Martin French

— Illustration Faculty & Department Chair —

As a design director at Microsoft in the early ‘90s, Martin French had it made. “You leave art school dreaming that you get this kind of position,” he says. “It had everything.” But for French, something was missing.

“I was always thinking of doing illustration full time. It never went away,” he says. He repeatedly tried to bury the thoughts, but in 1996, eight years after starting at Microsoft and nearly twelve years after graduating from Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design, he realized he was going to have to trust his instincts. “Whatever it came from, there was that deep-set feeling that I can do this, I can do it at a high level, and if I don’t try, I’m never going to sleep at night.”

"Dinah Washington," mixed media, Sophisticated Ladies — The Great Women of Jazz, Dutton Children's Books, 2006

It was a fortuitous decision for French. He’s been running Martin French Studio for nine years now, first in Seattle and now in Portland. “I set out to create a very personal approach to illustration — do my thing — not base it on trends,” he says. His work, for clients such as ESPN, the Village Voice, the Atlantic Monthly, and the Discovery Channel, is characterized by its focus on the human figure. An almost palpable energy radiates from
the page as his characters leap, sing, breakdance, and drum against a background of abstract textures and patterns. His work has garnered numerous professional accolades and awards, including both bronze and gold medals from the Society of Illustrators — a testament to the wisdom of believing in his own vision. He was also featured in two international publications in 2008, extending his influence world-wide via Brazil’s online Revista Ilustrar, and China’s Idea-Illustration.

After leading a series of workshops and speaking engagements at art schools around the country, including the University of Kansas, Seattle Pacific University, and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, he noticed “a fairly consistent flow of email” from young illustrators seeking advice and encouragement. His interest in teaching sparked, he began an investigation of art schools in the Pacific Northwest and was impressed by PNCA’s
fine art tradition and open-mindedness toward the field.

"Schetan," mixed media, Way of a Warrior, Scholastic Books, 2005

In spring 2004, French joined the PNCA faculty as an instructor in the Illustration department and has since become Department Chair. In describing the working relationships that develop between students and faculty, French says, “our program is a dialogue between instructor and student in the art of dynamic picture making.”

French has revitalized the Illustration curriculum at PNCA and is enthusiastic about the program’s possibilities. “I think there’s just this wide-open window right now for creating a prominent illustration program,” he says. He notes that no other school in the region has a similar course of study, despite growing interest in the major, thanks in part to the popularity of graphic novels, games, and music videos, all of which utilize the basics of
illustration: visual narrative and personal expression.

"Tarahumana," mixed media, Nexos Magazine, 2003

“Illustration is an extremely dynamic art form. The impact of the illustrator is evident in every aspect of modern media,” says French.

As the field becomes more and more competitive, teaching aspiring illustrators the skills they’ll need to succeed becomes more and more essential. Beyond the fundamentals of “drawing, drawing, and drawing,” French says he wants PNCA students to gain the passion and engagement he developed as a teenager fascinated with the art he saw in comic books, magazines, and on posters. “I want them to be defined as illustrators.”

BFA Majors

Communication Design
General Fine Arts
Illustration
Intermedia
Painting
Photography
Printmaking
Sculpture