Marilee Heyer
- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Production Designer
Marilee Heyer was born in 1942 in Long Beach, California. Her parents Esther and Arthur Heyer were talented, self-taught artists who encouraged her early scribbles, framing her first recognizable figure at age 2 ½.
Heyer's interest in art continued through high school. In junior college, her art teacher showed her how to turn art into a career. She attended Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, graduating in 1965.
Heyer's first art job was at Format Productions Animation Studio doing layouts for the television cartoon The Lone Ranger. Animators who had worked for Walt Disney in the 1940s mentored her during this job, teaching Heyer the dramatics of cinematic scene design. Some of her other television screen credits later grew to include Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Hardy Boys, and The Archies.
Wanting change in 1970, Heyer headed north to San Francisco.
Heyer's flexibility as an artist and her ability to draw beautiful women landed her in the world of newspaper fashion. She began drawing new, daring, and elegant ladies in sumptuous gowns for Capwell's Department Store, Liberty House, May Co., and I. Magnin.
While at I. Magnin, she stood in line for that new movie phenomena Star Wars.
Excited she was! Heyer began work on a series of science fiction illustrations for a new portfolio in hopes of working at Lucas Films, Industrial Light and Magic. Unlike anything she had done before, these illustrations summed up her love of rich fabrics and mysterious creatures shown in dramatic perspective.
Because of these illustrations and her animation experiences, amazingly, Heyer became one of the few women to work in the Lucas film art department in 1981. Here she assisted on story boards and drew portraits of Carrie Fisher in different hairstyles for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
During her time with Lucas Films, one of her friend's New York literary agent noticed some of Heyer's illustrations. East coast publishers liked what they saw.
Heyer's first illustrated picture book for Viking was The Weaving of a Dream (1989), a visually luscious retelling of a Chinese folktale. Next came The Forbidden Door (1992), a book written by Heyer using her own fiction illustrations from Lucas Films. Iron Hans (The Brothers Grimm, 1996) and The Girl the Fish and the Crown (Spanish folktale, 1995) followed, and the latter was chosen as a Children's Book of the Year by the Bank Street Children's Book Committee.
Other works included paintings for Doris Angel's book We Goddesses (Doris Orgel, 1999), book covers for Tamora Pierce's series The Song of the Lioness (1983-1988) and The Immortals (1992-1996), posters for Godiva Chocolates, the L.A. Opera, the Oregon Bach Festival, and much more.
Heyer has been the recipient of numerous awards, culminating in the honor of getting published in Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art. But she has also found time for personal expression in a series of paintings based on mythology, alchemy, and her love of nature.
Heyer's work is noted for its fantastic detail, absorbing intricacy with a solid foundation in drawing, and historical costume design. Her works have been in one woman shows, exhibitions, museums throughout the United States, and in many private collections.
Heyer's interest in art continued through high school. In junior college, her art teacher showed her how to turn art into a career. She attended Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, graduating in 1965.
Heyer's first art job was at Format Productions Animation Studio doing layouts for the television cartoon The Lone Ranger. Animators who had worked for Walt Disney in the 1940s mentored her during this job, teaching Heyer the dramatics of cinematic scene design. Some of her other television screen credits later grew to include Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Hardy Boys, and The Archies.
Wanting change in 1970, Heyer headed north to San Francisco.
Heyer's flexibility as an artist and her ability to draw beautiful women landed her in the world of newspaper fashion. She began drawing new, daring, and elegant ladies in sumptuous gowns for Capwell's Department Store, Liberty House, May Co., and I. Magnin.
While at I. Magnin, she stood in line for that new movie phenomena Star Wars.
Excited she was! Heyer began work on a series of science fiction illustrations for a new portfolio in hopes of working at Lucas Films, Industrial Light and Magic. Unlike anything she had done before, these illustrations summed up her love of rich fabrics and mysterious creatures shown in dramatic perspective.
Because of these illustrations and her animation experiences, amazingly, Heyer became one of the few women to work in the Lucas film art department in 1981. Here she assisted on story boards and drew portraits of Carrie Fisher in different hairstyles for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
During her time with Lucas Films, one of her friend's New York literary agent noticed some of Heyer's illustrations. East coast publishers liked what they saw.
Heyer's first illustrated picture book for Viking was The Weaving of a Dream (1989), a visually luscious retelling of a Chinese folktale. Next came The Forbidden Door (1992), a book written by Heyer using her own fiction illustrations from Lucas Films. Iron Hans (The Brothers Grimm, 1996) and The Girl the Fish and the Crown (Spanish folktale, 1995) followed, and the latter was chosen as a Children's Book of the Year by the Bank Street Children's Book Committee.
Other works included paintings for Doris Angel's book We Goddesses (Doris Orgel, 1999), book covers for Tamora Pierce's series The Song of the Lioness (1983-1988) and The Immortals (1992-1996), posters for Godiva Chocolates, the L.A. Opera, the Oregon Bach Festival, and much more.
Heyer has been the recipient of numerous awards, culminating in the honor of getting published in Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art. But she has also found time for personal expression in a series of paintings based on mythology, alchemy, and her love of nature.
Heyer's work is noted for its fantastic detail, absorbing intricacy with a solid foundation in drawing, and historical costume design. Her works have been in one woman shows, exhibitions, museums throughout the United States, and in many private collections.