To learn more, visit our "official" page>>

Comments
from Students and Alumni

It's true that our faculty are all world class award winning illustrators.  It is also a fact that each and every one of these teacher/mentors are among the very best educators that I have met in my fifty plus years of illustration education.  But the element that makes this program both successful and unique are the students.  Imagine being in a group of incredibly talented and motivated illustrators who come from all across the country.  Imagine, being surrounded by this group of practicing professionals who have checked their ego's at the door and have the courage to allow themselves to be exposed to life altering experiences.  Just imagine the possibilities.

Murray Tinkelman
Director
Limited Residency MFA in Illustration
www.tinkelmanstudio.com 

"One of the best things about the program is the exposure to so many talented diverse illustrators. Each has different outlooks and different techniques but I learned something that applied to my own personal growth from every contact. The feedback, tips and encouragement I received from my instructors, lecturers and peers has been invaluable. Illustrators work in relative isolation and it is so great to be able to send out an e-mail containing a work in progress to my fellow students, who are some of the most talented illustrators working in the field today, and ask 'What would you do to make this better?'"

Charles (Chuck) Primeau (Class of 2009)
Illustrator
www.primeauillustration.com 

"Hartford gave me permission to be myself. What I mean is that Hartford is personally focused and continually pushes you back on yourself. 'What do you think about this idea? What was your impression of this speaker? What would you do to take this illustration further? What topic would you like to work with? How do you plan on marketing this body of work? How do you define success? What is your path?'

It is not a program for those looking for direction from others, but guidance for you to begin to answer some questions and ask others. It is a program that prepares you to constantly push yourself, challenge the obvious, go beyond the client and beyond the trends. It is a program that demanded I be myself.

I discovered that after a career of being secondary to client, market, and content, I actually had a point of view and personal style and could represent myself as a graphic designer and illustrator. Hartford gave me permission and the confidence to be me."

Q Cassetti (Class of 2009)
Illustrator, Designer
 www.qcassetti.com 

"When you enter the MFA Illustration program at Hartford, you find yourself in an arena with superior students, and the best professionals in the industry who guide and support you on your journey of fulfilling your creative dreams. Hartford has given me the space to grow as a communicator and has empowered me to extend my vision of where I will travel with my work."

Lori Ann Levy-Holm (Class of 2009)
www.lastudioworks.com 

"As a teacher, I frequently say that the biggest hurdle to overcome as an artist is the idea that you know anything about what you are drawing. You must set aside what you think you know to really see what is in front of you, in order to be able to draw it. Sometimes it is just as hard to set aside what you think you know about your art to really see yourself as an artist, in order to make the art you want to make. This program makes it possible to do that. If it did nothing more, that would be reason enough to come. But the Limited residency MFA program is so much more."

BJ Becker (Class of 2009)
www.bjbecker.net 

"Personally, the MFA program has allowed me to step out of the solitude of the freelancer and into a community of artists and teachers who offer different viewpoints, techniques and methodologies. Connections made during the program; sharing ideas; being exposed to other markets; and being immersed in the creative energy of fellow artists has been invaluable."

Jacqueline Decker (Class of 2009)
www.jdecker.com 

"I'm in my first year with the program and can say without hesitation it's the best thing you can do for yourself as an illustrator.  Whether you're going in to reinvent yourself as an illustrator or just need some plans on ways to market yourself (and just about everything in between, including a career in education) this program is dedicated to your cause. And you'll be getting advice from some of the top names in the field. This fall we met with Ted and Betsy Lewin, Leo and Diane Dillon, Burt Silverman, Peter De Seve, Arnie Roth, Walt and Roger Reed  Steve Brodner, Joe Ciardiello… the list goes on."

David Labrozzi (Class of 2010)
President, Illustrators Club of Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia
www.davidlabrozzi.com 

"Murray teaches by inspiration. Is there a better way? His passion for illustration is contagious and in some mysterious way, exposure to him helps you to be a better teacher and artist. He keeps the flow going by surrounding himself with other illustrators and teachers who share his passion.  Carol effortlessly (apparently) holds everything together. She operates way beyond the scope of her job description.  This program is like joining a huge Conga line. You join on and join in not knowing where it will take you but you wind up in a better place, with a terminal degree to boot!!  I feel so fortunate to have had my life touched by Murray and Carol Tinkelman, both academically and personally. There are not enough words."

Linda Warner Constantino (Class of 2007)
www.lwarnerconstantino.com
Faculty: Savannah College of Art & Design

"My time in this Limited Residency MFA in Illustration program has been a whirlwind and a life-changing experience.  This program has given me the extra edge to really direct my own creative destiny. I feel liberated and exhausted.  This July 2008, I will graduate with the highest degree available in my field; with classmates and mentors whom I adore, with friendships I will cherish and with a body of work that I feel I waited a lifetime to realize.  Hartford Art School was one of the best things I could have done for myself."

Anne Catharine Blake  (Class of 2008)
www.annecatharineblake.com

"From the first day at Hartford I knew I was where I belonged. Having the opportunity to study with these instructors and fellow students is inspiring, motivating, amazing and just plain fun.  My fellow students are also professionals whom I’ve respected and admired for years.  Traveling to various illustration Mecca's and meeting the professionals I’ve admired since the beginning of my career, is an experience that I’d never have without the Hartford Illustration MFA program.  No matter where you are in your illustration career, you haven’t come as far as you can until you’ve been through his program.  My confidence and skill level have gone way up, thanks to the support and encouragement of the faculty and my fellow students at Hartford.  After 25 years in this industry, my passion for illustration has been rekindled."

Ron Spears (Class of 2009)
www.ronspears.com 

"The Hartford MFA in Illustration is unique in that it brings together top illustrators in the country, students who are active illustrators and teachers, and the opportunity to engage with practitioners around the country.  Murray Tinkelman, walking encyclopedia of illustration, is key to the program. But this is more than "Murray's program." Hartford faculty are talented professionals and experienced teachers, more than willing to share what they know (and they know a lot). Guest faculty are top talents, and guest presenters are well known practitioners working in a range of illustration genres. The fact that students have years of professional experience and are often faculty members themselves adds greatly to the Hartford experience. For illustrators who want to take their work to the next level, and teachers who want to increase their knowledge of the history and craft of illustration, the Hartford MFA in Illustration is worth a look."

Bob Dahm (Class of 2007)
www.bobdahm.com
Assistant Professor, Interim Design Chair,
American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE

"Choosing to take part in the Limited Residency Master of Fine Arts in Illustration program was one of my life-defining decisions. I found it challenging, informative and inspiring. I took risks I wouldn’t have taken on my own and learned a great deal about my work and myself. I learned more in this program than in the total of all my previous studies. Through those risks and challenges my work has improved substantially. Never before have I completed so much work and to have my work improve so greatly is an added bonus for which I am most grateful. As an artist, I couldn’t be happier with the development and growth I achieved in such a short time. The program opened my eyes to different avenues that I’m exploring for new opportunities. So many wonderful things have happened because of the experience. My work is so much more alive. I have increased my illustration business and have been hired for new teaching opportunities. And it hasn’t even been a year since I graduated. However, the most important part of the program has been all the people I have met. They touched my creative soul and I will carry the experience through the rest of my life. What I have learned from the Hartford Art School has opened my world more fully; a world where I am more confident in my creating, where I’m more open to the endless possibilities and where my dreams are coming true."

Susan Brereton (Class of 2007)
susan@design2LLC.com

"The MFA in Illustration program at the Hartford Art School offers an outstanding environment for growth as a young illustrator. This wonderful program run by Murray and Carol Tinkelman has brought together a group of enormously talented Professors and Illustrators from around the country.  For me, being in the classroom with such a talented group has taken my illustrations to another level far beyond my expectations. I have found that the more experienced students have taken me under their wing and have provided me with some of the best advice and tutelage that I could ever imagine. When together as a group, there is a certain level of magic that happens and the bonds that we have created with one another are something that will last forever. As a group, our egos are left behind, and we all look out for one another. There is a genuine concern amongst us for helping one another grow as artists and individuals, and that's a wonderful thing!"

Daniel Yagmin Jr. (Class of 2009)
www.yagminillustration.tripod.com 

"The Limited Residency MFA Illustration program at the Hartford Art School allows illustrators the ability to work on projects that can define our careers with the support of amazingly talented, professional peers, under the guidance of giants of our field with the support of a university that is both innovative and dedicated to illustration."

Durwin Talon (Class of 2008)
Faculty: Savannah College of Art & Design
www.perpetualflights.com