Tamkang students Huang Bo-yu, Xie Ci-hui take top honors in national picture book competition

2010/10/13

Tamkang University Department of Architecture students, Huang Bo-yu and Xie Ci-hui, recently participated in a nationwide students’ picture book competition organized by the National Taiwan Arts Education Center. Competing against students with backgrounds in fine arts and design, they received top honors for their work entitled “The Gift”.

The competition required participants to design a picture book suitable for children 3-12 years old, and to deliver the story in illustration format. Bo-yu and Ci-hui’s picture book describes a small rabbit that lives in a white, snow-filled country. One day, the rabbit stumbles upon a magical gift box. Anything placed inside the box miraculously becomes bright and colorful. In the end, the box gets ruined; but everyone works together, using the newly-transformed objects to create a vivid, multi-colored environment. The picture book adopts a mainly white motif, yet is sprinkled with famille rose and acrylic pigments throughout.

The method of illustration used is pointillism, which is a way of painting in which fine, distinct dots of color are patterned into a complete image. Throughout the picture book, Bo-yu and Ci-hui use pointillism to generate a stunning contrast between the pure white of the snowy surrounds and the dynamic colors of the magical “gift box”. Xie Ci-hui says “the most time-consuming part was the brushwork.” Using a 0.28 mm gel pen, they patiently dabbed away, dot after dot, until their illustrations came alive. It was their first time taking part in this kind of competition, and a 1st placing has given them the confidence to continue trying a diverse range of drawing styles in the future.

Huang Bo-yu has always liked drawing. She participated in the competition in the hope of creating life-long memories during her time at university. She explains “the moral [of the picture book] is to help children understand the importance of working together with others to solve problems.” Not only have they succeeded in vividly transmitting their message through dazzling illustrations, but their first placing in a national competition is a memory that will stay with them forever, and an honor for Tamkang University.

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