ABOUT MEI’m an illustrator from Northern California with experience in traditional and digital illustration with a lifelong passion for art
and character design. I have played and been inspired by video games since I was a child and would like to put my skills to use in that field as well as continue to explore other aspects of the industry and game development. I have previously worked in various Quality Assurance positions further diversifying my skills and understanding of the industry.
EDUCATIONCSU East Bay - Hayward, CA
Bachelor of Fine Arts: Illustration
2021 - 2024De Anza College - San Jose, CA
Associate in Arts: Animation
Associate in Arts: Liberal Arts
2015-2017
I initially went to school for animation before shifting my focus to illustration for my upper division years . I believe that my broad education would be beneficial on team based projects. In addition to my formal training I spend my free time practicing my art and trying to improve in areas of art that I have not received formal training.
WORK EXPERIENCETwitch Content Creator
2021-2026Crystal Dynamics
Development QA - 2020-2021Lionbridge Technologies at Microsoft
Test Associate 3 Operator - 2017-2020
While not attending university for art, I focused my energy on video game and hardware QA to flesh out my workplace skills. During my time working at Microsoft via Lionbridge, I was left in charge of training new hires. Additionally I was always looking for ways to improve our team’s workflow and was given the task of rewriting the training manual for our primary project.After returning to school I worked freelance as a streamer of variety content online. My streams use animated characters, backgrounds, graphic design elements, and promotional art that I create and update regularly. I also began to take art commissions when my schedule would allow it.
PRIMARY SKILLSTraditional Illustration / Painting Experience
Digital Illustration / Storyboarding
Character Design / Graphic Design
Background Illustration / Animation (Traditional, CG, Stop Motion)
SOFTWARE KNOWLEDGEClip Studio Paint / Rebelle 5
Photoshop / Illustrator
JIRA / Maya
Blender / Microsoft Office Suite
Software Testing / Regression Testing
Automation Testing / Bug Tracking
contact : melanbye at gmail dot com