meet our online illustration team

Until the year 2020, MUSE Online articles were accompanied by header images from Pinterest. While these images were often aesthetically pleasing, they were not created to be paired with the articles, meaning they rarely accurately summarized them.

The 2022-23 school year is the first year that MUSE has had an original illustration or header image to accompany every online article. Each of these illustrations is crafted by a member of the MUSE team, who works hard to visually summarize the article in the most authentic and compelling way possible.

Illustration is a powerful tool, it can shape the way we view things and tell important stories, so it’s important that it’s done with thoughtfulness and intentionality. Every MUSE illustrator has exemplified these traits, working hard to create stunning illustrations to complement online MUSE articles. I am so grateful to have had a team with so much talent, creativity, and dedication. 

MUSE illustrators, this one’s for you. 

- Sadie Levine, Head Illustrator

AGLAIA JOITHE

she/her, economics 

How would you describe your art style?

Colorful, kinda-childlike. 

Who and/or what is your favorite artist/ art piece?

Susan Hale

What inspires your art? How do you pull inspiration in creating?

I bounce ideas off my closest friends, I go on Pinterest a lot (lol). 

Favourite MUSE Illustrations:

SARAH KAYE

she/her, fine-arts con-ed

How would you describe your art style?

Conceptual

Who and/or what is your favorite artist/ art piece?

Lee Bul. “Majestic Splendor” (1997)

What inspires your art? How do you pull inspiration in creating?

I specialize in performance, oil paint, sculpture, and printmaking to investigate the body’s capability of storing memory, and its physical limits, by examining narratives of lived experiences through introspection.

Favourite MUSE Illustrations:

valerie letts

she/they, fine-arts and media studies

How would you describe your art style?

Contemporary Surrealism.

Who and/or what is your favorite artist/ art piece?

Claude Monet, "Reflections of Clouds on the Water-Lily Pond," (1920)

What inspires your art? How do you pull inspiration in creating?

I speak from personal experiences and explore themes of interpersonal relationships, introspective identity and sexuality. My main inspiration comes from provocative narratives, vulnerability and random things in my daily life. I am also inspired by musicians and music and how their correlations with visual art feed off one another. However, my biggest inspiration in all of my work is film and cinematography from my favourite movies.

Favourite MUSE Illustrations:

SAM ANDERSON

she/her, fine-arts

How would you describe your art style?

Creative and soft, sometimes chaotic surrealist work. My artwork often reflects my emotions and how I feel when I am creating

Who and/or what is your favorite artist/ art piece?

Salvador dali (so inspiring).

What inspires your art? How do you pull inspiration in creating?

Often inspiration comes from ideas I have that just come to me naturally. I often look at artists I find inspiring in galleries around the world, yet I look for ways to be different from what I see while taking the qualities I find intriguing by these artists. 

Favourite MUSE Illustrations:

KATELYN ZENG

she/her, BHSc

How would you describe your art style?

I would describe my art style as illustrative, imaginative, and detailed. Additionally, I like to incorporate elements of fantasy and surrealism.

Who and/or what is your favourite artist/ art piece?

Currently, I am obsessed with Litarnes, a digital artist who incorporates both poetry and symbolism in their illustrations.

What inspires your art? How do you pull inspiration in creating?

During my art creation process, I often browse through Pinterest for sparks of inspiration. Additionally, I seek inspiration from the natural world and drawing upon imagery stored in my mind.

Favourite MUSE Illustrations:

SADIE LEVINE

she/her, Con-Ed

How would you describe your art style?

Illustrations infused with a childlike sense of wonder.

Who and/or what is your favourite artist/ art piece?

I love the comic "How to Draw a Horse" by Emma Hunsinger.

What inspires your art? How do you pull inspiration in creating?

I’ve worked a lot with children, and I’m inspired by the way they see the world. I love that they find magic in things adults may find mundane, so I try to construct a magical world in my illustrations that mimics the way children see things.

Favourite MUSE Illustrations:

ARTICLE BY: LIZ GONZALEZ AND SADIE LEVINE

HEADER BY: SADIE LEVINE