Alumni illustrate success of fine arts program
Lily Toy Hong decided she wanted to be a children’s book illustrator in the second grade.
“I didn’t dare tell anyone,” she said. “At the time, it seemed really impossible.”
So after graduation, rather than pursue a career as an illustrator, she moved to Hawaii, and later worked on a degree in commercial art at Utah Technical College.
Then, she transferred to USU and began studying fine arts. Hong said she discovered that her long-time passion for books and illustration could become a profession. Her first book “How the Ox Star Fell From Heaven” began as a school assignment for one of her courses at USU and was later published after being named a finalist in a contest by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
She said she then went on to publish several successful picture books based on Chinese mythology, including “Two of Everything” and “The Empress and the Silkworm.”
“My stories came from Chinese mythology,” she said. “And my style came out of my love for line and shape.”
Hong is one of several children’s book illustrators to come out of the fine arts program at USU. The program, in the 1980s, under the direction of John Anderson and Glen Edwards, turned out a series of authors and illustrators of picture books who are now at the forefront of the field.
Another graduate Mark Buehner said he was inspired to pursue the industry after taking a class in children’s book illustration at USU.
“I loved the USU program, because it had the mentality that you could make a career out of art,” he said. “And I decided that I wanted to be part of a program with that mindset.”
After graduation, Buehner moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., with his wife, where he said he struggled to find freelance work as an artist. While working, he remembered his illustration class and how much he had enjoyed it and started showing his portfolios to agencies and authors.
Buehner said he eventually met a team of authors writing a book about a dog who rode in a taxi and were looking for an illustrator. Buehner completed several sample illustrations and the book was sent off to publishers.
“Once I did the first book, I was hooked,” he said. “I loved it and loved the artistic freedom that came with the work.”
Since publishing “The Adventures of Taxi Dog,” Buehner has gone on to publish more than 20 popular children’s books and now frequently collaborates with this wife, Carolyn.
“It wasn’t instant success or money,” he said. “But it worked out really well for me. I get to do something I love and have something fun to show for it.”
Another alumni of the USU fine arts program is Kevin Hawkes, who has illustrated dozens of books for both children and young adults. His chapter-book collaborations include work with award-winning author Eva Ibbotson, Hawkes said.
“I love the art program at USU, because there was so much practical work for us,” Hawkes said. “A lot of illustrators were brought in to do painting demonstrations, and it gave me a vision of doing it as well.”
Hawke’s break in the industry came after graduation, while working in a bookstore in Boston, where he spent his lunch breaks studying picture books, he said.
“A sales rep from major publishers came to the bookstore and ended up seeing my work,” Hawkes said. “He took it back to New York, and my first book came out of that.”
Though many art students worry about getting jobs in their field after graduation, Hong, Buehner and Hawkes are all examples of the breadth of possibilities artists can find jobs in, as well as the success that can come from art.
“Everyone in the industry has some quirky break,” Hawkes said. “But if you’re working hard and putting yourself out there, things will come together for you.”
Buehner said there is an emphasis on the importance for young artists to spend their time studying to develop their own unique style and striving to always improve.
“Always strive to be the best you can be and exceed expectation,” he said. “Don’t let yourself become complacent. That way it stays fresh and exciting for you. Art and illustration can be tough professions, but I think that people that really are persistent and just keep going for it will make it.”
“It’s all about making your work so good it can’t be resisted,” Hawkes said. “I know it’s hard to get in, but I have a firm belief that if you have amazing work, publishers will want it. They are looking and wanting to discover the next great talent. If you have that talent, you will make it.”
– m.van911@aggiemail.usu.edu