Highlights Foundation Workshop with Bo Young An ’22

This summer, Bo Young An ’22, MFA participated in our first ever Launch Program with the Highlights Foundation by attending a two-week workshop, Deep Dive into Children’s Book Illustration.

The Highlights Foundation positively impacts children by amplifying the voices of storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves. An was one of five MCAD MFA artists who attended this newly funded Launch Program.

What were some of your goals headed into the workshop?

I was looking forward to learning from James Ransome and Anna Raff about their practice as successful illustrators in this industry. I knew I wanted to get feedback on the illustrated children’s book of a Korean folktale I am currently working on. I was also interested in the publication side of this industry and was looking forward to the guest artist talks.

What did your average day look like during the workshop?

It was a good mix of artist presentations (James Ransome, Anna Raff, Ruth Chan and G. Brian Karas) and critiques. The critiques were helpful for us to get specific feedback on our works from the instructors and our peers. The artist talks were a great insight to the artists’ practices and their experiences in the industry. There were a lot of tips, tricks and insight to being a full-time illustrator.

What were your takeaways about your work, career, or practice?

My biggest takeaways were different technical skills and the varying process of the illustrators. I intend to apply these skills that I have learned in current and future projects. The feedback I received on the Korean folktale that I am working on during our one-on-one session at the end of the 2 weeks with Anna and James was very valuable.

What would you say to a future Launch Program participant who is considering applying?

I would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in illustration or storytelling in general. There was a lot of information and work involved with the 2 main projects we worked on, storyboarding and character building/design. I feel like these skills can be applied to any project and have definitely helped me strengthen my visual storytelling skills.

Learn More

• Young An on Instagram
• Young An's Website