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Animation Kills Illustration, and… Call for Submissions: YouTube Play: Biennial of Creative Video

OK, I’m back home now from 12 days of ICON followed by San Diego Comic-Con. At both events there was a lot of talk about how 2-D illustration is (once again) “dead”. Previously killed by photography, illustration is now suffering death-by-animation. Or rebirth, as many point out. Naturally, the debate was instigated by Adobe, purveyor of motion-graphics software, and publishers such as WIRED and the NY Times, who are increasingly moving to online and iPad delivery. Graphic media writer Michael Dooley in Print Magazine’s online presence has assembled comments from ICON attendees about it. By the way, the RSS feed on Imprint’s column for illustration is worth subscribing to.

Of course, just as the illustration community is discussing the impending motion-graphics turn as the event of the immediate future, those who have been immersed in it are already sticking it in the museum. You animators might like to submit your work to this exhibition being curated by the Guggenheim:

Developed by YouTube and the Guggenheim Museum in collaboration with HP, YouTube Play hopes to attract innovative, original, and surprising videos from around the world, regardless of genre, technique, background, or budget. …Now through July 31, 2010, participants are invited to submit new or existing videos created within the last two years at youtube.com/play. Submissions may include any form of creative video, including animation, motion graphics, narrative, non-narrative, or documentary work, music videos, and entirely new art forms.

Meanwhile, more illustrators are transitioning into gallery venues with their still images. The photo here is of the exhibition opening at Nucleus Gallery, showing works by attendees at ICON. Is this where illustration art will increasingly go if motion graphics is the medium of the future?

  • http://carolwyatt.com Carol Wyatt

    God, I hope illustration is not dead!

    I am an illustrator and 2D animator. Both are considered “dead”. Luckily I know how to work in Photoshop and Illustrator.
    I honestly don't think illustration is dead, but different.
    In animation I have learned that in order to keep working I have had to adapt to new computer programs and be really good at them. CG has taken over animation. But artists are still needed to do the work.

    Instead of fear new mediums, we should really try to make them work for us in some way. Unless we want to starve, it is the only solution. People will always love hand painted and hand drawn art. But, it is not what we are getting hired for.
    Who knows what the future in media will be. It is still in it's infancy, so let's make it work for us and be a part of the future, rather than behind it.

  • http://michaeldooley.com/ Michael Dooley

    Thank you for your comments, Jaleen, both here and on Print's blog.

    And thanks also for doing your part to keep illustration alive and well!

  • ElDoDo

    Stuff keeps getting killed constantly; it's getting old.

    I don't think the technology (of production, not output) is not yet ready to handle the replacement of a medium for another (both talent and economics-wise). But those kind of flashy, aha, news stories are really popular.

    I'm also trained as a traditional illustrator, but right now I work as a motion graphics designer for a small studio. I don't think the whole issue is that much of a deal; skills can be learnt and adapted, and ultimately the clients will look for your creativity, sensibility and work-ethic, not for your ability to push pixels instead of pencils.

  • Antonia

    I was reading the guidelines for the youtube play biennal, and it says that “you cannot be a resident or citizen of Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Myanmar/Burma, Syria, Zimbabwe nor any other U.S.-sanctioned country”.
    wow.

  • http://jamesprovost.com James Provost

    As I put it at Imprint, I think we need a new term other than “motion graphics” to describe the service we will provide. Something to differentiate us from all the animated text, 3D abstractions, CG video effects and character animation you’ll find lumped under the term “motion graphics”.

    Motion Illustration?

  • http://www.dmcclain.com studiomiguel

    Rich media has been around for years now, there's just the opportunity for more of it. The argument is overwrought. Illustration is only getting stronger, it's the print-centric iconoclasts that are worried.

  • http://twitter.com/jamie_tucker Jamie Tucker

    let's just hope that the 20-teens e-publications don't go the way of the late 90's gif heavy webpages with dancing babies and all.

  • saya4

    Jaleen, I was at ICON6. Thanks to you and David Dooley to keep this conversation up.
    If there is a strong idea and solution behind any form of art work it won't die. Animation, illustration, photography, motion graphic, CG, only stay alive if it supported by a great idea and solution.
    Learning is always part of any growth and if any one wants to stick to what he knew, fine, but should accept market will go faster than him.

  • http://www.ledscreenchina.com led signs

    Do you have a video to show ?

  • pithythings

    I like to think of illustration like books. The prettier, fresher, newer technologies come by and threaten to overthrow the older, more traditional, tried and true formats. But, in the end, like books, illustration is deeply embedded into our history and it's going to take a lot more than fancy new gadgets to kill it forever. At least I hope so.

  • http://padurere.blogspot.com Padurere

    nice…

  • saya4

    In my last post I wanted to thank Michael Dooley from Print Magazine. (I wrote David Dooley)

    Michael, Sorry for being so stupid :)

  • laura

    addition to my last post: the vimeo judges are also M.I.A., David Lynch, etc… *_*

  • http://michaeldooley.com/ Michael Dooley

    No need for apologies, Sayeh: you should see some of the really stupid slip-ups I've posted on public forums late into the wee hours. Hmm… on second thought: you actually shouldn't see them.

    And thank you again for contributing to my Imprint report.

  • http://www.laptopbatteriesinc.ca Laptop battery

    Sayeh: you should see some of the really stupid slip-ups I've posted on public forums late into the wee hours. Hmm… on second thought: you actually shouldn't see them.

  • seanleblanc

    ElDoDo's point about the technology of production is dead on. I'm an animator working mostly in Flash which is offers a fast production pipeline (draw, separate levels, animate) but is still not nearly fast enough to survive the economics of illustration. It's the old problem of Fast, Cheap, Good. You can only have two at anytime. It simply takes too long to do that current submission and revision practices and timelines don't support motion illustration.