Sarah McDonald
Is an Illustrator based in Great Falls, VA
Sarah McDonald is an illustrator who specializes in creating realistic compositions and designs through the use of traditional and digital mediums. Sarah was born in Great Falls, Virginia and attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. She earned her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree through the Communication Arts Department, and obtained a minor in English, with a scholarship granted each year. Sarah is a hard-working, curious and empathetic individual who, through her illustrations, seeks to teach a moral lesson to the viewer through invoking nostalgia. In order to achieve this, Sarah incorporates and manipulates high contrasted color and composition. To push the emotion and well educate the public, Sarah meticulously researches the subject she is illustrating. Sarah views her work as a connection or gateway into opening a discussion that others may find difficult to talk about, and seeks to educate those who remain ignorant about an issue going on around them. Sarah strives to spark the curiosity and nostalgia within a viewer in order to encourage them to create their own story in their head and seek out their own history. Sarah currently resides in Great Falls, Virginia, with her architect parents and artist sisters. As someone coming from a family of artists, Sarah encourages anyone with a passion for art to explore the fields of art and turn their imagination into something uniquely their own.
Artist Statement
Perched on the edge of the bed every night, listening to my father read, The Mistmantle Chronicles, I allowed the traditional, realistic illustrations of Christine Enright to spark the imagery of the story in my head. The etching style of the spot illustrations that brought the story to life, fueled my passion for art and gave birth to my desire to become a children’s book and young adult story illustrator.
Since the beginning, I have studied in many mediums until I found my niche in traditional mediums. Gouache, watercolor, ink, and charcoal have solidified in my work, as well as leading me to branch out into the digital mediums. A style that uses high contrast of light and colors, particularly blues, purples, yellows, and reds, to push the emotion of a piece.
Generally, I draw inspiration from my own life experiences and from those I know, to invoke nostalgia and relate to the viewer. Following my idea, I research the topic in order to be well informed about the history of a piece and make sure I am presenting accurate information to a reader. The next step is to pencil out the sketch in grayscale to make sure the light, and shadows read well before applying color. In each piece, I illustrate stories that will make the viewer laugh, re-explore their own imagination, present a moral lesson, and spark curiosity or empathy for the subject chosen so that they may create their own story in their head and seek out their own history, just as I did as a child.
703-674-9089 | sarahmcdonaldillustrations@gmail.com