Conversations with Alvina Kwong

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alvina Kwong.

Hi Alvina, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
It started when I was a little girl who loved unicorns and didn’t have a camera. When I was little I really loved unicorns (and I still do!), but I soon learned that they weren’t real. So I kept them alive in my drawings because I didn’t want to believe that they were just a fantasy. So in my imagination and sketchbook is where they lived. Then I moved onto loving horses because they are the next best thing closest to unicorns.

In the beginning, I lived in Hawaii, and then grew up in the South Bay. I grew up in two beautiful states and wanted to capture the beauty in my sketchbook because I didn’t have a camera. So I would capture everything beautiful in my sketchbook. I just loved to draw! Soon I started taking art classes and then focused on art. I took Studio Art AP in high school (the only AP class I knew I wouldn’t fail!), and then majored in Studio Art at Brigham Young University for a few semesters until I got into the Illustration program. It was a very difficult program to get into and I had to work very hard to get in. I eventually made it in and graduated with a BFA in Illustration.

After that, I started illustrating books, magazines, commissioned pieces, and then art licensing. And the rest is history 😉

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It was definitely not a smooth road. I had a lot of rejections from publishers, and I still do! It’s a tough world in the publishing industry. But I kept going and didn’t give up until I finally got to illustrate books. Rejection is always hard, but I knew that if I believed in myself, then I could make it happen.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an illustrator and artist. I specialize in illustrating children’s books and art licensing. I think what I’m best known for are illustrations of animals. They are my favorite subjects to draw and paint so I really enjoy creating them. My style is also unique because it’s whimsical, imaginative, and fun. And my technique and style of painting is different. I love using layers of under colors to create things with high viscosity (heavy body) acrylic. And I also love using low viscosity acrylic to create soft watercolor-like paintings. My whimsical style and imagination combined with my painting techniques is what sets me apart from others and is what I’m most proud of.

How do you think about happiness?
That is hard question haha! So many things make me happy. Besides drawing and painting, the beach and ocean makes me happy, and my family and friends. The sounds of the rolling waves, the sunshine, and the dolphins and whales that pop up and say hi always makes me happy. And I get to spend time with my family and friends there. Family and friends make me happy because they have been there for me, every step of my art career. And I love hanging out with them!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alvinakwong.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alvinakwongillustrator
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlvinaKwongIllustrator
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvinakwongillustrator
• Twitter: https://x.com/AlvinaKwong

Image Credits
HAPPY TRAILS WITH ABBY AND TAZ ROCKY ROADS, written by Dr. Christina Brown
CANINES UNLEASHED, HANK’S NEW PACK, written by Tina Shepardson
ABC IS FOR CATALINA ISLAND, written by Katie Carter Elia