2025 Illustrators
Each week we work with a different illustrator to create a custom piece of art for our stories. In alphabetical order:
Alberth Chacon Salas is a Peruvian illustrator and cartoonist based in Minneapolis. His work explores animals concepts through narrative illustration and comics, often blending it with elements of fantasy and sci-fi. His practice combines traditional media with digital techniques. Lover of all animals.
See his illustration for Rare Cut
Alison Dubois is a Los Angeles-based illustrator. Her work is characterized by bright colors and playful characters. She is best known for her work as Art Director on AdultSwim's Tuca & Bertie.
See her illustration for New Year, Same Altar
Amelia Meyer is an illustrator and designer currently living in Pasadena, CA. She studied Illustration: Entertainment Design at ArtCenter College of Design. In her work, she strives to create thoughtful designs infused with a playful sense of fun and humor.
Her portfolio includes visual development for animation, editorial illustration, event sketching, and commissioned work. She loves reading and storytelling of all kinds and is currently developing her own children's books.
When she is not in the studio, she loves to catch a baseball game, host elaborate theme parties, or putter around a flea market, all the while observing and sketching the lovely, quirky people around her.
See her illustration for The Mountain Baker.
Annelise Capossela is a NYC-based illustrator, educator, and news designer who specializes in idea-driven images and storytelling for news, books, ads, and products. She’s won numerous industry awards and is lucky enough to teach and speak to students. When she’s not making stuff, she likes to be outside with her dog, or watching a brilliantly written show, or talking with the thoughtful, creative people who make life so much more interesting.
See her illustration/animation for A Slice of the Suburbs
Brian Britigan is a Minneapolis-based illustrator, artist, and educator. Working as a freelance illustrator since 2015, he creates images for print and online publications, animations for documentary projects, and original artworks for gallery exhibitions. Brian is also an instructor and mentor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, teaching both in-person and online illustration classes.
See his illustration for The Mustard Girl
Changyu Zou is an award-winning illustrator based in Savannah, Georgia. Most of her inspiration comes from words, as they can bring her endless thoughts and imagination. She likes to use collage, gouache, and Photoshop to create illustrations. Her works are always colorful and lively, which are often used in advertisements, and magazines.
She has won several international awards like ijungle Illustration Awards Editorial Gold Medal 2022; Society of Illustrators 65 Jury Selection; American Illustration 41 and 42 Chosen Winner, Communication Art Award of Excellence 2022; IDA Design Awards Multimedia-Animation Silver Medal 2022 etc.
See her illustration for Gruel the World
See her illustration for New Orleans: I Missed You Both So Much at Lunch
Chuchu Wang is an award-winning illustrator from China and is now based in New York. She has been selected as an Asia Pacific Young Leader and received an Illustration MFA degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She came to the United States seven years ago and received a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her background also includes a degree in Architectural Art and Design from Luxun Academy of Fine Arts.
See her illustration for A Sensual Soufflé
Helen Lo is an illustrator who creates whimsical and surreal art with a strong sense of narrative. Drawing from her roots in Hong Kong and her experiences in the UK, she weaves elements of both cultures into her work. One of her favorite ways her art has been described is as "a bundle of light." She believes that holding onto a childlike imagination is essential to staying creative.
See her illustration for Let it Brew
Huilin Gui is an illustrator and picture book maker based in NYC, from Beijing, China. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts in 2023, she has been creating illustrations in her little apartment. She embraces the imperfections of hand-drawing. Huilin finds inspiration in everyday moments, nature, memories, and themes that connect with people and bring a sense of warmth.
See her illustration for With Grate Power…
ICSD (Mihai Tigleanu) is an illustrator from Romania. His background revolves around advertising and product design, but his passion lies deep in editorial art.
He has a knack for storytelling and chases 'Whoa!' moments as he sketches—even if he’s the only one who gets them. More often than not, he comes up with ideas for a new series of works, so there's a special drawer for those, right above “Clichés I'm not gonna use.” He usually works with brands, NGOs, and publications while listening to history podcasts.
See his illustration for The Divine Marrow of St. John
Jack X. Zhou is an evil, formidable, enigmatic yet super cute and silly internationally tolerated award winning ILLUSTRATOR/DESIGNER/MAGICIAN.
He grew up in Hangzhou, China and is currently based in Providence/Boston. He is insane and passionate toward eating/cooking good food and learning history, which he illustrates to heal, fortify and bring the broken world together.
See his illustration for The Usual
Jannik Stegen is a German artist & illustrator. His work is highlighted by his bold and quirky characters, abstract shapes and colorful compositions. After trying out Medical School, he went for a degree in Visual Communication and studied in Darmstadt, Valencia, Athens, Hamburg & Berlin.
See his illustration for Food Feud
John Rego is an illustrator, fine artist, and educator living and working in Boston, MA. He primarily works in acrylics or digitally and is inspired by observed surroundings and stories, the natural world, Northern Renaissance Art, and miscellaneous things he finds entertaining. He has experience in editorial, book cover, package design, advertisement, and fine art illustration.
John currently teaches in the Illustration Department at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
See his illustration for Is Burrata Bullshit?
Meredith Miotke is an illustrator and–despite all odds–somewhat successful plant parent. Formerly based in NYC, she made the move back to her beloved hometown of Detroit in 2019. After a childhood filled with reading, learning, and drawing, she couldn't resist the chance to combine all three in illustration. She loves building intricate, colorful worlds filled with curious characters and rich textures. When not drawing, she can usually be found trying to perfect a new baking challenge or attempting to stop her two cats from bullying her pup.
See her illustration for Factory Reset
Susanna Chapman lives in Nashville and loves to make pictures and read books and make pictures in books.
See her illustration for Julia’s Local
Tura Oliveira is an interdisciplinary artist and performer based in Brooklyn. She attended the Rhode Island School of Design and is currently an MFA candidate at Yale. She has received awards, residencies, and fellowships from organizations including Yaddo, BRIC, AIR Gallery, Ars Nova, and the Tides Institute. She has had solo exhibitions at spaces including Geary Contemporary, BRIC, Wave Hill, The Java Project, and Disclaimer Gallery. She was a 2019 Van Lier Fellow at Wave Hill, and a 2020 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow. In 2023, she will be the Abbey Awards Fellow at the British School at Rome.
Her work uses textiles, video, installation, and performance to explore labor, science fiction, and queer futurity. Her performances use original music, handmade sets and costumes, drag, and re-performance, with text drawn from popular culture, and idiosyncratic research.
See her illustration for The Devil Wears Danskos
Valentina Berdegué Saenz is a Mexican illustrator and a 2024 BFA Illustration graduate from the School of Visual Arts.
Valentina’s illustrations are vibrant and feminine, blending manual techniques with digital processes before being printed on a risograph printer. Drawing inspiration from women and the beauty in the everyday, she often captures people in moments of solitude and introspection. By observing everyday moments, Valentina intertwines them with the subconscious, inviting viewers to see the world in a fresh, thought-provoking light.
See her illustration for Do You Believe in Life After Lunch?
Violeta Encarnación is a Cuban, award-winning illustrator based in New York City, known for her vibrant, storytelling-driven visuals across traditional and digital media. Her work has appeared in publications like The New York Times, Sports Illustrated Kids, and The Washington Post. Violeta’s art often explores our connection to nature and each other, inviting viewers to reflect on these relationships.
See her illustration for May Contain Traces of Grief
See her illustration for The Big 2024 Banquet
Wenjing Yang is a creative person based in Jersey City. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the School of Visual Arts and a master’s degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art. After her studies in Baltimore, she chose to return to the New York area, where she balances her time among drawing, reading, and hangin out with friends.
Her illustrations have received recognition in various mediums, including global advertising campaigns and influential media platforms. Notable clients include the New York Times, Meta, YouTube, Washington Post, Kiehl’s, Meow Wolf, Spotify, Wired UK, and Refinery 29.