Poster design for a charity auction for the JDRF. Little did I know my character design was going to be the face of my new business!
First Market of 2024 at Potter’s, during Mainland Markets in South Surrey.
Speaking with customers during a market in May 2024.
Outside table setup during Mission’s Children Festival 2024.
Hi!
Val - Sprouting Joy Through Illustrations
Hey there! I'm Val, also known as Squirrel Sprout. I'm a goofy, neurodivergent 2slgbtqia+ digital artist on a mission to spread joy and warmth through my illustrations.
My passion to create started at a very young age, through animations and Saturday cartoons. I would spend days drawing characters on extra large drawing pads (literally the size of a tiny human!) and putting them all over my walls. Several years later, when home computers started to become more prevalent, I discovered the power of digital drawing, tablets, digital brushes, and best of all, no tiny eraser shreds all over my desks.
I started streaming art on Twitch in 2017, though I was already streaming games on the platform, and the more artists I would meet, the more my passion grew. Meeting new illustrators, animators, and from all over the world, too! It blew my mind. To be able to connect with professionals in the industry ignited my want, and need, to become a professional illustrator, even though I had not gone to school for it, and was an executive administrator in a totally different field at the time. Being self taught, I had a lot to learn. And a lot I learned since then.
It is only toward the end of 2023 that, after watching the journey of several artists on YouTube, I decided to take the plunge and start a new art business and sell my products at local craft markets and conventions. I had been successful at selling digital items - from logos to Twitch emotes, and an insane amount of commissions - and needed to take a new step into my art career.
And so Squirrel Sprout Illustrations was born in the very beginning of 2024!
One of my dream is to illustrate a children’s book about their inner power to achieve their goals and dreams, despite their differences, their diseases (I’m a type 1 diabetic on insulin pump therapy!), and anything else stopping them from being who they want to be.
If I can do it, anyone can.
See also: Mother, Artist, Goofball, Type 1 diabetic, ADHD, Gamer, Squirrel Sprout, 8BitVal, “Mom,” “Bruh.”
Would you like to see me at your events? From craft fairs to school markets and bigger conventions, let me know by using my contact form! I also love collaborating with people, so don’t hesitate to send me your ideas!