It’s about how all the different elements work with each other, what order to do them all in, how certain problems are solved and so forth,” Holladay said. “And Dennis’ project helped him to learn a lot of those things.” Holladay noted that West possesses important attributes that will make him successful in his career. “He definitely has a passion for doing 3D animation, and he has a bit of a fascination for historical things,” Holladay said. “I’m glad he was able to bring it to completion. That’s a hard thing to do.” West is grateful for Holladay’s mentoring as well as the resources provided by the CFAC. “A couple of times I hit road blocks,” West said. “But Seth was good at pushing me and steering me in the right direction.”

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