DT—26
Karen Huang
I’m a Canadian illustrator driven by storytelling who’s interested in creating media that connects with youth. My work explores themes of growth and discovery inspired by my experiences and aspirations. I hope to also help others tell their stories through lively, atmospheric visuals that inspire curiosity and wonder. I enjoy a broad range of interests: comics, video games, toys, and animation, to name a few, and I’m particularly interested in magical and spooky stories.
Scars of a Yew
A blind box series of seven figurines whose designs tell the story of a girl living with psoriasis. Using thorny flowers to reflect the lesions that can appear in those with the condition, each figurine depicts a different stage in the journey, exploring the anxiety that accompanies psoriasis and how it can progress.
This project is a fairytale retelling of my experience with psoriasis. I chose this lens to make the subject easier to engage with, as the lesions are something I still perceive as unsightly at times. Given that flare-ups are sometimes tied to stress, I hope sharing my story can offer some comfort to others living with this condition.
A Haunting Melody: The First Encounter
By day, a simple tavern musician; by night, a psychopomp. After stumbling upon an enchanted flute, Mallory uses its powers to help troubled souls find peace and grieving loved ones find solace. Thinking this will help her cope with her feelings of being responsible for the deaths of her family members, she continues to live like this, feeling the need to help these people.
What once felt exciting now feels like a chore and a duty she must fulfil. This is how Mallory lives her mundane life, with nothing but work on her mind. But with the intrusion of Armel, a fresh face in town with secrets of his own, Mallory begins to question if she has been doing more harm than good to herself. This is how she begins to learn to overcome her fears, let go, and find purpose elsewhere, doing something she truly wants to do.
The following pages are a glimpse into the beginning of this story.
Deja Vu
A little story of a sheep moving into a new town and meeting a new friend!