Faculty of Design
Illustration
In the Illustration program, students learn how to produce images that complement the written word or stand on their own. Students are encouraged to express their individual artistic voice, while examining the world we live in.
Illustration
Gillian Goulet
“Feathered Friends looks at how humans have benefitted from birds through our history, mythology, and present day, to show the strange and complex ways that people try to connect with creatures unlike themselves. ”
Illustration
Aris Welchner aka. astroxnot
“Crossroads synthesizes liminal spaces with moments of transition to give people a sense of grounding and stability in what is otherwise a very turbulent, ever changing time in their lives. ”
Illustration
Beige Blum aka. icedtaho
“Not your Waifu questions the grounds of race fetishization, particularly the fetishization of Asian women, by comparing instances of fetishization to particular objects which exemplify and help illustrate those occurrences. More”
Illustration
Tenzin Tsering aka. Tenzoni
“Bittersweet” uses oxymorons as visual metaphors to explore immigrant identity, focusing on common mental health experiences found in 2nd generation individuals and their 1st generation parents. ”
Illustration
Aidan Wilkins
“Retold and Rewritten - Illustrates the failure of storytelling and how through lies, biases, omissions, and opinions, stories change from reality. Presenting the danger of these narratives and the warped realities they cause in those who believe... More”
Illustration
Emily Dakin aka. Emildee
“History points to women as being the proprietors of herbal knowledge and the first ones to document and categorize herbs by their medicinal and toxic qualities. This ancestral knowledge lives on today through storytelling, mythology and communal... More”
Illustration
Alizah Hashemy
“Pseudo-Travels looks at the effects of pseudoscientific personality typology using imagery of travel in order to illustrate how they may hinder us in the pursuit towards self- discovery. More”
Illustration
Ashley Mozo
“"The Everyday" illustrates the repercussions of human activity and its impacts on the environment. It visualizes the destruction of the natural world synthesized with everyday objects to amplify the neglect and carelessness we have on our planet. ”
Illustration
Aimee Xiao
“Hi! I'm an Illustrator and creative, that is always excited about collaborating with and learning from others. I love creating impactful visuals just as much as I love making meaningful connections, so feel free to get in touch! ”
Illustration
Michayla Buium aka. Milkbox
““Don’t Betray Me,” is a series of illustrations and murals that depict characters choosing to be resilient, rather than betray themselves in the face of personal challenges. In creating these works, I hope those who view them are motivated to... More”
Illustration
Meegan Lim
“'Hierarchies of Taste' critiques the divisiveness of the food industry by reinterpreting common food idioms, exposing how invisible barriers prevent food’s ability to bring people together. ”
Illustration
Chloe Gifford
“Chloe draws inspiration from many sources to give her work a unique style. The female figure is a symbol of beauty and life often seen in her gallery. The eighties nightlife aesthetic brings a colourful grit to her pieces. Finally, she draws from... More”
Illustration
Lixiyue (Melanie) Yan aka. Melanie Yan
“Toronto-based emerging illustrator/concept artist who has the same taste in music as a mid-aged dude in a leather jacket. ”
Illustration
Evie Campbell aka. Crispy
“"Space Elephant" is a series of what if’s exploring how the unique human experience might be misinterpreted by alien species when they are presented with only a sliver of information - in this case, the Voyager’s golden record. ”
Illustration
alan zhang
“"Fake News?" explores the mainstream media’s role in portraying felonious person/people of color more publicly while diminishing the good deeds that they've done. This is done through a pair of illustrations that rely on one another. The mainstream... More”
Illustration
Terry Dang
““COVID-19: An Alternate Way of Life”, which features a reimagined world that we live in if COVID-19 pandemic was to continue into the not so distant future. A series of fun and somewhat ridiculous depiction and ideas of the ways we keep the COVID... More”
Illustration
Victoria Riopka
““Echoed Behaviors” explores the human experience in a developed world of technological solutions. Humans have made breakthroughs in multiple fields yet remained the same imperfect beings. We will see how things only take a new form rather than... More”
Illustration
Lucy Hong
“‘Endangered’ depicts the similar ways Koreans and the endangered animals native to Korea struggle through various societal issues and challenges today’s tendency to care for the endangered animals more than the people in trouble. ”
Illustration
Mingjun Guo
“Through personal and nostalgic illustrations, “Right Here Waiting” compares and contrasts traditional and modern cultures of my hometown, Hangzhou. ”
Illustration
Eldon Barrett
“'Signs of Life' explores the varied aspects of spaces by viewing them through an emotive lens to illustrate the challenges urban development imposes on people and communities. These images question the importance of new developments and contemplate... More”
Illustration
Sid Sharp
“My thesis project The Occupant interprets the body through folk tales of magic and transformation to create an imagined world wherein our conceptions of our inner selves replace the external view. ”
Illustration
Thamara Perera
“May the Yakshi Rise Again! is a series of mixed-media illustrations that visually synthesize South Asian women’s issues with feminist concepts found in ancient South Asian mythology, art, and literature. The series aims to shed light on the... More”
Illustration
Shahrzad Soroosh
“The Book of Queens is a contemporary take on the 10th-century Persian epic poem book of Shahnameh (The Book of Kings) that tells the story of 10 influential Iranian women as its protagonists and legendary heroes all sharing a theme of rebellion. ”
Illustration
Val Poon
“✨Hello world! I’m a serious goof who communicates in pixels. Are you aware of your reactions online? Check out my current project 🅁🄴-🄰🄲🅃🄸🄾🄽! ”
Illustration
Hyoeun Kim aka. Joy Kim
““The Earnest Wish” is a series of illustrations to present imagination of modern people who desire to escape from symptoms of stress. This illustrations imply that we live with hope for happy moments though we all have difficulties in our lives. ”
Illustration
Thilany Arunthavarajah
“The Other Reality depicts the psychological responses we develop from Internet use, through the use of fantasized imagery and metaphor, in order to understand how the online world morphs our sense of reality. ”
Illustration
Jhenny Castillo
“Hi! My name is Jhenny Castillo. I am a Canadian-born illustrator from Toronto and I create expressive work based on themes of nostalgia, personal growth, and promoting personal connections through my illustrative works. ”
Illustration
Melody Yuan
““Our world: Man-made world” relates Artificial Intelligence with animal and plants performing similar behaviours, to understand the advancements of artificial Intelligence. Moving beyond the boundaries of “traditional” defined technology, and... More”
Illustration
Dan Waites
“"Odd Jobs" takes obsolete professions from the past and reinterprets them using elements of the fantastical and the occult to challenge human traditions and values. ”
Illustration
Marla Menendez Posada aka. Glossywooo
“My thesis Fervid is a series of stories detailing the romanticization of obsessive behaviors and the negative consequences of a person’s pursuit for passion. ”
Illustration
Michael Thompson
“My work at OCADU has gone through many phases of styles and qualities. Thankfully, all my professors through all four years encouraged me to experiment and not get stuck or satisfied with one way of creating. As a result, I’m very happy as a... More”
Illustration
Matt Xie aka. prairiecryptid
“My interests include hockey, emotions, and the color green. ”
Illustration
Lana Liu
“My thesis work imagines how our future physical and emotional ideas and home will evolve as the civilization advances. ”
Illustration
Vincy Lim aka. kiwimii
“Surviving Abuse” illustrates how to survive, recover, and aid survivors from the traumatic nature of abuse in a visually non-triggering manner to emphasize that recovery is possible and to support survivors and educate allies. ”
Illustration
Radha Joshi Raulgaonkar
“Late to the Party looks at the histories behind commercialized Western trends that are rooted in minority cultures to depict the immense amount of commodification that happens at the expense and erasure of systematically marginalized communities. ”
Illustration
Mia November
“Little Golden Books illustrates the storied evolution of children’s books through changing adult perceptions of childhood, demonstrating how these deceptively simple stories are never just about kids. ”
Illustration
Avery Bursey
“"Naturally" is a series that explores the side of science that the western world typically discredits or cast aside. Such as various cultures traditional knowledge and different ways of knowing and interacting with our environment, that often is at... More”
Illustration
Lisanne van der Oort
““Love Conquers All” explores the paradox of love blooming during war. In this series of images, I visually interpreted stories of love thriving in a time of war to explore the resilience of love and the need for love to conquer hate to preserve our... More”
Illustration
Mackenzie Coleman
“'On the Upside' synthesizes children’s games with mental disorders to parallel the resilience of kids with the coping abilities of young adults. ”
Illustration
Tianshu Kuai
“'Shameless' Escape is a series of illustrations that imagines scenarios of people fantasizing and escaping from reality overdose, indicating that humans need retreat and fantasy to discharge real-life tension and anxiety. ”
Illustration
Ivan Nikitin
“My thesis is a creative project that has a fine art approach that also has the possibility for commercial use. The creative pieces are each unique in terms of technique and stylistic approach and can stand on their own, appealing to the different... More”
Illustration
Ania Fan aka. Tsugumi
“"Caregiver" uses symbolic and metaphorical narratives to depict unknown and unintentional forms of child abuse. By looking through a child's perspective, we can understand the harm caused by unhealthy caregiving, and educate caregivers on the... More”
Illustration
Christine Kilfoil aka. c.tinfoil
“'Encyclopædia Securus, Contineo, Protegere' is a scientific encyclopedia that visually depicts anomalous entities derived from The SCP Foundation web forum, blurring the lines between academia and urban mythology. ”
Illustration
Merryn Connelly-Miller
“My thesis, Dream Home, examines the human conception of “home” by looking at the various ways that other species in nature construct their homes, in order to emphasize that access to adequate housing is an essential aspect of our existence. ”
Illustration
Sara Morgado
“'Studio 51' documents and celebrates contemporary LGBTQ musicians who create music true to their identity in the pursuit of honest artistic expression. ”
Illustration
Jackson Tuson-Morse
“Underpass24 relates the impermanence of graffiti with the superficiality of modern culture. ”
Illustration
Lina Wu
“Hi! I'm an artist, illustrator, and art worker. I have a wide variety of interests connected by a passion for images and narrative. I'm always looking for fun projects so don't hesitate to get in touch. ”
Illustration
Mia Debbas
“Teta Alit visually translates phrases from the Arabic/Lebanese language into literal scenarios to bring humor, lighthearted connection, and understanding between diverse backgrounds. This series will play with language and show how beautiful,... More”
Illustration
Rebecca Michie
“The Ramblin' Women re-imagines the stories of the women portrayed in folk ballads of old. By retelling their sometimes subtle, sometimes fatal (yet nonetheless pivotal) moments of agency, these overlooked, foregone women regain their power through... More”
Illustration
Brooklin Holbrough aka. Brooklin Stormie
“‘Rare’ interrogates the human tendency to codify and mythologize rare physical traits, in spite of their scientific explanations. The intent is to examine the logic behind the unusual, and the apologetics of meaning in a world shaped by myth. ”
Illustration
Caitlin Todd
““Steeped Through Centuries” illustrates the influential impact of tea on various historical and cultural developments. Exploring the way tea, since its discovery, has been an ever present ingredient for conflict, invention, and culture. ”
Illustration
Carlena De Guzman aka. Carlena Jean
“Inspired by the journey of balancing the dualities in my life, this collection of work borrows elements of printmaking and analog mediums to renew them in the digital sphere. ”
Illustration
Catherine Zhang
“My thesis is about to show a future wall that can show what happened right now around us, by using mythology, and the material is mineral pigments and digital. More”
Illustration
Yu Rong Xue aka. Ürong X
“‘Yokai’ reveals various types of bias and stereotypes through contemporary social issues by redesigning the monster characters and adapting the Asian monsters’ origins. More”
Illustration
Katy Pan
“Cosmos illustrates the mundane daily interactions within society reflects with conflicts between bordering countries throughout history, indicating the invariable nature of all human conflicts regardless of the scale. ”
Illustration
Miranda Belen aka. shiverspooky
“"Choose Your Next Words Carefully" is a series of illustrations that reclaims commonly used phrases (as well as behaviours) with sexist, gendered undertones by subverting them in order to critique the harmful gender roles and expectations we... More”
Illustration
Kelly Wan
“Modern Superstition challenges the idea of modernity by illustrating superstitious beliefs that have been ingrained in modern societies, showing that supernatural elements can coexist in a modern world that operates on rationality and science. ”
Illustration
Changyi Mu
“"Solar Terms in life" is about the comparison between the "rhythm" of life stages and the twenty-four solar terms. By synthesizing them visually and shown that seasonal changes unconsciously influence people’s lives. The patterns and systems are... More”
Illustration
Michael Hu
“'Lost&Found' incorporates labyrinths into various aspects of life to discover self belonging, and to imply that life is a game of searching ”
Illustration
Geneviève Groulx aka. Ève
“I work at the intersection of the humanities and the sciences--of biology and art, of knowledge and imagination, of fact and fiction. A fundamental part of my artistic process consists in observing the intricacies of nature and anatomy, of people... More”
Illustration
Tina Shan
““Am I the same person I was yesterday?”, explore and present the new technologies and possibilities that may emerge and the changes they will bring to people from the perspective of future man. ”
Illustration
Caroline Icardo
“"Bad Grrls" is a series of infamous historical women portrayed through a contemporary fashion lens to tell their stories and reclaim their power. ”
Illustration
Athena Leung
““Nano Acquaintance”, journey of the rare and endangered wild medicinal plants going on a journey to protect their own kind to avoid from being overharvested. They set off an adventure in search of finding someplace intact and healing other animals... More”
Illustration
Tara Zeng
“ This illustration series “Playful Mundane” finds excitement in small mundane activities in order to help cope with boredom, in the hopes of going about your day with a positive mindset. ”
Illustration
Vivian Liang
““The More You Know” will explore how some of the most well-known Japanese prefectures are ridden with problems that are affecting itself and in turn, Japan as a whole. ”