AMANDA MORLEY BOYD YIN
Email: amanda.yin@faculty.nyaa.edu | Phone: 203-856-4612 | Address: 8238 S. Watkins Ln., Traverse City, MI 49684 | Website: http://www.amandaboydyin.com/ | Instagram: www.instagram.com/aboydyinstudio
2025 MFA from the New York Academy of Art in drawing, with a printmaking concentration. Thesis researched best practices for teaching high skill draftsmanship, without sacrificing individual voice and expression. Drawing practice explores gestalt visual theory, especially perceptions of facial likeness and expression with an interest in the relationship between beauty, emotional depth and depictions of entropy in portraiture. Expertise in academic drawing, anatomy and portraiture as well as contemporary drawing, lithography, woodcut, and watercolor painting. Strong screen-printing and oil painting skills. Drawing Scholar Award and National Association of Women Artists Award recipient with work in Connecticut, Michigan and New York public and private collections. Currently teaching drawing at the New York Academy of Art’s summer undergraduate residency program. Previously taught advanced high school painting at Interlochen Arts Camp. 2003 BFA in Illustration from Parsons School of Design and significant commercial experience as an illustrator, art director and creative director; director roles required mentorship, teaching, public speaking and leadership. 2-D animation experience. Expertise in Adobe Creative Cloud, especially Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, Figma and Procreate.
EDUCATION
2025 Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Drawing, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY
Completed a double thesis:
- Threads, which analyzed Alice Neel’s portraits through the lens of Gestalt visual theory.
- If Schiele and David Had a Baby: Can Representational Art Education Congruently Maximize Personal Expression and Technical Accuracy? which compared the teaching styles of the French academic and classical Italian schools with 20th century drawing instruction to formulate best practices for teaching figurative, representational, drawing skills without sacrificing expression or personal voice.
2003 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration, Parsons School of Design, New York, NY
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Instructor, Drawing: Exploration of the Human Form, 2025
The New York Academy of Art, New York, NY
Summer Undergraduate Residency Program (SURP)
Created and executed a syllabus based on the hybrid drawing approach proposed in my thesis. Emphasizing French academic and Italian classical drawing techniques, as well as modern expressive methods used in figurative animation and illustration instruction; taught figurative drawing skills to maximize accurate draftsmanship while retaining and enhancing the individual student’s personal style and expressive hand. Students learned drawing materials and methods, essential anatomy, measuring, value structure, and perspective as well as gesture, speed drawing, line quality and drawing techniques throughout history. Students were taught mindset skills for achieving a focused flow state while drawing.
Emphasis was placed on establishing regular deep practice habits and creating a tool bag of drawing strategies to help students recognize and employ the techniques and practices that best achieve their artistic goals. Students made significant progress in figurative accuracy, likeness and individual expression.
Instructor, Advanced Painting, 2024
Interlochen Academy of the Arts, New York, NY
Interlochen Arts Camp
Instructed high school students who had been accepted into Interlochen’s top visual arts summer camp class, having been selected from a competitive international application pool. Taught drawing, design, color theory, painting and conceptual skills. Tested teaching ideas I hoped to explore in my Theis. Three students accepted to Interlochen’s boarding school, and one each to, California Institute of Arts, Rhode Island School of Design, Parsons School of Design and Savannah College of Art and Design.
Creative Director and Art Director
Seven years of experience mentoring design staff with varied levels of expertise. Helped staff of 5-8 designers grow in their creativity and design skillset, reach their potential while exceeding client goals. Significant experience leading group meetings and presenting to clients, which involved public speaking, design education and client management skills. Spearheaded the first website and marketing campaign focused on men’s weight loss as associate creative director for Weight Watchers International. Led the team that rebranded and created websites and marketing materials for Time Warner book clubs including the Book of the Month Club, The History Book Club and the Children’s Book Club.
AWARDS
- 2025 National Association of Women Artists Award, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY
- 2025 Patron Scholar Award, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY
- 2023 – 2025 Drawing Scholar Award, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY
- 2023 World Illustration Awards – Longlisted for Children’s Publishing Category,
- 2012 Tassy Walden Award – Finalist, Illustrated Picture Book, Shoreline Arts Alliance, Madison, CT
- 2007 Letty Militana Award for Portraiture – The Greenwich Art Society, Greenwich, CT
EXHIBITIONS
- 2025 Summer Exhibition, New York Academy of Art,
- Jurors: David Fierman (Fierman Gallery), Isaac Lyles (Lyles & King), Jackie Klempay (Situations), New York, NY
- 2025 Darcia Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Open Call Finalist, New York, NY
- 2025 Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours, 213th Exhibition – Mall Galleries, London, UK
- 2025 Loneliness, Isolation and Connection, – Ludington Arts Center, Ludington, MI
- 2025 People, 3rd Annual Juried Exhibition – Gallerium
- 2025 Women, 5th Annual Juried Exhibition – Exibitzone
- 2023 Take Home a N*de, The New York Academy of Art, New York, NY
- 2023 World Illustration Awards, Children’s Publishing – AOI/Directory of Illustration, London, UK
- 2016 26th Annual Juried Exhibition – Silvermine Arts Center, New Canaan, CT
- 2007 90th Annual Juried Exhibition, Bendheim Gallery, Greenwich, CT
Amanda Boyd Yin 