Illustrator from Haining Honored at Bologna

Xi Xi Ma Li

Lisk Feng is an award-winning New York-based freelance illustrator who is initially from Haining in eastern Chinas Zhejiang Province. The 29-year-old woman artist won a special mention in the category of Opera Prima （First Works） of BolognaRagazzi Award for the year 2019. Her illustrations were part of ， a book by Sangma Francis and published by London-based Flying Eye Books. BolognaRagazzi Award is a top international award issued to best illustrators at Bologna Childrens Book Fair， the very leading professional fair for childrens books in the world.

《珠穆朗瑪峰》内页。Views of Everest， illustrated by Lisk Feng

The other day I contacted Lisk Feng in New York and we talked on phone. Feng is the first Chinese who attained a special mention at the BolognaRagazzi Award. She was delighted and surprised to get the honor at her debut at the book fair. “I had no idea that the publisher put my book up for competition. I had not expected to win any award at BolognaRagazzi Award. I thought I wouldnt get such an award until I was 50 or 60，” says the illustrator.

Lisk Feng spent her undergraduate years studying illustration at China Academy of Art based in Hangzhou. She received a masters degree of MFA Illustration Practice from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2014.

Flying Eye Books is a publisher she had long since wanted to work with， the illustrator tells me. Before she was engaged in this  project， she had drawn illustrations for a number of childrens books published in China. Seeing me curious about any possible difference between Flying Eye Books and the publishers in China she had worked with， Feng did not hesitate to talk about her impressions.

“The major difference lies in the methodology. The illustration publishing system in China is yet to mature as illustrators are often tasked to run against time. The publishers in Britain and the USA have developed a system that has come into being and matured through a history of at least 100 years in publishing illustrations and pictorials for children. Publishers often prefer illustrators who are not specialized in creating for children as these artists often produce something very inspirational and aesthetically amazing，” explains Feng.

“Flying Eye Books used to be an independent publisher and it is especially good at making best illustrations and book designs. Illustrators step by step follow a clear set of guidelines formulated by the publisher in doing their works，” explains Feng.

Lisk Feng carries the comparison further. “The market of illustrations for childrens books is going well in China， but some problems are quite worrisome. For example， some books push illustrations to an awkwardly secondary position. Some editors even think illustrations are not necessary，” observes the illustrator.

Feng likes a number of international publishers for their boldness. “They are bold. They are picky about their target buyers. In other words， they differentiate niches of market. Some books are designed to appeal to those parents with refined taste for highly artistic books. Some books are designed to target lowbrow tastes. At present， Chinese publishers favor books that appeal to the largest group of buyers. That is why some picky parents find these books flawed and turn to books imported from international publishers.”

Feng takes a broader view of Chinese tradition. Some publishers in China think the Chinese characteristics can only come from the past. She thinks the present-day life in China is part of the Chinese aesthetics. It doesnt have to be traditional， she believes.

Feng thinks illustrators and editors must work closely together to produce excellent books for children. Best editors bring the best out of illustrators， she believes. Thats her tip to some publishers in China.

A prolific artist， Lisk Feng has done a lot of publications and advertisings projects for prestigious organizations and news media such as The New Yorker， Apple， Penguin， Airbnb， The New York Times， Chanel， etc.