Clarissa Tjandra

Art Education / Master of Arts (MA)

School of Art Education

I’m a digital illustrator, graphic designer, and art educator from Singapore. I specialize in digital art – more specifically, character concept art, storyboarding, and visual design. However, I also enjoy using a variety of traditional media, such as pens, pencils, and paints.

For as long as I can remember, art has been my sole greatest passion. Even as a child, nothing could compare to the joy and freedom I felt in drawing my favorite characters and bringing them to life on paper. I’ve fostered that love for art as I grew older and went on to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Ringling College of Art and Design. Since then, I’ve done several jobs as a freelance artist, visualizer, and graphic designer before eventually deciding to make a career switch into art education. Now, I am a proud graduate of the Academy of Art University with a Master of Arts in Art Education, and I’m excited to see where my artistic journey will take me to next.

In the past few years, I have taught students of all ages in art studios, private tutoring sessions, preschools, and community centers. My favorite thing about being a teacher is the connections I create with my students. I strongly believe that it is our duty as art educators to inspire our students, support their growth, and encourage them to create meaningful art for the sake of creativity, passion, and self-expression. And it is precisely because of this belief that I came up with the concept of my Capstone Project, Giftcrafts.

Capstone Project:
The aim of Giftcrafts is simple: to create original digital illustrations for the purpose of printing them on items to be later used as gifts for my students and their loved ones. But, beyond that, I want to prove that art can be practical yet sentimental, as well as accessible and enjoyable to people of all experience levels. This is especially important to me due to the rigid local schooling systems I grew up with, which I felt promoted uniformity and technique over artistic freedom and creativity. Rather, through student-led learning, Design Thinking, and Harvard Project Zero’s Studio Habits of the Mind, I aspire to teach my students that art should not be stressful or limiting, but enriching, fulfilling, and – most importantly – fun.