Recurring art style at my art college?

[DustyDustin]

Before I came to MCAD (Minneapolis College of Art and Design), back in 2007 and 2008 even, and then even more so after just having gone through a year of MCAD (finished yesterday), I've noticed this certain art style that is kind of 'recurring' among art by MCAD students (and perhaps it's showing up elsewhere, I'm not sure). Not like, "Wow it's everywhere"-recurring, but kind of like, "Hmm...why is this particular style showing up in a few different people's work?" I guess I kind of wonder if it's like a trend or something.

Some of the characteristics of the art I've noticed are: stubby or disproportionate arms and legs, simplified facial features, stylized body parts or facial features, intentionally graphic and/or flattened appearance

Maybe others will disagree with me about the trend thing, I dunno.

An instructor named Ulana Zahajkewycz here at MCAD (who is unfortunately not teaching at MCAD, at least in person, next semester) actually has exactly the art style that I'm talking about, and she is a professional practicing illustrator and artist, so I wonder if that's an indication of what's 'in' in the world of illustration at the moment? And thus some students follow along that style?

Here are some links (to examples that are, or are close to, the style that I'm talking about):

http://ulanaland.com/portfolio.html
http://geotypografika.com/2009/01/30/ulana-zahajkewycz-more-city-pages/
http://benross.deviantart.com/art/one-for-the-road-65262185
http://t.homes.mcad.edu/~tbassen/cowboys.html

I think it's kind of interesting if it is an 'in' style, or something. It's also fun seeing other styles, too, though, and I hope that I continue to see some variance (just this first year, I saw fellow Freshmen who had some pretty fresh artistic styles; I didn't mind the sort of common anime/manga style that lots of people do, but I liked seeing stuff besides that especially)

[Grief]

yes there are some close similarities in the works you selected. i wouldnt discourage your classmates from emulating this 'style', but hopefully they will evolve into a voice that is more their own. this sort of scenario is commonplace in academic environments from my experience, the student will want to please the teacher by following their footsteps, and there's nothing wrong with that. yet, being a knockoff of another is not something to aspire towards. at the same time there is certainly some value in learning different means of working though.

[RyerOrdStar]

I wouldn't say that's particularly 'in' right now. That was more the 90's and early 00's . What's 'in' atm is more James Jeany/Sam Webery.

[CCThrom]

I'd put this work into the "Lowbrow" camp... it has a similar feel to a lot of '90s graf style illustrators. Look up Gary Baseman. I agree with RyerOrdStar... this style was definitely "in" for a while, but I'm not sure if it is any more.

[freiheit]

well, from what I've seen, it's a very common phenomenon. From the start, schools will attract certain types of people, then, students will most probably influence each other, so will teachers... So at the end of the day, you're bound to have a couple of artists who draw a bit alike :p I know I can spot an animation student from a mile away. thehehe

[DustyDustin]

Good points, repliers. I have learned a little about James Jean, mostly from looking at him in an Art History class at the end of the semester briefly (though my brother probably knows much more about him, as he had an Illustration class this past semester). I know it's not unusual to look at other artists' work and think "Wow I wish I could do that", but, man... I wish I was better at some more commonly used traditional media : / hopefully 3 months of summer will be good time to 'catch up' with some of the better students at MCAD : /

[DustyDustin]

Oh, and yeah: I realized I did notice that art style more in the 90s and early 2000s. I actually have a copy of Public Art Review from 1998, and right on the cover are a bunch of little characters in a scene, in that style I was referring to in my original post. Also, I recall magazines I was subscribed to back then that had characters drawn in that way as well.

I agree with the stuff that has been said so far, for sure... Now that I'm home for the summer, I'm also starting to think about old magazines I used to get and enjoy the illustrations in, like Cricket, Muse, and others. I suppose I'm getting off topic, but I guess I'm just fondly remembering those, and thinking about what I'm seeing around me at the current time, at college and elsewhere.