Yuhan Wu

I’m an illustrator based in Oakville, Ontario, focusing on character design and visual storytelling. I believe every character is a vessel for emotion and narrative, meticulously crafted through shape, gesture, and composition. My work often explores mood and atmosphere, skillfully blending keen observation to tell stories in editorial and book contexts.

Besides art, I enjoy reading, taking walks, and collecting visual fragments—photographs, notes, and models, which often find their way into my work. I focus on pieces that evoke contemplation and emotional connection in the viewer.

Emotion & Toxicity

A series of unsettling, Lovecraftian-inspired designs that reflect the tension between internal feeling and external form. By merging toxic creatures with human emotional states, the project investigates the visual translation of emotion through hybrid mask forms.

Cave Expedition

A playable tabletop card game combining monsters, equipment, elements, and narrative cards. Inspired by Lovecraftian themes and the Shan Hai Jing, the project explores integrating character design and game mechanics.

Strange Tales from Liaozhai

A bookmark design series inspired by the classic Chinese collection of supernatural stories. Each bookmark features a different story, focusing on dark and horror themes with elements such as ghosts, monsters, and deities. The front of each bookmark displays an illustration and the story’s title in Chinese, while the back provides a summary. A QR code allows readers to access the full story digitally, combining traditional reading with modern interactivity. 

Late Arrival

A storyboard based on a personal experience, using three frames and a clock motif to depict the emotional shift from panic to relief.

The White Dress

A storyboard that follows an elderly figure and a mysterious white dress through a sequence of visual frames. The narrative unfolds gradually, using composition and pacing to build tension and atmosphere.

Inspired by a Lovecraftian aesthetic, the work incorporates dark, unsettling elements to evoke unease and ambiguity. Colour plays a key role in the storytelling: blue is used as the dominant tone to establish mood, purple as a secondary accent to enhance depth, and white is reserved to highlight the dress as the central focus.