A
A TEXT
A TEXT MESSAGE. 208-321-5614 IS THE NUMBER.
MAYBE YOU DON'T HAVE
AN IDEA TO
SHARE...MAYBE MORE OF A
COMMENT ON
SOMETHING YOU'VE SEEN
ON TODAY'S SHOW?
SEND THOSE, TOO.
WE'RE GOING TO SHARE
SOME OF THE CLEVER
ONES AT THE END OF THE
SHOW.
SHOW.
YOU
YOU DON'T
YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOOK TOO FAR TO SEE BOISE IS AND HAS BEEN A
PLACE FOR BUDDING
ARTISTS.
FREAK ALLEY MIGHT BE
THE MOST VISUAL
EXAMPLE OF THAT.
AND THAT IS CERTAINLY A
MORE P-D-A
ILLUSTRATION OF IT...AS
IN...A PUBLIC DISPLAY OF
ART...BUT THERE ARE ALSO
ARTISTS OUT THERE WHO
WORK ON A MUCH
SMALLER CANVAS.
IDAHO IS AND HAS BEEN
HOME TO SEVERAL
SYNDICATED
CARTOONISTS...NAMES
SYNDICATED CARTOONISTS...NAMES YOU MIGHT KNOW.
THEN THERE'S THE
UNDER-THE-RADAR
ILLUSTRATORS AND
ANIMATORS...NAMES YOU
LIKELY DON'T.
BEN KONKOL LIKELY FALLS
UNDER THAT LATTER
CATEGORY.
BUT BEN HAS BEEN
GETTING NATIONAL
RECOGNITION BY BEING
PUBLISHED IN
PRESTIGIOUS
PUBLICATIONS LIKE THE
NEW YORK TIMES AND
THE WALL STREET
JOURNAL.
HE'S ALSO BEEN
HONORED BY THE
COMMUNICATION ARTS
ILLUSTRATION
ANNUAL...WHICH BEN
TELLS US, FOR
ILLUSTRATORS...IS LIKE
GETTING INTO AN IVY
LEAGUE SCHOOL.
ALL OF THIS IN JUST A
FEW SHORT YEARS SINCE
GRADUATING FROM BOISE
STATE WITH AN ARTS
DEGREE IN ILLUSTRATION.
OF COURSE...HE'S BEEN AT
IT MUCH LONGER THAN
THAT...AND PUBLISHED IN
PRESTIGOUS PAPERS IS
ONLY A STEPPING STONE
TO EVEN MORE PUBLIC
DISPLAYS
DISPLAYS OF HIS ART. WITH ILLUSTRATION, YOU'RE CREATING
SOMETHING THAT IS RAW
AND REALLY UNIQUE. AND
YOU ARE STARTING FROM
THE FOUNDATIONAL
BLOCKS OF DESIGN.
I WOULD DESCRIBE MY
WORK AS LARGELY
NATURE INSPIRED, I TRY
AND INCORPORATE A LOT
OF ORGANIC, NATURAL
LOOKING, PHYSICAL
TEXTURES INTO MY WORK.
I LIKE A LOT OF DETAIL, SO
MY COMPOSITIONS TEND
TO BE REALLY DETAILED.
MY NAME IS BEN KONKOL,
I AM AN ILLUSTRATOR
AND EDITOR. I WORK IN
EDITORIAL AND PUBLIC
ARTS SO FAR.
WHEN I GOT SERIOUSLY
INVOLVED IS WHEN I
TOOK MY FIRST
ILLUSTRATION COURSE AT
BOISE
BOISE STATE. THAT IS WHEN I BECAME MORE INTERESTED AND MORE
SERIOUS ABOUT
ILLUSTRATION AND
STARTED DRAWING
REGULARLY AND
DEVELOPING
PROFESSIONAL HABITS.
IT HAS ACTUALLY BE A
WILD COUPLE OF YEARS.
SINCE GRADUATING FROM
BOISE STATE IN 2017, I
HAVE HAD WORKS
PUBLISHING IN THE NEW
YORK TIMES. THIS IS A
PIECE I DID FOR THE WALL
STREET JOURNAL ABOUT
TIKTOK. THIS IS THE
SUBSCRIPTION CAMPAIGN
PIECE I DID FOR SCIENTIFIC
AMERICAN. IT'S A LOT OF
FRAME BY FRAME
ANIMATION BIND
TOGETHER. THE THEME OF
THIS ONE IS TO
INCENTIVISE VACCINES, SO
THE IDEA OF PAYING
AMERICANS TO TAKE
VACCINES IN ORDER TO
KIND OF BOOST THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT
ARE TAKING THEM.
THIS PIECE WAS DONE TO
KIND OF ILLUSTRATE
STOCK MARKET PRICES.
THE IDEA OF PREDICTING
STOCK MARKET PRICES
BASES OFF OF THE FLIGHT
PATTERNS OF BIRDS OR
COMPARING THE TWO
THINGS.
THE VERY LAST PIECE I DID
FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
IS ON AN ARTICLE ON AN
INFAMOUS CYBER RETAIL
BULLY.
HOW IT STARTS OUT IS I'LL
KIND OF SEND THEM A
BUNCH OF BLACK AND
WHITE
WHITE VALUE SKETCHES, BASICALLY JUST TO CONVEY A CONCEPT. AND
I'LL SEND THEM A TON.
AND THEN I'LL ILLUSTRATE
THE FINAL DIRECTION.
THEY CHOSE THIS ONE
WITH KIND OF A
SHADOWY FIGURE IN THE
BACKGROUND. AND A LOT
OF TIMES I DON'T REALLY
FIND OUT WHICH
VERSION IS CHOSEN UNIT
ITS LIVE. IT IS VERY
GRATIFYING TO SEE WORK
ON
ON HERE
ON HERE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY ON MY I-PAD AND NOW IT'S ON THE
NEW YORK TIMES DOT
COM.
I LIKE TO THINK THAT A
LOT OF THE SUPER
CONCEPTUAL WORK IS
LIKE SUPER IMPORTANT
OR IT COULD LIKE CHANGE
SOMEBODY'S PERSPECTIVE
OR SOMETHING, BUT I
JUST KIND HOPE THAT IT
FEELS GOOD TO LOOK AT
REALLY.
REALLY.
IT'S
IT'S POSSIBLE TO DO BOTH. BEN IS ABOUT TO UNVEIL
HIS BIGGEST PUBLIC ART
DISPLAY SO FAR.
IN A JOINT EFFORT
BETWEEN HIM...THE CITY
OF BOISE'S DEPARTMENT
OF ARTS AND
HISTORY..AND A FEW
LOCAL BUSINESSES...BEN IS
PUTTING TOGETHER A
LARGE-SCALE VIDEO OF A
TIMELAPSE OF HIM
CREATING HIS ART.
THAT VIDEO WILL THEN
BE PROJECTED ON THE
SIDE OF CITY HALL AT
NIGHT STARTING
SOMETIME THIS SUMMER.
IT'S A HOPE TO BREATHE
A LTTLE LIFE INTO THE
VISUAL LANDSCAPE OF
DOWNTOWN BOISE...THAT
IS NOW OPENING UP A BIT
MORE.
SPEAKING OF
PROJECTIONS...BEN IS
ALSO WORKING TO
ENCOURAGE OTHER UP-
AND-COMING
ILLUTRATORS.
AND-COMING ILLUTRATORS. HE TOLD US THERE ARE A
LOT OF CREATIVE ARTISTS
WHO ARE UNSURE ABOUT
PURSUING ART AS A
PROFESSION.
COULD THEY DO IT?
SO HE IS STARTING A
MENTORSHIP
PROGRAM...THAT WILL
HOPEFULLY GIVE THOSE
ARTISTS SOME GUIDANCE
AND VALIDATION.
YOU CAN LEARN MORE
ABOUT THAT...AND SEE
MORE OF BEN'S
WORK...ON HIS
WEBSITE..WHICH WE'VE
ADDED TO THIS