WOODS CROSS — Though most people get the opportunity to see a professional artist’s finished product, it’s far rarer to get a peek behind the easel.

Scott Gustafson, a well-known illustrator specializing in richly detailed illustrations of fairy tales and nursery rhymes, came to Utah late last week to do exactly that. Sponsored by Repartee Gallery, Gustafson first went to Utah Valley University, then up to Woods Cross High School and the Davis County School District Office, to talk about the life of a professional illustrator.

“We (professional illustrators) almost always use each other for models, because we don’t mind taking silly-looking poses for each other,” said Gustafson, pointing out several fellow illustrators among a group of pirates in a “Peter Pan” illustration.

Gustafson outlined a brief history of his career, highlighting influences – Normal Rockwell and early Warner Brothers cartoons were two of the most major – and talked about some of the lessons he found in some of his early jobs.

“They taught me how to get a job done, because there’s always a next job waiting,” he said.

Though he’s more well known, Gustafson still has deadlines he has to deal with. As part of that, he’s developed a technique where he puts the figures on separate pieces of paper in the drawing’s early stages, allowing him to change an individual element of the entire work without ruining everything else.

“It gives me a little more flexibility,” he said. “This way, I don’t have to start over if I don’t like where I’ve placed a character.”

jwardell@davisclipper.com