“This is just graphite pencil. Pencil helps you get to the core of things quickly—the initial thoughts, inklings. Animals have so much human expression, and the ostrich face is so interesting. They’re like a couple of old ladies sitting on a train. They may not be thinking anything … or they might be thinking anything at all.” Yishai Minkin MFA Illustration ’14 Minkin teaches illustration, painting, and color theory to FIT undergraduates. He has drawn for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, New York magazine, Playboy, Spin, and Rolling Stone.
“Human beings like to think of themselves as above other animals, but I see us as all connected. From a cockroach to a tiger to a human, we all play our special role. In art, you can use animals as symbols to get across a feeling or message. Snakes can be very beautiful, but they have nearly universal negative connotations—duplicitousness, deception. You can make the face look sort of evil. Snakes are good for that.” Anita Rundles BFA Illustration ’13 Rundles is a Brooklyn-based illustrator and fine artist originally from New England. Clients have included Bloomberg, Abrams Books, and WNYC (New York Public Radio). She drew this snake illustration for FIT’s 2016–17 annual report.
“Vultures are fascinating creatures, majestic and repulsive at the same time. My animal paintings are portraits—they’re very specific. I treat them as I would a human subject; I try to give them a soul.” Demetrio Belenky Fine Arts ’09 The Brooklyn-based Belenky shows his work through Urban Studio Unbound, an independent artist collective and gallery birthed at FIT.