It all started when…

I decided to leave home at the age of 17 to attend the Art Institute of Burnay, BC. Or maybe it started when I was 3, having just immigrated to Canada from Central America…or most likely it all started when I discovered action movies, rock n roll, comics and Dali. Either way, life has blessed me with an immense amount of inspiration. Which is probably why my work and career path has been so diverse. I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked on everything from Mobile Games, Children’s Books, Branding projects and Charcoal commissions.

In 2008, I graduated from the Art Institute of Burnaby BC with a diploma in Animation and Design. I went in thinking Animation was my future and that it would be easy to land a job, but in the same way Frodo thought his big adventure was going to be all fun and games…we were both wrong. While Animation hasn’t been part of my professional career, I discovered that I love creating concepts and illustrations, and fortunately I’ve been able to do this professionally. From 2011 to 2014 I worked as an illustrator for Fluik Entertainment, working on over 6 published mobile games. In 2015, I worked for Alieo Games, on an educational game for kids. From 2016 to the present, my professional career has been working as a graphic designer, however, I still consider myself a concept artist. I’m creating logos, designs that stand out, and creating concepts for new Brands.

On my own time, you’ll find me covered in charcoal working on my passion project, with Terminator 2 playing in the background for the thousandths time. Through this project, I’ve had the opportunity to sell my art at Comic conventions, and markets.

Although I love charcoal, watercolour, and inking and use these mediums a lot in my work, I’m highly experienced with Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, and Canva. I’m first and foremost and artist and a creator, and can’t wait to see what new projects I’ll get to work on.

Dixie Albanez - Freelance illustrator/graphic designer based in Canada.