• Try “portfolio”, “ink”, “branding” or a code like “PRS 101”.

03Meet the Founder

Ellis Ricketts

Graphic Designer, Illustrator & Film/TV Graphic ArtistBorn in Windsor, Ontario and working out of Toronto, Ellis has spent more than twenty years making visual work for brands, musicians, productions and his own studio practice.

A practice in four parts

The school's departments come straight out of the work Ellis does every week.
  1. 01

    Graphic design & branding

    Studied graphic design at St. Clair College in Windsor and has freelanced since 2006: logo packages, packaging, apparel graphics and a long run of album, mixtape and single covers, including the brand identities for Broken Wings Apparel and Loaded Realty Co.

  2. 02

    Film & television

    Works in film and television art departments as a first or second assistant art director on graphics. Credits include Star Trek: Discovery, JANE, Pretty Hard Cases, The Umbrella Academy, Reacher, The Borderline, The Terminal List: True Believer and Vought Rising.

  3. 03

    Painting & illustration

    Paints in acrylic, oil pastel and mixed media and draws in pen and ink. Original work has been shown at Toronto events including RAW Artists showcases, Art Battle Toronto, Pancakes & Booze and the Akin Winter Arts Market.

  4. 04

    3D & the web

    A graduate of Humber College's 3D Animation program, he models and textures 3D environments and props, and designs the websites that present his own work.

From the studio

A large painting and an ink drawing in progress — the two ends of the practice the Illustration & Painting department teaches.

See original work at ellisricketts.art
Drowsy Elephant Garden: a large painting of a green, sleeping elephant-like form curled in a dense forest under a glowing tree, surrounded by pink and red flowers.
Drowsy Elephant Garden — painting by Ellis Ricketts.
Ellis's hands inking a detailed character drawing over a lightbox, pens laid out beside the page.
Ink drawing in progress, from Ellis’s sketchbook practice.

Why a school

Ellis already coaches graphic designers, illustrators and visual artists on building a complete professional presence, and shares free resources for other artists through The Creative Vault.

He has built that presence himself — portfolio, resumes and artist biographies, his own websites, directory listings and the businesses he runs. The school turns that experience into a structured curriculum, so more artists can define what they do, show it clearly and get it in front of the right people.

Find Ellis elsewhere

The Professional Presence program is the school’s version of that coaching.

Explore the program