Featured Artist: MicaelaDawn

Canadian artist, MicaelaDawn (Micaela Blondin) is a freelance concept artist and illustrator. When she’s not creating art you can find her writing books, actualizing her dream project developing a video game and in 2016 had started a kickass, Kickstarter called “Flush Fatale”, which featured a deck of cards illustrated by 54 women across the globe, depicting different woman from history.

Micaela is an artistic superhero and she’s not going to let anything stop her from reaching her dreams.

Blue Stone Landscape

Where is home?
Home is usually wherever my cat and art supplies are. For a while, home was a tent as I traveled across Canada. Now, home is a little basement suite just outside of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada.

What is your weapon of choice?
When painting digitally, all of my work is done in Photoshop with a Wacom tablet. Traditionally, I am all over the place: pen and ink, metallic foil, and oil paint. But the one weapon that links them all is my unabashed desire to create artwork that tells a story.

What is your dream project?
I have a video game I have been developing in my spare time. Mainly creating the art, characters, and story that would be included in the game. And if given the chance, I would spend my time with others who were inspired by the message in the game, and bring my vision to life. I am a firm believer that you cannot wait for opportunity to fall in your lap. You must work towards your own goals, and create opportunity for yourself and other creative individuals.

Micaela Dawn

“I am a firm believer that you cannot wait for opportunity to fall in your lap. You must work towards your own goals, and create opportunity for yourself and other creative individuals.”

Owl Hunt

Please share the story behind your favorite artwork on Redbubble.
My favourite piece is Owl Hunt. I may or may not own a scarf, leggings, and studio pouch with that artwork. This piece, in particular, is one of my favourite because it was the first time I really felt like I was starting to develop a style as an artist. In Owl Hunt, a man who has killed a barn owl comes face to face with the spirit of all Owls; who has come to claim the hunter for her own.

If you weren’t making art, what do you think you would you be doing now?
Writing books. I do that anyway in my spare time, but if I were unable to create art through visual means, I would do it through the written word.

“There will always be those who think you are worth less than you are, and who try to convince you that your time and skills are not worth paying for. But you are who you are as an artist because of a lifetime of failures and successes, and you are worth so much more than just ‘experience’ or ‘exposure’.”

What has been one of the projects you’ve felt most passionate about?
A project called ‘Flush Fatale;’ a deck of cards illustrated by 54 women from across the globe, with each card depicting a woman from history. I spearheaded the project back in June of 2016, and after receiving over 3250 portfolio submissions from talented women, we are working to raise money to create the artwork and print all of the decks of cards. We launched a Kickstarter in December for the project, but were under our funding goal and need to find a new way to bring the playing cards to life. Projects that you are passionate about are worth fighting for, even if you falter along the way. Failure gives you the chance to learn from your mistakes and create something even better than before. If we’d managed to raise all of the funds, I would be super excited to illustrate my chosen woman from history: Ching Shih; a prominent pirate in middle Qing China, who terrorized the China Sea in the early 19th century. Feel free to check out our project website: https://www.flushfatale.com/.

Joan of Arc

The Gold Within

Please describe your work in 7 words or less
Dreams masquerading as colour and line.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given as an artist?
Never stop learning. As soon as you come to a place where you are comfortable and have no desire to learn new tricks and techniques, you stop growing as an artist and a person. Yes, sometimes that can be scary: to jump into the unknown. But doing the things that are uncomfortable and difficulty help you grow even when you fail.