Jimmy Liao
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Liao is a well-known Taiwan
ese illustrator
as well as a picture book
writer. The name Jimmy is his English first name which brought about his (phonetic) Chinese pen name
, 幾米.
After graduating from Chinese Culture University
in which he majored in art, Jimmy worked in an advertising company for twelve years, and then he worked as an illustrator for newspapers and magazines. In 1998 his picture books Secrets In The Forest(森林裡的秘密) and A Fish With A Smile (微笑的魚) were published in Taiwan. These two books earned him several book awards and were regarded as “The Best Children’s Books” in several Taiwanese newspapers, such as The China Times, Min Sheng Bao
, and United Daily News
. His picture book A Chance of Sunshine(向左走, 向右走), which was published in 1999, was voted “One of the Ten Most Influential Books” by the Taiwanese bookstore chain, Kingstones. Jimmy’s books have been translated into dozens of languages and sold around the world. His books have also been adapted for theater, movie, television
, and animation
. Many of his characters from his picture books have been applied to the making of doll
s and pictures on other authorized products, notably leather purses.
His pictures are characterized by their use of striking, bold colours and depict central figures that often appear small in the foreground, suggesting the viewpoint of a child in the wide, sometimes sinister, world, or to hint at loneliness.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
as well as a picture book
Picture book
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. The images in picture books use a range of media such as oil paints, acrylics, watercolor and pencil.Two of the earliest books with something like the format picture books still retain now...
writer. The name Jimmy is his English first name which brought about his (phonetic) Chinese pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
, 幾米.
After graduating from Chinese Culture University
Chinese Culture University
Chinese Culture University is a private, Taiwanese university located on Yang Ming Mountain in the Shilin District of Taipei, Taiwan. CCU was established in 1962 and is one of the largest universities in Taiwan with an enrollment of about 32,000 students...
in which he majored in art, Jimmy worked in an advertising company for twelve years, and then he worked as an illustrator for newspapers and magazines. In 1998 his picture books Secrets In The Forest(森林裡的秘密) and A Fish With A Smile (微笑的魚) were published in Taiwan. These two books earned him several book awards and were regarded as “The Best Children’s Books” in several Taiwanese newspapers, such as The China Times, Min Sheng Bao
Min Sheng Bao
Min Sheng Bao is a tabloid newspaper based in Taiwan, and a sister publication of United Daily News, Taiwan's second biggest selling newspaper....
, and United Daily News
United Daily News
The United Daily News is a newspaper published in the Republic of China in both Traditional and Simplified Chinese. It is one of the three biggest newspapers in Taiwan, the other two being the China Times and the Liberty Times.-History:...
. His picture book A Chance of Sunshine(向左走, 向右走), which was published in 1999, was voted “One of the Ten Most Influential Books” by the Taiwanese bookstore chain, Kingstones. Jimmy’s books have been translated into dozens of languages and sold around the world. His books have also been adapted for theater, movie, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, and animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
. Many of his characters from his picture books have been applied to the making of doll
Doll
A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...
s and pictures on other authorized products, notably leather purses.
His pictures are characterized by their use of striking, bold colours and depict central figures that often appear small in the foreground, suggesting the viewpoint of a child in the wide, sometimes sinister, world, or to hint at loneliness.