"Carnival Lights" - a commissioned book cover

• Programs used: Photoshop, InDesign
• Size: 10.72 x 8.25"

When my sister sought to publish her first book, I endeavoured to design a cover that would best represent her vision for the story.

After going through several drafts exploring different aspects of the novel, we settled on a stylized minimalist illustration of her main character, Grace, in front of a distanced view of a carnival. To reflect the story’s decidedly mysterious and eerie tone, I created a surreal color scheme, complete with a carnivalesque marquee.

I also helped her through the publishing process, laying out the book’s pages in InDesign, prepping the novel for print, and adapting the novel into eBook format for publication on Kindle.

Beverage Labels - a set of 3 labels for 3 types of drinks

• Programs used: Illustrator, Photoshop, Medibang Paint Pro, InDesign
• Sizes: 7.38 x 3.13", 11 x 4", 9.25 x 5"

Given the task of creating 3 varieties of beverage labels with the same flavour (pomegranate), I sought to design brands that would stand out as unique and visually interesting on the supermarket shelves.

With the first label, “Nebula Soda”, I chose to adapt the whimsical theme of a retro sci-fi movie poster, combined with a nostalgic comic-book art-style. Complementing this theme and the soda’s flavour, I chose an energetic pink-red and yellow color scheme. The flavor, I dubbed “Invasion from Planet Pomegranate”.

For “Neverov Himalayan Pomegranate-infused Vodka”, I aimed for a more adult-oriented brand identity, while maintaining a certain element of imagination. I came up with the idea for a brand of spirits with illustrations of famous monsters on the front label, based on the spirit’s ingredients’ sourcing. For this Himalayan Pomegranate Vodka, I illustrated a yeti, set against an understated label featuring minimalist mountain silhouettes.

When it came to “Crisp” Pomegranate-infused water’s label, I again took an approach inspired by retro design, this time drawing inspiration from the colorful contrasting tones of 1920s advertisements. While the punchy color palette draws attention, the more modern logo and lettering ties the design to the present, creating an appealing throwback.

"Honey mini clusters" - a packaging design for school snacks

• Programs used: Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop
• Size: 16” x 12”

When creating the packaging for these “Honey mini-clusters”, my challenge was to create a design that would appeal to health-conscious parents of young children, while drawing the attention of children themselves.

After some sketches, I settled on a design for a hexagonal-box that would feature a minimalist monochromatic sprawling countryside, communicating the honey clusters’ healthy, organic-sourcing and nutritional value to parents, while a friendly cartoon honeybee would adorn the front of the box, attracting kids’ attention.

To complement this, I used a warm, soothing yellow palette representative of honey, with green accents to reinforce the healthy aspect. For the type, I used an unassuming rounded sans-serif font, further increasing the packaging’s friendliness-factor.

Kerry promo material - a set of promotional flyers completed for Kerry Food Group

• Programs used: InDesign, Photoshop
• Size: 8.5” x 11”

Over the span of over a year, I worked with Kerry Food service to create engaging bilingual promotional material for the province of Quebec. My projects, displayed on the right, included a warm-toned holiday flyer to remind clients of the winter selection, a poster advertising DaVinci Smoothies, an email flyer introducing the new line of Cold-brew coffee, and a fall flyer reminding clients of the pumpkin syrups and sauces.

Given the informative nature of these projects, the focus remained heavily on typography, ensuring a high-contrast that would make the information really pop, while integrating interesting and engaging color schemes and imagery appropriate for each respective occasion.

Each of the promotional materials I created for Kerry was distributed to restaurant clients all over Southern Quebec.

Waypoint Airside Lounge" - A branding suite for "Waypoint Airside Lounge"

• Programs used: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign
• Sizes: various

In creating the brand identity of Waypoint, a trendy airport lounge concept, I sought to create a modern, sleek and laid-back vibe that drew in viewers.

To do this, I opted for a logo with a simplified geometric shape and clean, sweeping curves to signify the prompt, smooth service guests can expect. I also chose a light and airy 2-tone turquoise color-scheme that’s calming and luxurious, while also allowing for an expectation of more affordable prices.

"Chez Pico" - Print branding and material "Chez Pico Gastronomic Bar"

• Programs used: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign
• Sizes: various

To represent Chez Pico, a Mexican Gastronomic bar with a light-hearted vibe, I created a brand identity with a non-serious, upbeat and lively feel, somewhat reminiscent of neighbourhood grill chain concepts.

The casual font choice and bright, contrasting colors work to put the customer at ease instantly. Meanwhile, the use of simple vector illustrations in the menu and table-tent reinforce the lively, comfortable atmosphere while enhancing the visual appeal of the material.

Vector Self-Portrait

• Programs used: Illustrator
• Size: 9 x 8"

To effectively convey an aspect of my personality in this self-portrait, I chose to take a stylized approach.

In choosing a vivid, abstract colour scheme reminiscent of Hawaii, in addition to a tropical setting, I sought to represent my love of travel and my taste for adventure.

I also payed close attention to the placement of elements in the background, seeking the best way to complement and lead back to the portrait itself, without overwhelming it. As such, I made sure different elements in the picture were always revolving around, or pointing towards, the subject.

"Hector" - Graphite Portrait

• Mediums used: Graphite on Bristol paper, Photoshop for touch-ups
• Size: 8.5 x 11"

This portrait is based on Rodrigo Santoro’s character from HBO’s Westworld, Hector Escaton. I faced the challenge of implementing a greater level of detail than I had attempted previously, so I paid particularly close attention to the direction of the skin’s grain when applying tone. I also used a kneaded eraser and 4b, 6b and 8b pencil for highlights and shadows respectively.

I’m overall very satisfied with the structural integrity and sense of volume the end result has. After this piece, though, I learned to use more caution in the application of tone, avoiding broad pencil strokes that might show after the fact.

"Jennifer" - Graphite Portrait

• Mediums used: Graphite on Bristol paper, Photoshop for touch-ups
• Size: 8.5 x 11"

The basis of this portrait is Emily Hampshire’s character on Sci Fi’s “12 Monkeys”, the mad Jennifer Goines.

One of my focuses with this particular piece was in capturing the somewhat deranged, frantic energy of the character, while retaining familiarity in the character’s features.

Doodles - Graphite and Ink Sketches

• Mediums used: Graphite, Ink
• Sizes: 8.5 x 11"

I’ve included these rougher sketches to showcase a bit of my creative process in designing characters and planning in the initial stages of creating a composition.

While the first 2 sketches consist of some preliminary brainstorming for designing characters, the third image shows some initial sketches for portraits I was working on.

I also payed close attention to the placement of elements in the background, seeking the best way to complement and lead back to the portrait itself, without overwhelming it. As such, I made sure different elements in the picture were always revolving around, or pointing towards, the subject.

"Calamity" - Perspective Drawing

• Mediums used: Ink, Photoshop for colouring
• Size: 7 x 11"

In this perspective piece, I challenged myself to incorporate a large number of different vanishing points into the same piece, while maintaining a unified sense of depth.

I’m happy with the unique look the final piece retains, making use of the detailed linework I created in ink, while implementing a surreal, interesting color scheme that I feel really draws the piece together.

"Melancholy" - Landscape drawing

• Mediums used: Graphite, Ink, Photoshop for colouring
• Size: 8.5 x 11"

This scene was inspired by one of my favourite animated movies as a kid, Disney’s “Bambi”.

I sought to convey an intense sense of melancholy and give this piece emotional weight through its characters’ gestures, its ambience, and its cold color scheme.

In choosing a vivid, abstract colour scheme reminiscent of Hawaii, in addition to a tropical setting, I sought to represent my love of travel and my taste for adventure.

Various Digital Colour Compositions

• Programs used: Photoshop, Medibang Paint Pro
• Sizes: Various

These are some of my favourite digital paintings that I’ve worked on in my free time.

I love to operate in Photoshop when I’m drawing digitally, and it allows me to experiment with color schemes and create compositions that’ve been bouncing around my head for a while, as well as test my boundaries and experiment with new techniques.

Each of these paintings includes an element which represented creative growth for me.

In the first piece, “Beach Party”, I’m particularly proud of how the background turned out –in making this piece, I improved at creating ambience with color and contrast.

With the second painting, playfully titled “Close Encounters of the Purred Kind”, I was happy with the shading of the cat with regards to the angle of the light, which helped me improve my sense of volume and light.

With the third piece, an illustration of a D&D-style Orc commissioned by a friend, I improved in finer detail work.

I was particularly happy with the color composition of the fourth piece, “Rainy Seattle”.

The last piece taught me a lot about going from sketch to digital painting, as I used Photoshop to colorize and modify a fairly complicated ink drawing I’d done.

Personal "Zine" Project

• Mediums used: Ink, Charcoal
• Size: 26 x 20"

For this project, I was tasked with creating a 4-page comic “zine” based on an experience in my life.

I chose to create a comic detailing my decision to embrace my creative side following high-school.

After jotting down some ideas, I started storyboarding my narrative and creating a rough draft on smaller papers.

This project gave me valuable practice in planning out the storyline I wanted to tell and conceiving of the best way to tell it.