These are the graphics I made for a pro/con story about the effects of "gifted" programs in schools. When both of the writers came up to me asking for illustrated portraits instead of photos, I was over the moon with excitement! Still, the rest of the story didn't exactly lend itself easily to photos, either. As a result, I ended up drawing stickers reminiscent of those that teachers often hand out in elementary school to reward students; these graphics were then placed across the spread to break up text and keep the portraits from just floating in empty space. 

This might be my favorite project I've taken on for The Muse. 

The story it accompanied was about the new changes to the SAT's format, so I figured the best way to represent that visually was through mixed-media means. I made a paper-mâché model of a computer, using past SAT prep books instead of newspaper clippings, and then I went into Procreate and added some drawings that represented aspects of the digital format. Since I've been taking more communications-arts-based classes in high school, I don't get many chances to return to my roots studying visual arts. Projects such as this one remind me that those two areas are often more connected than I might think. 

These were the first graphics I ever made for a printed issue of The Muse, and I'm still quite proud of them.  They were for a recipe on how to prepare cinnamon rolls, and the vision for the spread was for it to feel like a family recipe book. To meet that feeling, I used very soft brushes and warm colors. 

This graphic was for a satirical web story giving "advice" to the new freshmen last year. It depicts one of my school's landmarks: a giant banyan tree in the middle of campus that sits atop Freshman Hill. The irony, however, is that recently the hill has been used by anyone but the freshmen (represented in blue). Drawing this piece was especially fun because I got to draw the place where I -- a sophomore at the time -- would sit with my friends every single day. 

This piece features a collection of Marvel characters from Marvel's most recent phase: From top left to bottom right, Ant-Man from “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” Thor from “Thor: Love and Thunder,” The Wasp from “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” Jane from “Thor: Love and Thunder,” and Shuri from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever". I got to practice drawing portraits and working with different stroke-weights. 

Drawing this was a ton of fun; I got to close off the last issue with a fun and lively illustration. We don't usually have a cover story in the last issue because it is always the shortest one and production lines up with the ever-brutal testing season, so I had a lot of creative liberty with this graphic. The pool design also wraps around the back cover!