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
Amelia Rankine aka. Illustrator
“My work explores the whimsy and magic of the stars. My major work is Stellar Magazine, a publication I designed, typeset, and illustrated. ”
Illustration
Mandy Liang
“"... In Pineal Perspectives" is a series of illustrations that seeks to explore the idea of the pineal gland as a source of perception from various cultural and philosophical perspectives. Through digital conceptual abstract art, the project... More”
Illustration
Duong Nguyen aka. Jun Nguyen
“Having trained as an illustrator with a Bachelor of Design degree, I rely on compelling visual storytelling to deliver the message. All the elements in my design, from the images, the texts, to the layout, should embody a purpose while contributing... More”
Illustration
Gabrielle Schwartz aka. gl.schwartz
“Saccharine Living Things illustrates whimsical creatures pursuing a lifestyle among humans. This thesis describes their imagined range of contributions and their clashing residence in mundane situations. ”
Illustration
Brooklyn Morris
“"Liminal" explores physical thresholds acting as metaphors for the emotional liminal spaces we find ourselves in throughout our lives. ”
Illustration
Bai Gao
“Hi, I am a passionate illustrator and concept artist who enjoys using art as a way to make the invisible visible. Please feel free to explore my website. ”
Illustration
Betty Shao
“"Gut Feelings" is a series of food illustrations that display food as a catalyst for creating bonds within different types of interpersonal relationships between people. ”
Illustration
Tori Conway aka. FingerSmudges
“"Feature Fright" reimagines the irrational fears of children as adult horror films. It explores the difference in how children and adults confront fear by removing our ability to rationalize it, helping us re-experience the terror we felt as a child. ”
Illustration
Isobel Woodiwiss
“I have a particular interest in storytelling and everything that goes into it. More”
Illustration
Hyunsun Park
“I create dream-like snapshots that tell stories about people, including myself. ”
Illustration
Muqing Chen aka. Peridot
“As an artist with a passion for collaborative style painting, digital illustration, acrylic painting, and oil painting, I have honed my skills to create visually stunning works that showcase my love of comics and animations. From a young age, I... More”
Illustration
Ella Verner aka. Ella Mollie
“Women of 9-1-1 sheds light on incredible women first responders whose stories are often untold. This thesis celebrates 10 women throughout history and around the world, who have paved the way for future generations of first responders like myself. ”
Illustration
Dongyoung Chung
“Scene & Sonic is a visual soundtrack that envisages the invisible emotions that music communicates. This series reinterprets the songs from different decades (1959 ~2020) into posters based on the theme, atmosphere, or backstories of the songs. ”
Illustration
Irem Coker
“Hello! I'm a multidisciplinary artist focused on illustration and motion design. Feel free to check out my website for more. ”
Illustration
Madeline Yee
“Using patient studies and anecdotes, "Constructed Reality" visually interprets the experience of individuals with neuropsychological conditions as they navigate life, demonstrating the ways in which our brain constructs our perception of reality.... More”
Illustration
Laura Zeng
“The Last Chapter is a short comic book that explores the themes of finding meaning amidst hopelessness and the wonder of rekindling a lost childhood passion. We were here, and it mattered. ”
Illustration
Kas Lockwood
“My thesis follows the story of my family’s immigration from Myanmar to Canada. This history is explored through nostalgia from its Greek origin: nostos meaning ‘return home’ and algos meaning ‘pain’. It explores how we experience these pains and... More”
Illustration
Dixin Gao
““What we fear the most” illustrates the universal anxieties of today's society through symbolic elements of Greek Mythological gods. The underlying desires behind these fears are visually explored to examine the impact of these emotions on our lives. ”
Illustration
Ally Adachi
“Camp follows the subject of the Japanese Canadian Internment, looking into the experiences many Japanese Canadiens lived through during the 1940s through a series of illustrations, showing a piece of Canada’s history that is often overlooked. ”
Illustration
Kunyu Zhang aka. K
“"Noise Interlinked" measures the friction of relations—the noises between units of existences—by navigating the emotional dynamics of parasitism through surrealist interpretations. ”
Illustration
Prachi Dhase
“My thesis project, Mundane Interventions, is a series of playful illustrations that depict mundane, middle-class life with divine interventions, through paintings of Hindu gods interacting with humans, to show the reassurance the religion and... More”
Illustration
Madison Johnston
“Evolution Expo is a series inspired loosely by advertising posters which visualize the advancements of Biomimicry. These innovations represent how nature is reincarnated within human machines. ”
Illustration
Olivia Ingram
“"Woman Scorned" represents women’s issues that affect current day women, through pieces of classic literature that best display each issue. Each piece is viewed through a feminist lens to highlight the problems within the stories, change the... More”
Illustration
Vivian Wu aka. Talong
“I love creating images and enjoy the fascination of design. I am specialize in graphic styles, doodling also competent in a varier styles. ”
Illustration
Peilin Lei
“My thesis project “Fluid Mind” focuses on employing various liquids as metaphors, “Fluid Mind” aptly depicts how the psychological defence mechanism safeguards highly sensitive individuals from stressors in their lives. Through my project, I aspire... More”
Illustration
Émilie Brideau
“Glow From Within uses digital illustrations to explore a parallel universe where land animals have evolved to bioluminesce. ”
Illustration
Ivy Chen aka. toadally.ivy
“Travel Bugs reimagines the hassles and inconveniences of traveling for the first time as adventurous stories through the lens of a child to emphasize how the journey of getting to your destination can be an adventure in itself. ”
Illustration
Jessica(yufei) Wu aka. Yuji鱼姬
““Yin Yang” is a series of work about a theory based on Taoism and my own thoughts about the relationship between binary or opposite concepts. ”
Illustration
Yujing Cai
“To address the need that humans have for connection to others, "Root" illustrates the disadvantages of self-isolation by combining ancient Chinese cultural artifacts and contemporary life in a surrealistic way. ”
Illustration
Peiting Yu aka. Yish
““The Days of Repetition" incorporates repeated everyday elements in strange surrealist scenes, visualizing the negative emotions of life as a student. The aim is for students to empathize with this series of works and help them see those issues... More”
Illustration
Sinyoung Kim
“My thesis “False Status” examines status symbols throughout history that aren’t very meaningful when looked at through the modern lens in order to show that status symbols and showing off wealth is a vain and ultimately meaningless activity when... More”
Illustration
Khang Do aka. Avokhangdos
“My Thesis is showing at GradEx 108 on 6th floor of OCAD U main building! Come check it out! ”
Illustration
Tina Yan aka. XANUROK
“Dare to Rebel” challenges the stereotypical, often negative perspectives of ‘delinquents’ and their activities by representing them in positive and playful narratives. ”
Illustration
Magdalene Bouchard
“My mother raised me to believe that to be holy is to suffer, that if I am hungry or tired I should offer that suffering to God, as tribute. I may not be Catholic anymore, but between putting used brushes in my coffee mug and hunching over the... More”
Illustration
Eugene Yang aka. Yuzu
“The concepts of death and the soul, as well as the afterlife, often evoke feelings of darkness and weightiness within us. Saying farewell to our loved ones, whether they are family members, friends, or romantic partners, can be accompanied by an... More”
Illustration
Ræ Azzopardi aka. MORTVL
“Humans need to be more cautious about how they utilize technology because it is a magnificent tool that can have dangerous consequences. ”
Illustration
Kiki Hamazaki
“"Core-ruption" explores the toxicity of modern aesthetics when social categorization turns into an obsession. The series illustrates different aesthetics being taken too far, becoming something more than just a tool for creative representation. ”
Illustration
Mike Kelly aka. Mike Skelly
“"The Griever’s Journey" explores Jospeh Campbell's "The Hero’s Journey" from the perspective of a nine grieving heroes as they travel through the different landscapes that represent experiences of grief. Each scene tells the story of the complex... More”
Illustration
Maryanne Cantar
“Snail Mail is a series of illustrations depicting interesting facts about mail around the world. ”
Illustration
Aislin Toohey
“Of Divine Origin reimagines the LGBT2Q+ history of the past, present, and future. Answering archives of real world Queer experiences through a pantheon of magical legends and deities. ”
Illustration
Nhi Nguyen
“My artworks are to bring eyes to lands of stories and dimensions of dreams. ”
Illustration
JunYang Cao aka. Sherry
“Noble Savages is an illustration/mini comic series about escaping societal norm. Each comic tells a story about humans turning into animals to entertain their most simplistic desires. This series of work questions the notion of anthropocentrism. It... More”
Illustration
Shushan Zhou
“Love is a double edged sword. 'We hurt people that love us, love people that hurt us.' ”
Illustration
Solha Park aka. doremisolha
““Our Pure Expressions (Soon Woori Mal)” is a series of illustrations based on pure Korean words (soon woori mal). Each illustration is based on a pure Korean expression that captures a specific memory or experience of the Korean immigrant family,... More”
Illustration
Alyson Lee
“'Catch You Later!' reimagines the escape plans and aftermaths of true and atypical heist stories, to caricaturize the lengths some will go to take a chance on thrill and profit. ”
Illustration
Celia Petconi
“Body of Work depicts the human experience through a range of figures in motion. This series reflects emotional, mental, physical and spiritual states through different situations and events. ”
Illustration
David Zhixuan Zhang aka. VIATHINE
“"The Slaughtering Swarm" is a project that explores a variety of arthropods and the unusual survival mechanisms they employ to kill, drawing comparisons between these actions to human behaviours and concepts. This series of illustrations is meant... More”
Illustration
Chunbi Liu
“ My illustration is about what the world would be like if androids had human rights. What will the world look like when some old androids don't need to be destroyed anymore, when they have their own memories. For example, androids can buy their... More”
Illustration
Mimi Liang
“My name is Mimi, but my friends call me "the most fun, creative, and passionate illustrator in the city." I am a recent OCADU graduate. The art of illustration has been integrated into my daily life, and I illustrate my life experiences in my... More”
Illustration
Ross Chan
“"Habitation" depicts the idea of using genetically modified plants from earth to terraform inhabitable planets. ”
Illustration
Mashal Pouya
““One Door Closes, Another Door Opens” is a visual exploration of Toronto’s historic sites, which utilizes past and present narratives to strengthen the city’s cultural identity while challenging its future identity. It employs past and present... More”
Illustration
Cathy Zhao
“Hello, I'm Cathy. Welcome to my portfolio! My Nationality is Chinese but I was raised in Canada! More”
Illustration
Tianxi Zhen aka. KIIAKIYO
“The project "Women? Object!" explores the theme of the objectification and sexualization of women in the fashion industry, and consists of a collection of warning or educational illustrations titled "Women? Object!" The concept originated from a... More”