Studio Barn Owl Illustration & Printmaking

Studio Barn Owl Illustration & Printmaking I'm particularly interested in how my art can be used to teach about other cultures, the natural world, and environmental conservation.

The world needs more colour, and this Montreal author & illustrator is solemnly stepping up to the task of bringing more joy and snorts of laughter to humans everywhere. A graduate of Concordia’s Honours in English & Creating Writing program, I use watercolours, a dip pen, and coloured pencils to weave visual storytelling techniques with a patchwork aesthetic inspired by my various travels around

the world. I've independently published two works: "31 Palaeo Pals" (a children’s book about obscure palaeontology) and Views from Isolation (a quarantine zine illustrating people’s global experience of the pandemic), which are available at Drawn & Quarterly, St. Henri Books, and Boutique Brock-Art. My next book, a series of philosophical microfictions about empathetic monsters, is set to be released in November 2021.

I made a black and white sketch of one of my illustrations to share in the kids colouring corner of Fungi Fest Mtl! Go c...
08/11/2023

I made a black and white sketch of one of my illustrations to share in the kids colouring corner of Fungi Fest Mtl! Go check it out and put the fun in fungi 🍄

Penguactus (penguin + cactus)•This particular mashup from my Plantimals series came comparatively easy to the others!•I ...
08/11/2023

Penguactus (penguin + cactus)
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This particular mashup from my Plantimals series came comparatively easy to the others!
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I still needed to go back to it and add details, but I love how the expression on its face turned out.
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I used the Turk's Cap Cactus as inspiration for the plant half, which not only ended up looking very cute but also gave it (in my producer's opinion at least) a Jackie Kennedy pillbox vibe.
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What do you think?

Dandedile (dandelion + crocodile)•This was also among the first that I made in the series, but not one in the livestream...
08/04/2023

Dandedile (dandelion + crocodile)
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This was also among the first that I made in the series, but not one in the livestream.
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I'd been working exclusively with timers up until that point thinking that the time constraint was an integral part of the creation process to both force me to make decisions quickly and enforce an end, thereby sidestepping my tendency to overwork pieces.
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When I got around to this flowery buddy though, I found myself hitting snooze again and again, noticing more and more places I wanted to add details.
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After a point, I realized that the timer had been a tool to get me going, but once I got there, I wasn't afraid to begin and I was confident about when to stop too.
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I ditched the timer soon after and let my intuition guide me instead.
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I'm really proud of how this Dandedile turned out - especially the feet buds.
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In other news, the workshops at Stewart Hall went amazingly! I also got to see the mounted exhibition for the first time and took tons of pictures, so I'll probably punctuate the Plantimals with a post about those soon too.

Cassoweliad (cassowary + bromeliad)•And with this leafy bird, I share the first of my Plantimals series! •I was asked to...
08/02/2023

Cassoweliad (cassowary + bromeliad)
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And with this leafy bird, I share the first of my Plantimals series!
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I was asked to produce this collection early in the spring, but between my studio move and starting a new day job, I only had time to start it come mid-May.
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That meant that I had plenty of time to let the prospect of meeting this deadline fester into fear and give me the imposter-syndrome shivers.
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To break the ice for myself, I decided to do a livestream where I produced four different Plantimals in just over an hour.
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That might sound counterintuitive to improve my stress levels, but my logic was 1) that it was the same context I produced the original pieces in and 2) once the camera started rolling, I wouldn't have time to overthink.
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They didn't turn out great and I wasn't even sure that I could use them in the final deliverables, but I had a lot of fun and it was exactly what I needed to transition into the project.
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In the end I did come back to the four illustrations I made in the icebreaker stream and found that with just a little tweaking, they weren't so bad after all.
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This Cassoweliad was the first that I made and seemed like a blobby mess, but once I defined the leaves and added the big, frenzied eye I fell in love with its little character. I'm glad I gave it another shot!
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Stay tuned for more Plantimals - and if you can, come by my workshop with your kids tomorrow .stewarthall to make some strange plant + animal mashups of your own!
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✨12:30 for 6-8 year olds✨
✨1:45 for 9-12 year olds✨
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176 Chem. du Bord-du-Lac-Lakeshore, Pointe-Claire, QC H9S 4J7

I'm back - with a whole new solo exhibition! 💫•It's been a minute, but I really needed it - and not just for sanity reas...
07/26/2023

I'm back - with a whole new solo exhibition! 💫
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It's been a minute, but I really needed it - and not just for sanity reasons, but also because I've been hella busy!
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At the end of May I went into turbo flow mode and produced an entirely new collection at the request of the Stewart Hall Cultural Centre for a solo exhibit in their children's library.
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The theme? Plantimals: absurdist plant-animal mashups.
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If this sounds familiar, it's because it was inspired by one of my last Owl Hour livestream episodes where I rolled dice to randomly match fauna and flora and come up with ungodly creations.
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I'm so honoured to have been asked to put together this exhibit and can't wait to share all the results with you!
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If you live in the Montreal/West Island area, it's happening from now until September at 176 Chem. du Bord-du-Lac-Lakeshore, Pointe-Claire, QC H9S 4J7.
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These pics are a teaser from the setup and I can’t wait to see how good it looks in person!
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I also have a workshop for kids at the centre next week (Wednesday August 2nd at 12:30), so if you want something fun to do, come on by ✨
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If all that's a little far for you, stay tuned to my social media where I'll be sharing my creations over the next few weeks - or sign up for my newsletter for a bulk preview 😜 should be going out within the next week!

It’s a cat-astrophe! 😸•Just a simple sketchbook spread from .stationery ‘s all-cats-on-board drawing session.•Nice way t...
02/07/2023

It’s a cat-astrophe! 😸
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Just a simple sketchbook spread from .stationery ‘s all-cats-on-board drawing session.
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Nice way to break in a new sketchbook and break the ice after a super long (and much needed) social media hiatus!
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Prismacolor Premier pencil for underdrawimg and Dacryl/M. Graham Gouache for painting

12/25/2022

Dagmar Day 24. May there be love and wonder and glee for your night of lights!

12/23/2022

Dagmar Day 23. Respect to all those artisans that have been tirelessly working on gifts. Our world is a better place because of their creativity, craftsmanship, and the beauty that comes of unique treasures.

12/23/2022

Dagmar Day 22. For certain flight attendants who can go to almost any destination the golden ticket is the one that takes you home. Hats off to all those working through the holidays, stuck on runways with full planes as the weather creates havoc.

12/22/2022

Dagmar Day 21. Happy Solstice! The darkest days are over, and the light will grow stronger from here on.

12/21/2022

Dagmar Day 20. All those incoming
boxes can be recycled into a wonderland of fun for the children!

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