Vulfpeck "Sleepify" Tour Map
11" x 17"; digital; 2024
A fan-made map of Vulfpeck's 2014 Sleepify Tour.
The Pink Lady Cocktail Spread
11" x 8.5" spread; digital & watercolor; 2024
The Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design contributed illustrated cocktail books as freebies at the 2024 ICON12 Illustration Conference, using spreads designed by the Junior class. These designs needed to have an illustrated wordmark, historic recipe, and a full-page illustration using MIAD's colors (magenta, red, orange, and blue). I was fortunate enough to be one of the 16 students selected for the final booklet.
The Pink Lady is a Prohibition-era cocktail. Though some debate remains about its specific namesake and origins, its bright pink, grenadine-fueled color is unquestionable. I created an anthropomorphic Pink Lady to represent the drink, taking inspiration from American 1920s fashion. The wordmark on left is a modern twist on '20s sign lettering.
Serpent's Gulch Map
12" x 9"; pen & ink (lines), digital (color); 2023
A map of a magical wild west town, created for a TTRPG (Monster of the Week) campaign I ran for my friends. The linework was done with a dip pen, which I then scanned and rendered digitally.
I developed the final map from a collaborative map made in Roll20, an online TTRPG software. The town started out sparce, but as the story continued, my friends and I added more features (and silly doodles!)
Saint George's School Fundraising Illustrations
8.5" x 11" full page illustrations; digital & watercolor; 2024
Saint George's School (Spokane, WA) hired me to create three full page illustrations to use in fundraising efforts for the 2024-2025 school year.I used their motto, "Inspiring scholars, athletes, and artists to serve and lead others", as direction for the set. They also requested to see a student from each of their three schools: Lower (K-5), Middle (6-8), and Upper (9-12).
Splash of Color
3 2.5" x 2.5" x 8.75" cans;
pen & ink, watercolor, & digital; 2023
A packaging design system for Splash of Color,
a fictional brand of children's bath bombs.Each can features a unique wrap-around illustration that corresponds with the color of bath bomb contained inside. These illustrations were lined traditionally, before being rendered digitally with custom watercolor textures. The logo is a hand-rendered, vectorized wordmark that draws from the fun and chaotic nature of playing in a bath.
"Ride & Wrench"
Trek Collaboration
24" x 36"; digital; 2023
This piece was one of 20 finalist poster designs in a collaboration between Trek Bikes and the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. Each third-year illustration students was asked to make a promotional poster for a Trek sponsored bike ride, which their creative team would later add clarifying information to. I was assigned the theme "Ride & Wrench," a dual ride and bike maintenance event targeted towards new and younger riders.
Jelly Sammie
Vectorized Typeface; 2023
Jelly Sammie is a hand-rendered, 3D typeface. Its wobbly, bottom-heavy forms were inspired by its namesake. It is best used off the baseline and with bright, vibrant colors.
Inoptimum Security
21.5" x 9.5" wrap-around dust jacket; digital; 2024
Inoptimum Security is a (fake) Young Adult sci-fi novel about a group of interstellar art thieves. I wrote up a fictional summary, set of reviews, and author blurb to set into an illustrated dust jacket. I hand-rendered the title and subtitles in sketchy, quirky letters to emphasize the funny, fast-paced nature of the book. The trail of the main flying saucer spins out across the front cover, highlighting the author's name on the spine and the summary on the back cover.
As part of ideating for this project, I designed the four main characters: three aliens and the protagonist, a poor, abducted human security guard named Rico. They are visible in the flying saucer on the front cover. I designed each to be visually distinct at a distance while still sharing similar colors (blue and green, as well as red and yellow for the alien characters).
Typographic Washington
11" x 14" print; digital; 2023
A nested, hand-rendered typographic map of my home state, Washington. I tried to include as many different type styles and doodles as possible.
Fashion Timeline
Five 6" x 9" panels; watercolor; 2023
Personal study project, showing a time-traveler wearing a new Western fashion style for each time period she visits.
Everdark: Eternal Eclipse
10" x 8"; digital; 2024
An interior map for a hypothetical YA fantasy:"After an unfortunate series of asteroid strikes, the spin of the planet Terra synced with the Sun, creating hemispheres of permanent day and night. This sucked fang for everyone involved--except for the Vampires of Everdark, the ghoulish fiends who thrive in the eternal eclipse beneath the Moon."
Hey, I'm Sydney!
I’m a freelance illustrator & designer who blends digital and traditional methods to make bright and whimsical pieces. I have a passion for maps and hand-rendered typography. Currently, I’m a senior at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, where I major in Illustration and minor in Communication Design.When I’m not working, I’m usually writing, playing D&D with my friends, or poorly strumming ukulele chords while “singing” (I’ve also heard it described as “screeching”, “calling whales”, and “summoning banshees from the pits of hell”. I suppose it's up to debate!)If you have a project that you’d like my help bringing to life, please reach out at contact@sydneydawned.com!