 "Photo: Andrea Cervone")
Nearly every seat in the auditorium of Trustee's Theater was filled on the evening of Oct. 13.
As senior art director of Rolling Stone magazine Steven Charny approached the podium and prepared to speak, students sat eagerly listening and waiting. They hoped for guidance that would show them how to become tomorrow's next prominent illustrator.
"I grew up probably as most of you did … I was always drawing," Charny said as he began his lecture on illustration that evening.
Just hours earlier, Charny sat enjoying the midmorning scenery of historic Savannah from the foyer of Magnolia Hall. For Charny, this was not a typical morning.
After nearly 25 years, Charny has worked all over the magazine industry and has experience that ranges from Sports Illustrated to pregnancy and bridal magazines.
Following his employment at Rolling Stone, Charny has become an almost iconic name for aspiring illustrators across the country.
"I don't really think of myself as a big deal, so when I saw this huge photo of me at the Trustee's Theater, it was kind of embarrassing," Charny said.
"I guess everyone in some way thinks they are just worthy."
But to the eager wave of students waiting at the entrance of the theater that night, Charny's lecture about illustration was definitely a big deal.
"Going to lectures like this is really reassuring for my decision to get into this field," said Dina Blokhin, a graphic design major at Savannah College of Art and Design and attendee of the lecture.
"It lets me know that I can do this one day and that this kind of a job isn't unattainable."
Despite the slight feeling of apprehension that comes with public speaking, Charny had positive expectations for the outcome of the lecture.
"What I'm really hoping to do is just to show the very diverse array of illustrators that we use – that there is no one style that works for Rolling Stone, but actually a wide range or artists," he said. "I want to show that not everybody is a superstar illustrator."
Charny also wanted students to see themselves in the different examples of illustrations from the magazine.
"I'ma showing them a lot of the conceptual process of how illustrators work out their design concept, and I think it will give them an idea of how important it is to come up with a hook to an illustration," Charny said.
"I really hope that maybe students will come away from this saying, ‘You know, I could do a job at Rolling Stone. It's not insurmountable.'"
Early in the lecture Charny connected with the audience through his childhood memories of what originally interested him in art – comics and monsters.
After a brief look at various influential comic books creators, as well as magazines where he had previously held employment, Charny devoted the rest of the lecture to a showcase of artwork.
All the illustrators shown were contributors to Rolling Stone. Some of these artists included Anita Kunz, Marco Ventura, Andrea Ventura, Marc Burkhardt and Nathan Fox.
Each of the awe-inspiring works Charny displayed held an uncanny likeness to the celebrity figures they were meant to depict.
"For Rolling Stone, the most important thing is celebrity likenesses, so I would say if people want to be in Rolling Stone, they should really develop a body of celebrity likenesses – pop stars, movie stars, things like that," Charny said.
After exposure to such a vast medley of divergent art, many of the students in the audience were left with a renewed sense of inspiration and ambition.
"It's a lot of information to take in all at once, but I got a lot of new, interesting styles from this that I can incorporate into my work," said SCAD illustration major Harry Hoang.
"Seeing all of these different styles of work is also really encouraging. It helps me think that maybe I can get this kind of job one day."
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