Kathryn O’Dell
Portfolio
I am an artist who loves to create art inspired by my love of cartoons in the mediums of digital and traditional art.
About Leo the Dragon
I have been an artist since I was little, spouting out colours and comparing them to objects around me when I was just learning to talk and count. I grew up loving crafts and colouring, which sprouted into drawing. This love can be seen through my art and I hope you enjoy my art as much as I enjoy creating it!
When I was about 10 years old, I placed as a runner-up in a drawing competition for Remembrance Day, earning me one of my first awards when it came to art and design. In 2020, I got my first drawing tablet and a “How to Draw Cartoon Animals” book for Christmas. Since then, I have been creating characters, art pieces, and eventually finding my love for graphic design.
I started learning animation in 2025 through a Communications Media class, giving me the courage to try competing in the Skills Canada Competitions for 2D Character Computer Animation. I went on to win bronze in 2025 as a soloist in the team event and silver as a duo with my best friend in 2026.
Finally, I am on my way to starting my Studio Art degree in the University of Saskatchewan’s bachelor’s program to further my studies in graphic design. I will continue to grow my digital and traditional art practices as I take one big step closer towards my dream job.
Goal
My goal is to create a beautiful community of designers and multimedia artists working together to bring a personal and traditional touch to an AI-washed world. As I enter university to gain my Studio Art degree, I will learn and expand my horizons further than just the digital screen I’ve stared at for most of my life. I ultimately want to bring digital media and traditional media together in a way that is new yet natural. I want to look at digital advertisements and feel like I am looking at something that could be right in front of me in a physical way. I wish to see posters around the city that make you feel like you’ve stepped back into the internet. We don’t need to fight against technology to make something feel human; we just need to remember our roots in the Earth and where we ultimately came from.
Vision
My vision for the future, as my skills expand and my trade grows, is for all my work to have a personal touch that is different from those around me. I see myself in a comfortable environment while I work alongside clients and co-workers to bring life to commercial products, advertisements, and designs. I won’t stop my passion for art either. As I continue to learn about graphic design, I will continue to grow as an artist as well, practising animation, digital art, and traditional media to get me ahead as the world evolves rapidly.
Mission
As AI continues to evolve and grow, I will continue to grow alongside it. I will not work against it; my mission is to embrace the evolution of technology. Our society is based heavily on technology now, and if it is an element of my life that I continue to push aside, I will never be able to continue my growth as an individual or as an artist.
Schooling
I was given a plug-in drawing tablet on Christmas Day of 2020, and I have been drawing on my own since then. I have been a self-taught animation artist for four years since entering high school. I took a Communications Media class for a semester, and I have taken Graphic Arts classes in high school for two semesters. I have been in Studio Art and Visual Art classes throughout my whole high school career, using traditional media like silk-screen printmaking and painting to create works of art that speak to themes and personal ideas. I know my way around animation, graphic design, and digital art like the back of my hand, and my schooling will continue as I move into my four-year Studio Art degree in the Fall 2026–2027 term at the University of Saskatchewan.
Acceptable vs. Unacceptable
When it comes to my multimedia projects, there are hard lines I will not cross, no matter if the project is personal or for a commission. I will gladly do personal works, character portraits, short animations or films, concept art, commercial design, and traditional art pieces. However, I will not work with any drug depictions, pornography, discriminatory themes, or copyrighted works such as games or characters. I have the right to refuse work from anyone who commissions any of these rejected themes.
Contact Kathryn
Feel free to contact me via any of these methods