Hello! I am a junior Advertising major with a minor in Religious Studies. Still feels weird to type "junior"–it's hard to believe I'm halfway done! I began OU as an International Studies major with a focus on China, but I lacked some crucial things for my career path: I hate politics and I'm very bad at Mandarin. Although China still holds a special place in my heart, I decided to pivot into graphic design.
I took a crash course in Adobe Creative Suite at the beginning of last year and loved every second of it. Soon, some friends started asking me to do commission work for them. One thing led to another, and I learned I liked illustrating more than graphic design and strategy. Even though I'm still studying Advertising in the hope of getting a decent job when I graduate, I currently work as a freelance illustrator and want to continue doing so into the foreseeable future.
Now that I've gotten what I do out of the way, here's a little bit about who I am.
I am:
I took a crash course in Adobe Creative Suite at the beginning of last year and loved every second of it. Soon, some friends started asking me to do commission work for them. One thing led to another, and I learned I liked illustrating more than graphic design and strategy. Even though I'm still studying Advertising in the hope of getting a decent job when I graduate, I currently work as a freelance illustrator and want to continue doing so into the foreseeable future.
(Left: personal illustration of hammerhead sharks.
Right: personal illustration of a girl reading.)
Now that I've gotten what I do out of the way, here's a little bit about who I am.
I am:
- A Tulsa native
- Fluent in American Sign Language
- A proud dog owner of Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit (she goes by "Honey" or "Biscuit")
- A Whataburger fanatic (see above point)
- A wannabe storm chaser
- Addicted to corgi Instagram accounts
- A collector of paint chips (I have 319 on my wall currently)
- An avid Oscars watcher
- Keanu Reeves' biggest fan
Here are the fun facts I share when a teacher asks every student to share something about themselves:
- I've seen every episode of Survivor
- I've never eaten a hot pocket
- Discovery's Shark Week is my favorite holiday (if it can be categorized as such)
- I forgot how to ride a bike
Finally, to wrap this up, here are photos of my dog and my roommate's cat (the best study buddies):
(Left: My dog, Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit.
Right: My roommate's hairless cat, Winky.)
Hi Rachel! I love your art style! It is so unique and beautiful. I try to draw but have no idea how people make their art look so incredible. I'm glad you found the right path for you, as I know how difficult that can be. Also, your dog is adorable and Winky is precious! I love animals so those pictures really made me smile. I hope you enjoy the course!
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel! Your dog is so cute, and her name is so adorable and unique! Your art is really amazing, so I could definitely see you becoming an illustrator full-time. It's funny how you can start out college going in one direction with your career path, and then switch and go in a completely different direction. I kind of did that too, with my career path. I'm glad you've found something you love, though! Also, I can't believe you've never eaten a Hot Pocket; you're really missing out. I would 10/10 recommend the meatball and mozzarella one.
ReplyDeleteHello, Rachel!
ReplyDeleteWe have so many things in common. I can't believe I am a junior either - it seems unreal! Whataburger is the greatest, and I also would like to consider myself a storm chaser. While I haven't seen every episode, Survivor is one of my favorite TV shows of all time. Lastly, I cannot tell you how many times I have called Shark Week a holiday. People usually disagree with me, but I think it is one of the greatest weeks of the year! Excited to get to know you better through your writing this semester!
Hello Rachel!! I am in total agreement of the shock factor of being a junior already. It is crazy and weird to think that I am halfway done. It is so cool that you are fluent in sign language!! That is something that I really want to do eventually. Your dog and cat are so cute!! I am a huge dog and cat person and both of my dogs are buddies and I wish they could be here with me.
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel! It's great to meet you!
ReplyDeleteI love your illustrations - they're so playful! It's awesome that you are pursuing your passion for illustrating, too. I'm an art minor, but anything on a screen is out of my realm, so seeing such clean illustrative work is always so cool to me. Your dog is such a cutie, by the way! Out of curiosity, what made you choose to learn ASL?
Hi Rachel!
ReplyDeleteYour illustrations are absolutely awesome! They are colorful and well executed. I am also a Whataburger fanatic and a dog lover. Sadly I am allergic to cats, so I am no their biggest fan, but they are still cute to watch when they are kittens. I think it is great how genuine you are in your intro post.
Hello, Rachel! It’s nice to see another artist here—I love your artwork! You’ll have to teach me the secret to making lineless illustrations sometime. If you ever want to hang out, you can usually find me in the SOVA building or Bizzell. Adobe is fun to work with too, though I prefer using Lightroom or Illustrator when working on creative projects (perfect for graphic design). Anyhow, I look forward to reading your future blog posts in Mythology and Folklore!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, Rachel, it is so exciting to have a graphic designer in class. Now I am even more glad that you chose the Kali project: the visual arts of India are absolutely amazing, and I hope you will enjoy exploring that this semester; getting to work with art from India is one of my favorite things about teaching that Indian Epics class. Here is an image gallery I use for that class, which includes Kali of course: Kali images... Kali is not directly involved in the epics, but I could not leave her out when there is so much amazing Kali artwork. And your dog is such a cutie... and look at Winky! I've never gotten to meet a hairless cat in person, but I thought it was very cool that Picard is a hairless cat in Cats of Star Trek (yes, I am that much of a nerd; I have both of the Cats of Star Trek books): TNG Cats by Jenny Parks. Being able to create your own art and illustrations is such a great skill to have, and I'm excited to see what you will do with the visual dimensions of your Storybook this semester!
ReplyDeleteHi there!!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I want to say you have a very intriguing major! That sounds so interesting. Also, I am a Tulsa native as well; it is probably one of my favorite places and always will be. Also for another thing on your list, I actually have a corgi and his name is Logan, he is absolutely my pride and joy and the cutest dog I have ever seen!!
Hey Rachel!
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful that you found your passion for illustration here at OU! I really like the ones you've shared here. I feel like the approach to human features is often a defining trait of an artist's style, and the way you've layered colors and shapes in the illustrations above is wonderful. Have you ever considered becoming an illustrator for children's books? I feel like your style of art would work well for that type of project! (Obviously speaking from the very limited exposure I've had to your work - but I hope you share more on your blog!) It's also very cool that you're fluent in ASL - one of my coworkers last year also knew ASL, and she taught me a few words and phrases! Communication without words holds so much beauty - although as a dancer I may be a little biased :)