What started as a way to pass time during lockdown turned into one of the most unexpectedly rewarding projects I’ve done. In 2020, I began drawing cartoon portraits of my friends—just for fun, just to stay connected. One post turned into ten, ten turned into fifty, and before long I was illustrating complete strangers who had reached out asking to be part of the series.

 

The project took on a life of its own, growing from a casual experiment into a study of expression, personality, and connection during isolation. Over 50 portraits later, what began as a creative outlet ended up earning the 2021 AIGA Together Award, 2021 AIGA Worldstudio Scholarship, and the 2021 Betty Designs Award.

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It’s proof that sometimes the most unplanned projects—the ones you start for yourself—end up being the ones that resonate the most. Thanks to everyone who let me use their faces!