Get to Know Us
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Meet current and former students in the program.
CLASS OF 2022
Originating from Florida, Adam moved to North Carolina at a very young age. He quickly adapted to the culture and love for the outdoors. Now, Adam Dehus paints whimsical and colorful abstractions of his favorite childhood experiences. Most of his work is from his adventures through the Appalachian Mountains or laying on the beach in sunny Florida.
Adam attended Ringling College of Art and Design for his undergraduate degree in Illustration. He has worked for different companies such as Abercrombie Fitch and Hasbro. He designed logos and t-shirt designs for Abercrombie Kids, as well he designed different packaging layouts for various Hasbro toy lines. Currently he is pursing his graduate degree at NC State University in the Master of Art + Design program. In his first year he will be serving as a teaching assistant for Kathleen Rieder in ADN 418 Contemporary Issues in Art and Design.
Christopher Lambert, was born in 1989 and is originally from Yardley, Pennsylvania. He currently resides in Raleigh, North Carolina. Chris graduated with his BFA from Tyler School of Art/ Temple University in Philadelphia, PA in 2013. At Tyler, he studied Jewelry/Metals/Cad-Cam and later created his patented products called the Tieverso and Tieverso-S; which are accessories that decorate man neckties and women’s silk scarfs. Chris travels around the east coast, participating in Art Rider and Sugarloaf craft shows to promote his new products. Chris is currently employed at Gallery C, located in downtown Raleigh and starting Fall 2020 he will be attending North Carolina State University’s Art + Design master’s program (MAD).
Art Page: www.crlpursuit.com
Courtney Barron is a designer, animator, and illustrator, who focuses on storytelling and visualization. Born and raised in North Carolina, she completed her undergraduate degree in the Art + Design program at NC State in Spring of 2020. The work she creates is often supported and influenced by her cross-discipline curiosity and education.
Art Page: https://www.courtneybarron.com/
Elijah Umrani received his Bachelors in Art-Computer Graphics from Winston-Salem State University in 2018. Within those 4 years, he learned that despite the cultural differences, any individual can unite people together through the arts. He loves designing characters and writing background stories for them. During his time in the graduate program, he wants to better his craft and find a way to tell stories through images. After graduation, Elijah is hoping to work in the entertainment industry with Television or movie production, and possibly his own graphic novel series.
Art Page: https://www.deviantart.com/cozmicdreamz
Erin Willett was born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia and completed her BFA from VCU in 2011 in Painting & Printmaking with a minor in Sculpture. Jack of all trades, Erin has worked in cabinetry, construction, web development, graphic design, nonprofit and project management, customer service, and gallery coordination.
Her artwork has been exhibited in several solo and group exhibitions in Richmond and is held in the collection of numerous individuals and organizations including Capital One. She served as the Project Manager for 1708 Gallery’s InLight Richmond from 2012 to 2015, was the Gallery Assistant of Reynolds Gallery, Richmond, VA in 2015, and was the Gallery Coordinator and Operations Manager of 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA from 2015 to 2020. Currently, she is pursuing her Graduate degree in Art + Design from NC State and is the Graduate Extension Assistant with DH Hill Jr Library’s Innovation Studio.
Art Page: http://www.erinmichellewillett.com/
Social Media: inkinthesink
Gabrielle Edwards graduated from UNC-Greensboro, where she received her Bachelor of Fine arts in May 2020. There, she used charcoal and graphite to create illustrations that are centered around realistic figures depicted in an otherworldly environment . She always had a deep love for narrative stories and chose NC State’s program to help her develop her storytelling skills through 2D and 3D animation.
During her time in the program, she intends to enhance her illustrations by turning them into 2D animated short stories with a focus on story boarding. Through the use of storyboards, she hopes to develop these sequential images into a set of graphic novels. Gabrielle is also very open to new creative endeavors that she will have through the MAD program. She recognizes that the available program will allow her to work with a variety of programs that will open her up to new artistic ventures.
Gilberto Sibrian’s interest in storytelling comes from his days with the theater group Paperhand Puppet Intervention. Since creating his first mask for a giant theater production, Gilberto has used a variety of mediums to tell stories with the long standing tradition of puppeteering. Gilberto attended UNCG where he got his BFA in New Media with a focus in animation. Recently, his focus has been illustrating and working towards becoming a storyboard artist. Gilberto has recently moved to Raleigh after being in Sevilla for 7 months with his wife. Currently they live with their one lovely cat and one mess of a cat. He also goes by Gil.
Social Media: gilliebeartoe
Isabella Daniels attended University of North Carolina at Asheville, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Art focusing on drawing, as well as a bachelors of science with a focus on animation in the Spring of 2018. Isabella specializes in narrative storytelling and character design, and can often be found experimenting with various forms of media, including digital illustration, plush art, watercolor paints, and ceramics. She is extremely passionate about her work and has a knack for being ambitious and creative, and can often be found daydreaming about her next project. Isabella is focusing on traditional animation and illustration and intends to explore narrative storytelling through various mediums.
Jeff Rigall is a 3D artist and MAD student. He has gained a strong foundation in traditional art skills, including printmaking and painting, through intensive art programs growing up, continuing to a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from the University of South Florida. It was at USF where he merged his personal interests in new media and artistic drive to establish himself as a 3D Artist.
To Jeff, 3D art used in video games, virtual reality, and other emerging media has wide-ranging applications and the potential to connect with a wider audience. He is most interested in how an environment can impact an individual using the immersive nature of video games and virtual reality.
Art Page: jrigall.artstation.com
Social Media: stellatarum.art
From a young age, Lucia Barrett has always had a passion for art. Since high school, she has been working as a freelance painter and illustrator and has stayed consistent in her independent artist endeavours. She received her Bachelor’s in Art + Design from NCSU in 2016 and has ventured back for an intensive study in the masters program. Currently, she wants to make video games, but that is subject to change after further study.
Art Page: http://www.lava-salmon.com/
Lydia Granholm is a game designer who will begin studying Art and Design this semester. She graduated from William Peace University’s Simulation and Game Design program and also has experience in traditional art and virtual reality. She is interested in designing games that change the way we learn about the world and the other people in it.
Art Page: lydiagranholm.com
Mitchell Connor graduated from University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2018 with a degree in New Media with a focus on Animation. Mitchell works mainly with 3D animation, modeling, and rigging, and enjoys working with virtual reality as well. He will be working as a virtual reality research assistant during his first year at NCSU. During his free time, Mitchell enjoys creating new worlds through 3D modeling, and exploring them through virtual reality. Mitchell is interested in exploring the world of virtual reality throughout his time at NCSU.
Vaikunth Raghavan is an artist, storyteller, programmer, and designer. Born and raised in India, Vaikunth moved to Raleigh, NC after finishing his undergraduate in computer science and engineering to pursue his interests in arts, animation, and design at NC State University.
Vaikunth has learned several forms of traditional and digital painting mediums since childhood. Inspired by comics, graphic novels, and animations both 2D and 3D, Vaikunth started to design his own stories and characters. In his first year in graduate school, Vaikunth learned 2D and 3D animation and started designing his concept works in both mediums and used them as assets in creating VR experiences to tell their stories. He also worked as a lead character artist in a 3D VR animated film done with students from UNCSA and worked with EQ Lab as a 3D artist for a VR experience. In his second year, Vaikunth will be working on his graduate project in the field for storytelling with VR, and as a 3D character and asset artist working with design labs in the university and in Raleigh. In his free time, Vaikunth likes to experience games, movies and comics and learn from the works of art and will bring his own character and concept designs to life through what he has gained from his study.
Art Page: artofvaikunth.com/
CLASS OF 2023
Alison is originally from Denver, CO. She did her undergrad at TCU, studying Religion and Studio Art (Painting), then spent some time working in New Orleans and Denver before making her way to NCSU. She is eager to learn new technologies and design methods, particularly animation. She is also excited about exploring big ideas and elevating humanity through telling stories. Other interests include comedy, the outdoors, and learning about new cultures (especially via food).
Art page: alisonarmstrongart.com
Aneshia is a Durham, NC native with a background in history, illustration, and design. When she’s not hunched over her computer or sketchbook, she’s usually cooking one of the hundreds of recipes that she’s pinned on Pinterest or getting lost in an interesting book. She’s interested in growing as a storyteller, using animation and other forms of sequential art to tell diverse stories.
Art page: aneshiatinnin.com
Austin is Originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, he graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he studied painting and drawing. He then earned a BFA in Art and Design from North Carolina State University. Now a part of the MAD program, Austin continues to study interactive digital art and game design with a focus on creating compelling virtual environments. After graduation, Austin hopes to work as an 3D environment artist in the games industry. When not working in Blender and Unreal Engine, Austin enjoys playing chess, drawing, and running.
Art pages:
3D portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/austincaskie
Games and Interactive Media: https://austincaskie.itch.io/
Painting and 2D illustration: https://www.austincaskie.com/
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/austincaskieart/
Ellis is a new media artist and digital media maker. Her work includes web-based projects, video production, photography, and UX/UI design. She believes in the power of technology to promote positive outcomes. Her work is informed by a passion for human centered interaction and a commitment to social equity. Her interests include art, art history, graphic design, alternative transportation, sustainability, and history. In her free time she loves to ride her bike, cook with friends, and read sci-fi.
Art page: wildforms.net
Jackson is a North Carolina native who earned his undergraduate degree in English from NCSU. Nowadays, he spends most of his time developing VR games and applications. He’s most passionate about HCI design, designing for accessibility, and XR technologies. In his free time, he enjoys baking and spending time with his partner, Angela.
Art page: jbostian.com
Lleyton is an Australian-born American-based designer passionate about front-end development and interactive design! He recently graduated from High Point University with a double major in Computer Science and Electronic Media Production. When he is not in class or coding, you can find him taking photos or working on personal art projects.
Art page: lleytonseymour.com
Mikey is a grad student in the Art and Design program with a Bachelor’s degree in Design Studies with interdisciplinary knowledge in Fibers and Materials, Art Studies and History, Product Analysis, and Visual Arts. She is also an illustrator and multimedia artist.
Art page: instagram.com/my.
Nastaran is an Iranian-based Artist. She is deeply into animations and illustrating the stories inside her mind. She got experience in inbetweening and being an ink and paint artist before her graduate program. Her main goal is to become a great artist and have a voice for helping people and animals worldwide through her art.
When she’s not busy with school and work, she loves to read books with a cup of coffee while her ethereal chill playlist is playing.
Art page: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tnCqzbn0TdGwqSWUrspzzHympij0-CXE?usp=sharing
Sally is Raleigh born-and-raised, and she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May 2019. She has been drawn to design since childhood where she would take hours to make a birthday card or preoccupy math class sketching on a piece of scrap paper.
She favor a quirky style, and she loves to play with texture. Her goal is to pursue a career in motion graphics, as she sees it as the perfect intersection between aesthetic design and captivating storytelling.
Art page: dillons789.wixsite.
Yu(Susy) Su entered the EDP program at the University of Denver during the fall of 2017 and she currently enters the Art +Design Program at North Carolina State University with specific interests in studying interactive design, graphic design, and visual art. Growing up in China and the United States shaped her, and her artwork benefits from both cultural traditions. This experience has made Yu adept at breaking stereotypes and creating the value of something emergent mainly through photo editing, video editing, and animation.
Art page: susyinternetart.neocities.org/susy.html