An FIT Bestiary
Click on the images to learn more about the artists and their animal inspirations.
Bri Hermanson MFA Illustration ’11 “I’ve had over 100 pets in my lifetime. I grew up in Oklahoma, and we always had tons of dogs, cats, horses, and bunnies. I’ve probably had more deep relationships with animals than with people.” Hermanson’s scratchboard illustrations grace book and magazine covers, as well as a gin bottle label. They will accompany her partner Margot Douaihy’s poetry in the forthcoming Scranton Lace (Clemson University Press), about the derelict factory, and one inspired by marriage equality is in the Norman Rockwell Museum’s traveling exhibition, Reimagining the Four Freedoms. She volunteers on the board of directors for ICON, the Illustration Conference.
Angela Rizza BFA Illustration ’11 “I’m not sure what it is about birds. There’s such variety with colors and patterns. This piece was for a nature show n a gallery. I put in all my favorite species of birds. I like succulents, too. And mushrooms….” Rizza, based in Putnam County, New York, illustrated The Book of Beasts and The Book of Prehistoric Beasts, both published by Buster Books. She shows in the Light Grey Art Lab in Minneapolis, and one piece was selected for the 2018 Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibition.
Ligang Luo MFA Illustration ’16 “I’made this illustration for the Year of the Chicken (or Rooster) last year. I like the contrast between the body and the legs. I love the various shapes and colors of animals. Birds, reptiles, and fishes are my favorite.” Luo earned his BFA in traditional Chinese sculpture but hated the mess of that medium. His work (in two dimensions) has appeared in Kaltblut magazine, Creative Quarterly, a book called Everyone Loves New York, and the Society of Illustrators Comic and Cartoon Art Annual.
Yishai Minkin MFA Illustration ’14 “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.” 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.
Basak Agaoglu Fashion Design ’09 “The way I draw animals is super simple. It’s two dots for the eyes, a little circle for the nose, a line for the mouth. Very little changes to those dots and lines change the whole facial impression. I want a little kid to look at it and think, ‘I could do that too.’”Agaoglu’s children’s books, published by Penguin Books USA, are The Almost Impossible Thing, about a bunny who wants to fly, and These Words I Shaped for You (written by Megan Merchant). She designed for Alice and Olivia and Elie Tahari before becoming a full-time illustrator.
Maria Carluccio MFA Illustration ’16 “Animals are my muse. For my final project at FIT, I drew one cat every day and posted it on social media. To this day, I still do one drawing a day, and I do a lot of cats. Whenever I’m at a loss, I’ll just do a cat.” Carluccio, assistant professor of illustration at Columbus College of Art and Design, is the author and illustrator of D Is for Dress-Up (Chronicle Books), I’m 3! Look What I Can Do (Henry Holt and Co.), and others. Her licensed artwork appears on stationery, children’s products, and wall decals.
Maria Carluccio MFA Illustration ’16
Heekyung Hur MA Illustration ’08 “I drew this kiwi for an article about birdwatching in a Korean magazine called Luxury Magazine. The editor wanted me to create it realistically, but I emphasized its characteristics to make it cute.” Hur, based in Korea, has illustrated toothpaste and bath-product packaging, magazine articles, and a picture book called The Little Silkworm (Raindrop Valley Productions).
Sam KaldaMFA Illustration ’14 “I show a lot of domestic spaces in my work, and they’re similar to the apartment I live in. I love furniture, books, knickknacks—and I love cats. They’ve become part of my universe as an artist. There’s something mysterious and unknowable about them, but I appreciate being able to have a relationship with them.” Kalda is an illustrator and cat fancier in Brooklyn. His illustrations have enlivened the pages of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Vogue.com, and WWD, among many others. His book, Of Cats and Men, was published by Ten Speed Press in 2017.
Demetrio Belenky Fine Arts ’09 “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.” The Brooklyn-based Belenky shows his work through Urban Studio Unbound, an independent artist collective and gallery birthed at FIT.
Anita Rundles BFA Illustration ’13 “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.” 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.
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