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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.
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Amelia Rankine
Amelia Rankine

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. ”

Mandy Liang
Mandy Liang

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

Duong Nguyen
Duong Nguyen

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

Gabrielle Schwartz
Gabrielle Schwartz

View Medal Winners

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. ”

Brooklyn Morris
Brooklyn Morris

Illustration

Brooklyn Morris

“"Liminal" explores physical thresholds acting as metaphors for the emotional liminal spaces we find ourselves in throughout our lives. ”

Bai Gao
Bai Gao

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. ”

Betty Shao
Betty Shao

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. ”

Tori Conway
Tori Conway

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. ”

Isobel Woodiwiss
Isobel Woodiwiss

Illustration

Isobel Woodiwiss

“I have a particular interest in storytelling and everything that goes into it. More

Hyunsun Park
Hyunsun Park

Illustration

Hyunsun Park

“I create dream-like snapshots that tell stories about people, including myself. ”

Muqing Chen
Muqing Chen

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

Natacha Supavivat
Natacha Supavivat

Illustration

Natacha Supavivat

“Check out my work at OCAD U's GradEx 108 ! :) ”

Liz Liu
Liz Liu

Illustration

Liz Liu

““Hazy Recollections” is a series of illustrations depicting bittersweet and awkward moments a person may experience while intoxicated. The artist uses a dreamy and fantastical approach to explore the themes of drinking and memories, drawing... More

Ella Verner
Ella Verner

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. ”

Dongyoung Chung
Dongyoung Chung

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. ”

Irem Coker
Irem Coker

Illustration

Irem Coker

“Hello! I'm a multidisciplinary artist focused on illustration and motion design. Feel free to check out my website for more. ”

Madeline Yee
Madeline Yee

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

Laura Zeng
Laura Zeng

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. ”

Kas Lockwood
Kas Lockwood

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

Dixin Gao
Dixin Gao

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. ”

Ally Adachi
Ally Adachi

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. ”

Kunyu Zhang
Kunyu Zhang

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. ”

Prachi Dhase
Prachi Dhase

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

Cindy Lee
Cindy Lee

Illustration

Cindy Lee

““Gone But Not Lost” is a series of illustrations about urban renewal demonstrating the irresistible reality and nostalgia. Focusing on a family’s life to visually synthesize the past and present gives a perspective of the Taiwanese suburban... More

Yahui Wu
Yahui Wu

Illustration

Yahui Wu aka. Yolanda

“Life inmates art! ”

Madison Johnston
Madison Johnston

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. ”

Gordon Tran
Gordon Tran

Illustration

Gordon Tran

“Telling fantastical stories through drawing and painting. ”

Olivia Ingram
Olivia Ingram

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

Vivian Wu
Vivian Wu

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. ”

Peilin Lei
Peilin Lei

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

Felix Gu
Felix Gu

Illustration

Felix Gu

“'God If...? 'is a series of illustrations that tell the story of when gods and monsters live in modern times, how will they struggle to make money for life like human beings? More

Émilie Brideau
Émilie Brideau

Illustration

Émilie Brideau

“Glow From Within uses digital illustrations to explore a parallel universe where land animals have evolved to bioluminesce. ”

Ivy Chen
Ivy Chen

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. ”

Jessica(yufei) Wu
Jessica(yufei) Wu

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. ”

Yujing Cai
Yujing Cai

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. ”

Alina Hou
Alina Hou

Illustration

Alina Hou

“"Deities Office" illustrates the imaginative future life scenes and working conditions of different gods and goddesses from traditional Chinese folktales performing their duties as "civil servants" for the human world. Aiming to reinterpret the... More

Peiting Yu
Peiting Yu

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

Sinyoung Kim
Sinyoung Kim

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

Khang Do
Khang Do

Illustration

Khang Do aka. Avokhangdos

“My Thesis is showing at GradEx 108 on 6th floor of OCAD U main building! Come check it out! ”

Tina Yan
Tina Yan

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. ”

Magdalene Bouchard
Magdalene Bouchard

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

Eugene Yang
Eugene Yang

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

Ræ Azzopardi
Ræ Azzopardi

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. ”

Kiki Hamazaki
Kiki Hamazaki

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. ”

Mike Kelly
Mike Kelly

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

Maryanne Cantar
Maryanne Cantar

Illustration

Maryanne Cantar

“Snail Mail is a series of illustrations depicting interesting facts about mail around the world. ”

Aislin Toohey
Aislin Toohey

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. ”

Nhi Nguyen
Nhi Nguyen

Illustration

Nhi Nguyen

“My artworks are to bring eyes to lands of stories and dimensions of dreams. ”

JunYang Cao
JunYang Cao

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

Shushan Zhou
Shushan Zhou

Illustration

Shushan Zhou

“Love is a double edged sword. 'We hurt people that love us, love people that hurt us.' ”

Solha Park
Solha Park

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

Lai Xiao
Lai Xiao

Illustration

Lai Xiao

“"An Answer From Heaven" is a series of illustrations about how people send their emotions to their loved ones who have passed away and how those spirits from heaven respond. More

Alyson Lee
Alyson Lee

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. ”

Celia Petconi
Celia Petconi

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. ”

David Zhixuan Zhang
David Zhixuan Zhang

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

Coco Lou
Coco Lou

Illustration

Coco Lou

“Illustration manifests itself in my daily life by making me more aware of my surroundings. This interest has led me to pay more attention to the artwork in my everyday life. I will take pictures and document the artwork that inspires me. Another... More

Chunbi Liu
Chunbi Liu

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

Louie Lam
Louie Lam

Illustration

Louie Lam

““ Project Harmbitious ” highlights the importance of balancing our ambitions and ethical considerations and a commitment to responsible research practice. This series of artwork conveys the human ambitions, pursuit of knowledge and technological... More

Justine Vigée
Justine Vigée

Illustration

Justine Vigée

Daria Joyce
Daria Joyce

Illustration

Daria Joyce

Mimi Liang
Mimi Liang

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

Emma Ao
Emma Ao

Illustration

Emma Ao

“I come from Suzhou, China More

Ross Chan
Ross Chan

Illustration

Ross Chan

“"Habitation" depicts the idea of using genetically modified plants from earth to terraform inhabitable planets. ”

Elizabeth Lewer
Elizabeth Lewer

Illustration

Elizabeth Lewer

Egor Okonskii
Egor Okonskii

Illustration

Egor Okonskii

Mashal  Pouya
Mashal Pouya

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

Amanda Chen Tsai
Amanda Chen Tsai

Illustration

Amanda Chen Tsai

Jessie Tang
Jessie Tang
Kristyn Gazey
Kristyn Gazey

Illustration

Kristyn Gazey

Cathy Zhao
Cathy Zhao

Illustration

Cathy Zhao

“Hello, I'm Cathy. Welcome to my portfolio! My Nationality is Chinese but I was raised in Canada! More

Zhinuo Lin
Zhinuo Lin

Illustration

Zhinuo Lin

Jenny Pan
Jenny Pan

Illustration

Jenny Pan

Tianxi Zhen
Tianxi Zhen

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

Ming Chen
Ming Chen

Illustration

Ming Chen

Eric Xu
Eric Xu

Illustration

Eric Xu

Ellie Hsu
Ellie Hsu

Illustration

Ellie Hsu

Hua Tong
Hua Tong

Illustration

Hua Tong

Xin Gao
Xin Gao

Illustration

Xin Gao

Peiyuan Xu
Peiyuan Xu

Illustration

Peiyuan Xu

Lucy Ruttan
Lucy Ruttan
Jade Cho
Jade Cho

Illustration

Jade Cho

Mengjia Lyu
Mengjia Lyu

Illustration

Mengjia Lyu

David Brown
David Brown

Illustration

David Brown

August Knibutat
August Knibutat

Illustration

August Knibutat

Kayla Camarda
Kayla Camarda

Illustration

Kayla Camarda

Hannah Frandsen
Hannah Frandsen

Illustration

Hannah Frandsen

Rowen Daley
Rowen Daley

Illustration

Rowen Daley

Haiqian Zhou
Haiqian Zhou

Illustration

Haiqian Zhou

Ella Yan
Ella Yan

Illustration

Ella Yan

Jiamu Cao
Jiamu Cao
Yueyang Wang
Yueyang Wang

Illustration

Yueyang Wang

Celebrate the work of OCAD U’s class of 2022/2023!