David Macaulay @ RISD

Ever wondered how gears turn in a factory machine or a TV is pieced together? Legendary illustrator David Macaulay does, and he knows how to break it down through playful and unique illustrations that have inspired generations of children (and adults) to explore their creativity. A MacArthur fellow, Macauley gained international recognition from his book The Way Things Workand won a Caldecott Medal for Black and White. At this point, it’s also critical we note how he looks exactly what Carl Fredrickson from Up would look like if he was jolly all the time  — what’s not to love?  Yesterday, Macaulay spoke at the RISD auditorium about his creative process. He is currently exhibiting his works at RISD’s ISB Gallery, which we highly recommend checking out (it’s really doesn’t disappoint). After obtaining a degree in architecture from RISD (a diploma that spelled his name wrong), Macaulay travelled to Rome, with European influences clearly playing a role in his early work. Macaulay’s personable demeanor and jokes on the effectiveness of crosshatching drew laughs from the crowd throughout his entire lecture. To be fair, it’d be hard to not like a man who illustrated human anatomy as an amusement park, with no less than three individually inspired cafe’s and seating areas. One of the most striking elements of Macaulay's work is its ability to effectively explain how a complex system works through analogy. For example, he teaches the anatomy of the skull and brain, an incredibly twisty-turny network of bone, brain matter, and nerves, by turning it into a cranium museum. During the construction of the museum, Macaulay allows the reader to see how parts of the head, like the eyeballs, fit into the skull by drawing a construction crew pulling the eye into the socket. The museum has tourists that gawk at each part on display, even eating lunch and going to the bathroom. Macaulay’s drawing are accurate, clear, and very silly; as a result, they are accessible to a wide audience.Speaking directly to the current state of the Brown and RISD students in the audience, Macaulay attributed much of his early success to his constant focus on new material, pushing undergrads to “keep stretching, rather than repeating a winning formula.” More specifically, he encouraged students to “be wherever you need to be to most effectively show what you want to show,” whether that was in studio or in a professional setting. Bringing small, detailed objects representing people and machines into the everyday world only reinforced Macaulay's brilliance. He layers various parts with different creative takes, a specific genre of zaniness reminiscent in Dr. Seuss’ design inspirations, albeit in a more industrial and practical context. Throughout the hour and a half, Macaulay demonstrated both his aptitude for creative design and his eagerness to share his experiences. Most importantly, he worked to inspire the next generation of those following their artistic passions.Images via and via.