A monthly highlight on talented illustrators, designers & visual artists from Black, Indigenous, & People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
Melissa Yee is an illustrator and designer whom I admire and in a healthy way, challenges me to keep up with my skill and creativity by participating in social media challenges and sharing her work through her platforms. I love getting to see her grow as an artist and freelancer. I have known her since our VisCom days at the University of Arizona and am honored to call a friend.
Check out her highlight & work below!
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Hi there, I'm Melissa!
I graduated from the University of Arizona in 2017 majoring in Visual Communications (Illustration + Design), with a concentration in Graphic Design. I enjoy digital illustration, logo design, poster design, and branding. Beyond the digital realm, I also love illustration and painting, and participate in fine art challenges such as Inktober, Drawtober, Folktale Week, and The 100 Day Project to keep my skills sharp.
The 100 Day Project: #The100DayProject is a multi-media art challenge where each artist does a creative activity (drawing, painting, performance - you choose!) for 100 days, starting January 31st. This year, my goal is to create watercolor paintings of different insects for 100 days. While I am not the biggest fan of certain insects (i.e. Lepidopterophobia - the fear of moths & butterflies), I figured this project would be a good way to branch out and also to face my fears in one small way during 2021!
My work is imaginative, marrying the areas of fine art and design with the relationship between humans, nature, fantasy/horror, mythology, and new possibilities. I currently work as a full-time Graphic Designer for the company Madden Media in Tucson, Arizona.
-Melissa Yee
Check out some Melissa’s work below!
Kitsunebi (狐火)- This piece was in the gallery art show "Heroes United" at the Yuma Art Center in 2020.
Ritual (Baba Yaga)- Part of the #FolktaleWeek2020 art challenge on Instagram, run by @folktaleweek
Star- Part of the #HMYuleArt art challenge on Instagram, run by @heathermahlerart.
You can check out more of Melissa’s art along with follow, like, share and purchase her work here:
Melissa Yee & TheBoneForest
Special thank you Lumenrose Jewelry, Cynthia Naugle, Amy Dunn & many others for inspiring activism, change & hope.