Robert Brinkerhoff was born in Okinawa to American parents and raised in Virginia. Since his arrival at RISD in 1996, his teaching has focused on illustration concepts classes and the synthesis of illustration and design. As an illustrator and designer, Brinkerhoff’s clients have included corporations, institutions of higher learning such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University and Brandeis University, and regional and national magazines. His illustrations have stood out in numerous competitions sponsored by the University and College Designer’s Association (UCDA), the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Society of Illustrators, among others, and appeared in annuals such as Print,How and American Illustration. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally and has been awarded artist residencies in the US, Italy and the Republic of Ireland. Brinkerhoff has served as both the head of Illustration and chief critic for RISD’s European Honors Program in Rome.
Academic areas of interest
Editorial illustration
Corporate and institutional illustration
Illustration/graphic design history
Artists' books
Design process
Painting
Interdisciplinary studies
Writing/criticism
Courses
Fall 2024 Courses
ILLUS 3000-01 - EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATION
LevelUndergraduate
UnitIllustration
Subject Illustration
Period Fall 2024
Credits 3
FormatStudio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
ILLUS 3000-01
EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATION
LevelUndergraduate
UnitIllustration
Subject Illustration
PeriodFall 2024
Credits3
FormatStudio
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2024-09-04 to 2024-12-11
Times: T | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PMInstructor(s): Robert BrinkerhoffLocation(s): Illustration Studies Building, Room 411Enrolled / Capacity: 15Status: Closed
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Magazines, newspapers and other publications rely heavily on pictures to illuminate messages initiated by writers, and unlike any other genre of illustration, the editorial field gives voice to the artist. In this alternately reactive and expressive line of work, the illustrator engages in a powerful partnership with the written word, effectively becoming an author of opinions and ideas. This class will approach several editorial assignments, all of which involve an illustrated response to written text.
This course fulfills the Illustration Concepts Elective requirement for Illustration majors.
Elective
Spring 2025 Courses
ILLUS 3622-01 - PICTURING FICTION
LevelUndergraduate
UnitIllustration
Subject Illustration
Period Spring 2025
Credits 3
FormatStudio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
ILLUS 3622-01
PICTURING FICTION
LevelUndergraduate
UnitIllustration
Subject Illustration
PeriodSpring 2025
Credits3
FormatStudio
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2025-02-13 to 2025-05-23
Times: M | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PMInstructor(s): Robert BrinkerhoffLocation(s): Illustration Studies Building, Room 408Enrolled / Capacity: 15Status: Closed
SECTION DESCRIPTION
In their brevity and concentrated potency, short stories are compelling material for illustration. This course invites students to illustrate short fiction authored by a variety of voices and in several genres, while allowing for formal and conceptual development and the cultivation of distinctive visual character (or style) along the way. Reading, analysis, ideation and execution are central to course content. Estimated Cost of Materials: $10.00 - $50.00
