Emerging Illustrator Earns Recognition

Image
Cover for the National Park Service publication Kids’ Guide to the Gap,  Julie Benbassat 19 IL

Just before graduation, illustrator Julie Benbassat 19 IL earned an Adobe Design Achievement Award for a project she completed last summer as a National Park Service (NPS) Student Artist in Residence at the Delaware Water Gap, which straddles the New Jersey-Pennsylvania border.

Page from Julie Benbassat 19 IL's sketchbook

Sketch of river and fish by Julie Benbassat 19 IL

Welcoming the opportunity to immerse herself in nature and live at the park during the NPS residency, Benbassat focused closely on the details of the wonderful setting. She used pencils, pens and watercolors to sketch scenic riverbanks, mountain trails, Hemlock forests, wild animals and more, along with the park’s historic landmarks and artifacts inside.

Watercolor of trees, by Julie Benbassat 19 IL

Watercolor of wood structures by Julie Benbassat 19 IL

Benbassat then referenced her diverse collection of sketches as she worked in Illustrator to make playful images for the NPS Kids’ Guide to the Gap publication.

Illustrations for NPS Kids' Guide to the Gap, by Julie Benbassat 19 IL

The new grad couldn't be happier to have won a Top Talent of 2019 designation from Adobe’s international panel of judges, who reviewed thousands of entries from a wide variety of emerging artists.

While still a student she also earned recognition in Society of Illustrator competitions in both New York and Los Angeles and won a silver medal in this year's 3x3 International Illustration Show No. 16.

From Julie Benbassat 19 IL's Material Creature Collection (2019)
Benbassat’s Material Creature Collection (2019) earned a silver medal in the latest 3x3 International Illustration Show.

“My work delights in the eccentricities of the natural world,” says Benbassat, “indulging in the quirks of folklore and highlighting the bridge between the cute and the horrific.”

“Julie is super talented and hard working,” notes Illustration Department Head Susan Doyle 81 IL/MFA 98 PT. “It's great to see her work acknowledged.”

June 18, 2019

Related Stories