Adam Heesch

Illustration

Making the Art You Love for the People You Want to See It!

Wednesday, February 11th, 2026
Morning
Duration 4 hours (8:00-noon Mountain Time)
Course Fee: $75

Class Location: Boardroom, Provo Marriott

Book Covers, Posters, Trading Cards, Playing Cards . . .

Come to this class prepared to draw. The term Illustration refers to art intended to accompany text. This especially applies to book covers, children’s books, posters, and role playing art. This Master class is designed to help you identify which application is most suitable for your intended art. The narrative principles we explore will improve visual storytelling, regardless of your current skill level. We will examine and analyze compositions from master artists and illustrators, and explore ways of incorporating those composition strategies in your art. We will participate in the art process.

So, if you love to create and want to elevate your finished art to a professional level, but you’re not sure what you still need to learn, or where you are going to be published, this master class will help you find the niche for your art. Adam will teach you composition strategies to direct the eye of your audience and keep them involved in your art. He will also outline visual devices used by the masters for the visual narrative. You will learn about the roles of gesture and juxtaposition in communicating to your viewers. As a bonus, Adam will give you a crash course in creativity that will help get you past artist’s block!

Advanced Perspective for Artists

Techniques for Using the Rules of Linear Perspective to Maintain Accurate Scale and Elevation in your Art

Wednesday, February 11th, 2026
Afternoon
Duration 4 hours (1:00-5:00 pm Mountain Time)
Course Fee: $75

Class Location: Boardroom, Provo Marriott

Have you ever created a complex imaginary environment and struggled to get your subjects in proper scale in relation to each other? Have you made mistakes placing a figure at the right elevation in a landscape? Would you like to take the guess work out of your art compositions?

What if I told you that there are ways to precisely scale your figures in your art? In this Master Class, I will share with you the secrets passed down by the ateliers to their students. There are techniques that utilize the rules of linear perspective to absolutely solve problems with scale and elevation in your art. These aren’t really secrets anymore, but these formulas are not commonly taught in formal art education. In this Master Class, I will show you how to use these techniques to adjust your figures so that they fit into your environments naturally. We will participate in the art process, so come prepared to draw.

Overview
Discussion: What art problems do you want to solve?

Review of Linear Perspective
The language, definitions, and rules of 1-point, 2-point, and dynamic 3-point perspective.

Applying the Rules of Perspective

• Incorporating the rules of perspective into your conceptual environments.
• Building boxes in perspective, and placing your subjects in those boxes
• Scaling the objects in your drawing/painting

Guided Creation

• Sketching composition ideas
• Building in the rules
• Scaling

Big Ideas

• There are absolutes for scale and elevation
• Everything can fit in a box

Suggested materials:

• Notebook
• and/or Art Journal
• Drawing and/or Painting Media
  • Graphite and charcoal pencils
  • Pens, ie. Micron, Sharpie, Razorpoint, G2 Pilot
  • Vinyl and kneaded erasers
  • Watercolor, gouache paints

Adam’s Bio and Accomplishments

Adam received his BFA from Brigham Young University in Design with an emphasis in Book Illustration. Adam’s career path has led him through some strange turns, but it has always brought him back to art and teaching. He started his formal teaching career in 2002 at a therapeutic boarding school, where he taught drawing, painting, sculpture, illustration, and film studies. Adam has served as a board member of the Utah Art Education Association for several years, and has been a frequent conference presenter. Adam taught visual arts to high school students for twenty years before taking a year in the Alpine School District as an art specialist to bring real art skills to elementary children. Adam continues to teach visual arts at King’s Peak High School, Jordan School District’s online school. As an Illustrator, Adam’s love of storytelling is evident in his work.

PUBLISHED WORKS
Illustrator for the book “Graywind: An Indian Legend.” Written by August Towne, published 2013.
Cover Illustration for “IrDA Principles and Protocols: The IrDA Library, Vol. 1.” Written by Charles Knutson, published 2004
Editorial Illustrations for the article “The Unsinkable Bill Marolt”, Park City Lode Star Magazine, Winter Issue 1997
Editorial Illustrations for magazine story “The Answer Was Peace,” Ensign Magazine, March 1996
Cover Illustration for “A House with Wings.” Written by Sherrie Johnson, Aspen Press, published 1995

SERVICE
Utah Art Education Association board member October 2019 – 2023

Panel Judge May 2016 Spring Lake PTA Reflections Art Competition
– Juried and scored art work

Panel Judge July 2014 America’s Freedom Festival Art Contest
-Juried and selected award winners based on merit

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
-Utah Art Education Association

CONFERENCE PANELS AND PRESENTATIONS
“Mastering Composition and Drawing” LTUE 43 Conference Presenter, Provo, Utah 2025
“Using Formal Composition Strategies to Direct the Eye of the Viewer” LTUE 42 Conference Presenter, Provo, Utah 2024
“A Crash Course in Creativity” LTUE 42 Conference Presenter, Provo, Utah 2024
“Developing a Unique and Effective Portfolio” LTUE 41 Conference Presenter, Provo, Utah 2023
“Alternative Sources for Learning Illustration” LTUE 41 conference, panelist. Provo, UT, 2023
“Creative Composition for Social Media Marketing” LTUE 41 conference, panelist. Provo, UT, 2023
“What Makes a Great Cover? Getting Beyond the Cover Art” LTUE 40 Conference Panelist with Kevin J. Anderson, Provo, Utah 2022
“The Role of Cover Art to Attract and Repel an Audience” LTUE 40 Conference Panelist, Provo, Utah 2022
“Finding References for the Futuristic and Fantastic” LTUE 40 Conference Panelist, Provo, Utah 2022
“Teaching the Narrative” UAEA Fill Your Cup Fall Conference, presenter. Draper, UT, 2022.
“What Makes a Great Cover? Getting Beyond the Cover Art” LTUE 40 conference, panelist. Provo, UT, 2022
“The Role of Cover Art to Attract and Repel an Audience” LTUE 40 conference, panelist.Provo, UT, 2022
“Why Formalism.” UAEA Art in the Sun conference, presenter. St. George, UT, 2017.
“Pinterest for Pedagogy.” UAEA Art in the Sun conference, presenter. St. George, UT, 2017.
“The Developmental Workbook.” UAEA Art in the Sun conference, presenter. Hurricane, UT, 2015.
“Small Scale Sculpture: Introduction to Bronze.” UAEA Art in the Sun, presenter. St. George, UT 2012
“One Hour Color Theory.” UAEA Art in the Sun Conference, presenter. St. George, UT 2012 “Affordable Oil Painting.” UAEA Art in the Sun Conference, presenter. St. George, UT 2012
“Using the Narrative to Teach Formal Composition.” UAEA, presenter. St. George, UT 2009