Grand Valley student illustrators selected in national competition

ALLENDALE, Mich. -- Of the 5,600 nationwide submissions to this year's Society of Illustrators Student Scholarship Competition, only 144 were selected. Three of those were students from Grand Valley State University’s Department of Art and Design: Ian Vanderhill, Kaylee Cornfield and Corey Miller.

Beginning May 6 through June 6, the Museum of American Illustration in New York City, will display the selected students’ original artwork, which will also be printed in a full-color catalog. Awards and certificates will be given to the students during the Opening Reception on May 8. The Society as well as various other private and corporate donors will grant more than $50,000 in 23 scholarships to the best students featured in the competition including Vanderhill for his illustration, “Sound the Alarm.” 

“I was awarded $2,500 from Microvisions, which is a fundraiser where professional illustrators donate work to be auctioned,” said Vanderhill. “I think it would be very cool if someday I could donate one of my illustrations to the same fundraiser and make a future illustrator as excited as I am now.”

Vanderhill, from Holland, Mich., graduated from Grand Valley in 2008 with a BFA degree in Art and Design. He describes his work as digital illustrations, which incorporate clay modeling, digital photography, and image manipulation.

Recently he was commissioned to do a cover illustration for Colleagues magazine, put out biannually by Grand Valley’s College of Education, and was a Merit Award winner for the 3x3 Magazine student competition which included publication in this national art magazine devoted to contemporary illustration, and their online New Talent Gallery.

Vanderhill is currently living in Grand Rapids, where a series of his images are on display at the Children’s Museum. The images depict nine children’s book illustrations that he completed during his final semester at Grand Valley. “This is another rewarding opportunity for me, especially since I get to share my illustrations with their intended audience, children,” said Vanderhill. “I would like to work with a publisher in the near future, ideally illustrating children’s books. I think that this award will open a lot of doors for me in that regard.”

To learn more about Vanderhill visit, www.ianvanderhill.com .