“Art is my bread and butter. It is my life. It gives me life,” Hayes said.

Those words encapsulate the person that Sumayyah Hayes-Coles is. Hayes is a 24-year-old senior here at Rowan University. She majors in Studio Art with a concentration in Illustration.

Hayes gravitated towards becoming an artist/illustrator because it was a hobby she had as a child that stuck with her ever since. Around the age of 12, Hayes pinpointed that through figuring out her own identity and what she wanted to become.

“I just saw the beauty of art as I picked up many hobbies as a kid,” Hayes said. “I discovered I could do it for a career and illustrate various mindsets and purposes. Even when I am having a bad day, I can draw and get it all out.”

Hayes does various illustrations because she is a “jack of all trades.” It varies from character illustration to conceptual illustrations of environments to illustrations of cultural themes. The mediums that she can use for the illustrations also differ from one another, such as gouache/watercolor, oil painting, digital, or a combination of those mediums.

Hayes’ approach to creating illustrations is to first jot down the idea, whether it is given to her or from herself. Then, she looks at different references to identify what techniques and aesthetics she wants to use. Throughout her illustration process, she seeks inspiration from Vincent van Gogh among other artists.

“I looked up to two artists I want to mention. First and foremost, Vincent van Gogh. His use of color during the age of Post-Impressionism. Another artist that inspires me is Jean-Michel Basquiat,” Hayes said. “As well as looking up to Jim Henson and his creation, Sesame Street. The way he used puppetry and the age of CGI to illustrate his movies and his shows and how it reaches children of color.”

Hayes’ career is interwoven with her academics. She lets her art speak for her.

“So every project I am given, I am pushing out, ‘this is what I can do.’ I intend to use almost every illustration I create as a student for career purposes,” Hayes said.

In her art, Hayes hopes to invoke some cultural themes that shine a better light on the Black and Muslim communities.

“Depicting majorly Black or Muslim figures and seeing how I can portray them opposite to how Hollywood often portrays them. Certain directors have used this redirect of showing us at the lowest of low,” Hayes said. “I hope that I put us in just normal situations or beautiful illustrations. We have moments of joy. We are joyful people, as most people are.”

Some advice Hayes has for up-and-coming Black artists is to be confident in yourself, among other things.

“Be confident in yourself but also be open to hearing and being able to filter. Don’t be too hard on yourself and your art. Explore everything; don’t just stick to one and say ‘this is my style.’ Look at the environment you are about to enter and the people around you. Make sure you have a passion and a love for this,” Hayes said.

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