Gifted Illustrator, Animator, & Fabricator | Philadelphia

Born in Philadelphia in 1991, Anthony spent most of his youth playing with the kids in his cul-de-sac, drawing cartoons, and exploring the fragmented patches of graffitied woods around his neighborhood.  Those early days exploring, along with many camping trips with his father, set the path of discovery for himself and his art. As a teenager, he spent much of his time traversing the suburban sprawl that he lived in with his friends, discussing stories and ideas. When he finally uncovered every last inch of his hometown ten times over, he set off to Savannah Georgia to further his education at SCAD and find himself as an artist. Most of what he learned is that you never really find yourself as an artist, because unlike the alleyways and streets of a neighborhood, there’s always more to discover in your own mind. In the future Anthony hopes to continue with his personal projects like writing and illustrating his webcomic Plainview, but mostly he hopes to never stop exploring not only with his art but in all aspects of my life. He works in digital illustration, digital 2-D animation and fabrication.

>>tonywenttoartschool.com
>>welcometoplainview.com
>>linkedin.com/in/anthony-sculpts-and-stuff
>>@tonylikeseggs

Gifted Illustrator & Designer | New York

Cara humbly began her artistic career at the age of 2 drawing lively portraits of cats on post-it notes. These caught the attention of her parents who then encouraged her to pursue her talents. She then recorded her musings in the form of images, filling sketchbooks with characters, stories and fashions. This path led her down to the humid swamps of Savannah Georgia where she earned her BFA in illustration. The experiences there refined and formed her artwork into fashion forward collage portraits and digital mixed media with a techno-stylistic bent. She discovered artists like Thierry Mugler and Egon Schiele who guided her hand in making these illustrations. Eventually, the joyous salad days of college came to an end and she was lured into New York City by its glittering giants and bustling streets filled with young artists such as herself. This relocation turned her gaze towards the sister of illustration: design. The magnificence of the Art Deco structures and forms piqued her interest in typography and layout. She now works to gain knowledge on these fields and implement them in her illustration.

>>cdz.nyc
>>linkedin.com/in/caradzuricky
>>@cdz.nyc

Gifted Illustrator | Upstate NY

Ever since she was just a little girl, Catherine has been most interested in the details. She has always loved beautiful, happy things. Fast forward to her time at the Savannah College of Art and Design where she discovered illustration- a way of communication using images in a variety of markets. She was enchanted by the possibilities and opportunities the field offers. Now she uses her skills in illustration and design to share beauty, happiness, and the joy of the moment with others. She is still captivated by the small details, and finds new ways to add small bits of delight to her work every day. If you have a project to create or a message to send, Catherine can do it with clean, cheerful imagery.

>>cmcguireillustrations.com
>>linkedin.com/in/catherinesnydermcguire 
>>@cmcguireillustrations

Gifted Designer | New York City

Del Mar has always been curious—fascinated with learning since he began devouring books at a young age. At 18, he left his native Seattle to make his dreams real in NYC, and years later, continues to evolve. He has a varied and interesting set of skills, drawn from his matching life and experiences. No matter the creative challenge, he'll find a solution, even if that means learning the tools to do so on the spot. His background ranges from travelling the world as a DJ and working for record labels, to working as a graphic designer in fashion and apparel production, to web design for healthcare agencies. He's not a nerd, he's just smart. Ok, maybe he nerds out a little about vectors.

Gifted Designer & Illustrator

Elianna Ayala is a graphic designer, art director, and illustration graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design (2020). She is inspired by the delicate femininity and strength of Audrey Hepburn and uses that inspiration in her work. Art, culture, and fashion all can be seen as sources of creativity, offering a sort of elegant sophistication to her designs. Pastel colors and soft textures are also staples of her brand. Elianna specializes in branding and logo designs, creating illustrations and fully immersive marketing campaigns for her clients. Additionally, she uses her calligraphy skills for invitations and formal events. She loves being able to freely sketch on location in her sketchbook using watercolors, colored pencils, and pens. Recently, she has picked up photography as a form of creative expression, to further enhance her skill set. She loves being surrounded by fellow creatives to encourage and challenge her. Being an intern with Gifted Creative Group has allowed her to continue to explore her artistry as a freelancer.

>>eliannaayala.com
>>linkedin.com/in/eliannaayala

Gifted Illustrator & Designer | Philadelphia

Born in Atlanta, Georgia but raised in North Texas, Ellen returned to her homeland to study art at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2012. Ellen has earned her BFA in Illustration, with a minor in Printmaking. She has always had a passion to tell stories with her art and to reach out to people with it. Her art focuses on pure emotion, body positivity, happiness, loneliness, and everything in between. She uses bright colors in all of her work to evoke the naivety of adolescence. She is confident with creating art digitally as well as traditionally and spends most of her time creating ideas in her sketchbook with markers and ink pens. Ellen is interested in both graphic design and editorial markets. She is currently working on hand lettering, typography, and animation.

>>ellenini.com
>>linkedin.com/in/ellenini
>>@ellenini_

Gifted Illustrator & Designer

Having lived in many, cities, countries, and continents, Eloïse is an Illustrator who imagines as many new adventures as she experiences. Her love of visual storytelling draws upon her own past, traveling the world, and scenarios that she has only dreamed about. She has always been fascinated by art’s ability to create an entire narrative or feeling through a single image or design, and her work reflects that. She uses diverse characters, exciting textures and rich colors to evoke, communicate, and immerse the viewer in her surface patterns, narrative designs, and detail-oriented illustrations.

>>EloiseLArt.com
>>linkedIn.com/in/eloiselart
>>@EloiseLArt

Gifted Illustrator, Motion Designer, & Art Director | Chicago

Born and raised in the Midwest, Greg found excitement and fulfillment in creating things as a child. This grew into photography, drawing, and playing “music” in high school. It was clear that his true passions were with drawing,at the time what he consumed visually was illustration but didn’t know it (what an idiot). He went on to Chicago for his BFA and recently finished his MFA in Illustration at SCAD. Greg has focused in conceptual illustration and is always pushing his visual vocabulary. He believes that concept is the most important thing about commercial art and visual communication. His main illustration approach combines both traditional and digital methods. Drawing with ink & brush he relies the imperfect lines to help emotionally communicate the idea, later he applies color digitally to accent the line work. Greg is expanding his knowledge in hand lettering, typography, design, and motion media.

>>greggregwilson.com
>>linkedin.com/in/greg-wilson-a2ba1675
>>@greggregwilson 

Gifted Illustrator & Designer | Alabama
Illustration • Body Art • Hand-lettering

I love making people happy; I always have! I've always loved using my art work to make people smile and to brighten their days. I use a various number of techniques including watercolor, pen and ink, acrylic paint, costume design, and body painting to explore my own imagination and touch people's lives. I plan to use my skills to better the world around me with a strong focus on protecting the environment and creating a stronger unity between everyone who lives on this wonderful planet. I would always playfully reply "saving the world" when asked about what my goals as an artist were; now that I have the tools, I fully intend to follow that path to every possible degree. Who doesn't dream of being a super hero? I have a passion for hard work, creativity, conservation, food, and spreading love far and wide; I will do my best to put my best foot forward in showing all those things to the world!

>hannsnleggsillu.com
>linkedin.com/in/hannahlegg
>>@hannsnleggs

Gifted Illustrator & Designer | Denver

As an Israeli-American designer and illustrator, Inbal has always been interested in the idea of creating beautiful solutions for beautiful causes. Projects involving environmental and social issues—particularly resource sustainability and cultural relations—are causes they feel most passionate about working on. Inbal enjoys experimenting in all areas of art and design, finding creative ways to present their solutions, and working in a collaborative environment. They are especially fond of incorporating texture, conceptual contrast, and maybe a pun or two (or five). Inbal holds a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. You can find them doodling at the Meryl Truett Gallery, shopping at the farmer's market, or playing with dogs at the park.

>>inbalsella.com 
>>linkedin.com/in/inbalsella
>>@inbalsella

Gifted Illustrator | Savannah

Growing up in a mixed family has influenced Kaisha’s work tremendously. Kaisha sees her work as being rather whimsical, relatable, and with an unconventional subject here and there. She takes influence from her own experience, her culture, and from the life around her. There’s always an observation that can be related to an experience that many have gone through, whether it’s a memorable moment or an issue people can get behind. Her art consists of bright scenes to dark narratives, all with a delicate flair. Color is a huge factor to her work, and she carefully chooses how color is represented in each piece. She’s very interested in working on editorials, advertisements, as well as production work for children’s books, animation, and video games. She loves drawing people and creating a narrative that can be seen in all of her work. Most of her work is digital, but she does enjoy using traditional mediums such as gouache, watercolors and markers.

>>kaishagwynn.com
>>linkedin.com/in/kaishagwynn
>>@kaishagwynn
>>twitter.com/kaishagwynn

Gifted Creative Director & Founder | New York City

Leslie began drawing as soon as she could hold a pencil and hasn't stopped since. She left her native Pittsburgh to study Illustration and Graphic Design at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and after earning her BFA, she spent a number of months backpacking through Europe and Africa. She's enjoyed moving around and gathering experience in both agencies and as a freelancer: 1.5 years as a Designer in Florida, 5 years of working late nights as an Art Director in the NYC advertising world, and 12+ years as a freelance Creative Director in NYC, Savannah, and Pittsburgh. Leslie specializes in advertising concepts, logos & branding, design, illustration and typography/hand-lettering to name a few. In her spare time, she can be found with a camera in-hand, capturing the world around her—that is, if she's not producing fashion shows, solo photography shows in NYC, and painting a series of self-portraits. Leslie enjoys teaching and mentoring; helping young artists to bridge the gap between their student and professional careers.

>>lesliewalsh.com
>>linkedin.com/in/lesliewalsh

Gifted Illustrator & Designer | North Carolina

Mackenzie Baker is an illustrator and designer based in Savannah, Georgia. After receiving her BFA in Illustration with a minor in Drawing from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), she is building a freelance career by taking on illustration work primarily in the editorial, advertising, poster design and book publishing markets. Her work is heavily influenced by American counterculture of the past and present with a nod to retro aesthetic, which she refers to as "new retro." Mackenzie is a self-proclaimed pizza lover, plant enthusiast, and canine devotee.

>>mackenziebakerillustration.com
>>linkedin.com/in/mackenziebakerillustration

>>fb.com/mackenziebakerillustration
>>@mackenziebakerillustration
>>twitter.com/illobymackenzie
>>pinterest.com/illobymackenzie
>>mackenziebakerillustration.tumblr.com
>>behance.net/MackenzieBaker

Gifted Illustrator & Motion Designer | Charlotte

Maryssa Pickett is an illustrator based in Savannah, Georgia currently in her final year working towards a BFA in Illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Her simple upbringing in a small farming town in the foothills of North Carolina, has fueled her interest in implementing themes of melancholy, dark humor, and intuitive naivety into her work. She often works in mixed media allowing for years of learned techniques to mesh with inherently primal creative approaches that she believes bring a sense of life into each piece, character, and story. When she is not creating she enjoys thinking about what long walks on the beach are like and making grocery lists that she will never refer to while grocery shopping.

>>glumpy.net
>>linkedin.com/in/maryssapickett
>>@spud.cowboy

Gifted Photographer & Art Director | Connecticut

Meg is a painfully curious visual anthropologist with a perpetual need to create. This takes on many forms from fostering cacti and herbs to collaging Bloomberg covers with Teen Vogue. She has been shy from cameras since a young age and developed a pout to ruin any kodak worthy family photo. She now uses the shutter as a trigger to capture clues about the world in which we live in. She has harbored this broad awareness into a psychological foundation for insightful perspectives on today's society. Figuring people out is what she does, aside from baking a killer banana bread on Sundays.

>>margaretcassidyfoster.com
>>linkedin.com/in/megfostersprofile
>>@peaceloveandbreadsticks

Gifted Illustrator, Designer and Maker | Chicago

Megan Pelto was born and raised in Massachusetts. She is an illustrator and designer with a BFA in Illustration/Communication Arts from Savannah College of Art and Design. While in attendance she had the pleasure of meeting Leslie Walsh and becoming a part of the Gifted Creative Group. Upon graduation she relocated to Chicago and began working at a creative agency as well as starting her freelance career. She is now freelancing and works on a variety of projects including illustration, design, motion graphics, and patterns. Megan also has an online store with homemade products, such as die-cut paper goods and cute cards. Besides creating things, her main loves are animals, the outdoors, and reading. Her life goals include living near the mountains, adopting animals, and illustrating forever.

>>meganpelto.com
>>linkedin.com/in/meganpelto
>>@meganpelto
>>behance.net/meganpelto

Gifted Illustrator & Sculptor | Chicago

Obadah Aljefri grew up drawing characters from pop culture and distorting people around them, creating bizarre caricatures. Their love for people always sparked a never ending interest in creating more caricatures, and so during their senior year in high-school they created an illustrated yearbook for their classmates. That is when they were sure that they wanted to pursue a career in illustration. Obadah moved to the United States in 2011. In Savannah, GA he earned their B.F.A. in illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). During their time at SCAD they experimented with different media and different disciplines that range from animation to fashion. Their curiosity has informed and enriched their work. They enjoy illustrating and sculpting for character development, creating conceptual (often times humorous) editorial illustrations, and illustrating for advertisements. They are passionate about the environment and the betterment of the human condition and are constantly looking to collaborate with and learn from other people. Basically they are awesome and you should definitely hire or collaborate with them!

>>obadahaljefri.com
>>linkedin.com/in/obadahaljefri
>>@artbyobadah

Gifted Illustrator | Atlanta

Rachel was born and raised and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she grew up with a passion for drawing and painting. She traveled to Savannah to earn her B.F.A. in Illustration with a minor in Graphic Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Rachel loves to create, be it digitally, traditionally, or any mix of the two. Realism and surrealism are her specialties, though she also has a knack for creating unique vector art. She is a perfectionist at heart and a detail freak - the tinier the better. With an eye for layout and typography, she considers how an illustration will function as part of a whole. She has experience working with clients on branding and promotion, and also hopes to explore the advertising and editorial markets. Her recent artistic endeavors include trying her hand at custom lettering and brushing up on her Adobe expertise. Outside of the art studio, she is a fitness enthusiast and lover of animals, particularly of the equine variety.

>>rachelwhitt.com
>>linkedin.com/in/rachelwhitt14
>>@rachelwhittart

Gifted Illustrator & Designer | New York

Sunny Yazdani is an illustrator/designer who also specializes in motion graphics. She is a Master's graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). 

>>sunnyyazdani.com
>>linkedin.com/in/sunny-b-yazdani-11917a83
>>@sunny_yazdaniart

Gifted Photographer & Videographer | NY

Sean Sullivan Thomas is a photographer and videographer with a unique eye. His most recent project is the Camoflauge documentary collaboration he worked on, which was screened at the Savannah Film Festival. 

>>seansullivanthomas.com
>>linkedin.com/in/seanthomasphotography
>>@seant0m

Gifted Photographer & Designer | Pittsburgh

From a young age, Selena has had a passion for writing. Her notebooks were filled with endless stories, characters, and plots. As she grew older, the desire to bring these characters and stories to life resulted in a love for storytelling through photography. The majority of Selena’s work has a narrative behind it, and many of her series focus on human nature. Through her interests in psychology, history, and surrealism, Selena creates work that explores and questions what it is to be human. After obtaining her BFA in Photography from SCAD in 2017, Selena plans to work in editorial photography and creative art direction.

>>selenaslack.com
>>linkedin.com/in/selenaslack
>>@selena.slack

Gifted Illustrator & Designer | Chicago

Somya Raju is an Indian artist, illustrator and designer. As a child, she found great pleasure in drawing and reconstructing existing objects to change their purpose and meaning. This curiosity in transformation has eventually developed into a keen interest in people and their constantly shifting mind states. She is currently living and working in Chicago, where she creates emotion-driven paintings that encompass a broad range of genres, including psychological, scientific, philosophical, sexual and behavioral contexts. She rearranges reality to generate metaphorical meaning by combining traditional and digital techniques. She recently won the Red Dot Communication Design award and her work has appeared in American Illustration, Applied Arts, 3x3 and other illustration annuals.

>>somyaraju.com
>>linkedin.com/in/somyaraju
>>@somyaraju

Gifted Illustrator & Designer | New York City

Whitney is an Art Director specializing in both design and illustration. She’s a 2016 SCAD graduate who began as a Gifted Illustration Intern in 2015 and has been with us ever since. She is available for freelance assignments, and art prints are available upon request. 

>>wwillustration.com
>>behance.net/WhitneyAWilliams
>>linkedin.com/in/whitneyawilliams
>>@whitneyawilliams 

Gifted Account Expert | New York

Marketing specialist with U.S. and global experience in large companies before switching over to the advertising side of the business. Passionate about learning a client’s business. Offers best practices to guide strategic planning and tactical executions. Comfortable in discussing high level branding or customer retention strategies, as well as planning a new app or gleaning customer insights through market research. Loves to travel and is open to new adventures.

>>linkedin.com/profile/AlexLebed

Leslie Walsh has given multiple professional presentations at her alma mater, SCAD, as well as visiting classrooms, teaching, guest lectures, portfolio reviews, and mentoring students and recent graduates. These include an Illustration alumni presentation at Arnold Hall, a Behance presentation at the SCAD Student Center, and a SCAD Photogroup presentation at Bergen Hall.

In the past few years, both Leslie and Megan Pelto have also given presentations to students virtually at both SCAD and Pratt Institute.