Hi, I’m Kelina — Sihan Wei.
I’m an illustrator studying at the Maryland Institute College of Art, majoring in Illustration with a minor in Sequential Art. I draw animals, landscapes and organic worlds, and I also design games — building the worlds, characters and creatures that live inside them. Whether it’s a picture book or a planet, I try to give each piece a quiet, emotional story.
Most of my work starts with observation and sketching in colored pencil, graphite and technical pen, where I focus on texture and detail. From there I move into digital, building form and atmosphere with expressive line and natural color, and my studies in animation and storyboarding help me think about how an image moves and tells a story. In my game projects, like Vael, I carry the same approach into worldbuilding, character, creature and environment design. I’m working toward a freelance practice and, one day, a studio of my own.
Experience
- Illustration InternJan – Apr 2026Ocean House – The Bemelmans Gallery, Rhode Island, USA
Illustrated a children’s activity book for the Bemelmans exhibition, adapting my style to Ludwig Bemelmans’ visual language, revising with Art Director Hilary Pierce, and preparing vector files for print.
- Brand & Visual Design InternJul – Aug 2025Lenovo, Beijing, China
Designed an original brand character for ThinkBook, adopted for gift sets and merchandise; created promotional posters and visual narratives; provided design direction for 2025 China Open × ThinkPad event merchandise.
- Visual Design InternAug – Sep 2024TCL Electronics, Shenzhen, China
Contributed concepts and storyboards for promotional short films and designed product website layouts and visual systems across three platforms.
- Digital Media InternFeb – Mar 2023AOYA Design Company, Shenzhen, China
Created animated scene illustrations in After Effects and Photoshop and contributed to UI/UX layouts for mobile and WeChat mini programs.
Education
- Maryland Institute College of Art
BFA in Illustration, Minor in Sequential Art
Sep 2023 – Jul 2027 (Expected)
Dean’s List: Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025
Awards
- MICA Competitive Scholarship, 2024 & 2025
- H.C. Andersen Art Award — Bronze Award (Youth Group), 2023
- National Art Honor Society (NAHS) Scholarship, 2023
- MICA Creative Vision Award, 2022
- China Think Big (CTB), 2022
Game Jams
- Global Game Jam Yiguang 2026 · Oct 2026
2D Artist — Toward The LightEnvironment art and frame-by-frame fire and explosion animations for a 2D plant-climbing adventure set in a ruined city, delivered in 48 hours on a five-person team across a 12-hour time difference. Hosted by Tencent.
- Brackeys Game Jam 2026.2 · Aug 2026
Game Developer & 2D Artist — CURSECo-developed a narrative horror puzzle game in Unity, told entirely through a simulated phone interface, on a four-person team under the theme “Trust No One.”
Skills
- Visual Design
Photoshop · Illustrator · Procreate - Animation & 3D
After Effects · Maya - UI/UX & Digital
Figma · Canva - Game & Programming
Unreal Engine 5 · Unity · Arduino
Available For
Book & Children’s Illustration · Game Art & Concept Design · Worldbuilding · Character Design · Editorial · Packaging & Stickers · Summer 2027 Internships
Say Hello.
For illustration or game art commissions, collaborations or internship opportunities, email me or use the form.
sihanwart@gmail.comBaltimore, MD · Instagram