DT—24

Sharon Tan

Sharon Tan makes illustrations and zines in Mississauga, Ontario. She is also a working tattoo artist and loves it when her work is close to the soul and custom-made. She and her family are from Bandung, Indonesia, and moved to Canada when she was little. She has been drawing and painting all her life and hopes to continue to do so professionally for as long as the tendons in her hand will allow. In her spare time, Sharon makes zines about the exploration of self, slices of life, and silly stories. She also has an immense love for music, her house plants, and her dogs. Sharon’s dream is to publish short graphic novels and, eventually, a full-length graphic novel.

FAAD Award of Merit

ONLY

This illustrated story about growing up as an only child is based on a poem written by the artist. The project explores how feeling radically different from your parents, though isolating, can catalyze a journey into self-realization. Each illustration was drawn in oil pencil on bristol paper, and the trailer was animated frame-by-frame.

A Tribute to Mac Miller

This tribute redesigns a selection of covers from albums produced by rapper and songwriter Mac Miller. Sharon loved his music during her teenage years and continues to draw influence from Miller’s artistry. The concept, sound, and lyrics of each album inspired these hand-drawn and hand-painted album covers.

Small Grievances

This little book is about Sharon’s small grievances with everyday life. She has illustrated things that bug her when she’s out and about in the hopes that maybe people will relate to her little peeves. The illustrations in this zine are drawn by oil pencil.