Meet our GROWTH illustrator: Amber Rankin

Each month, CreativeMornings has a different theme for the talks given at our local chapter events around the world. It is our tradition to work with an artist in our community to create an illustration for each monthly theme.

Our theme for November is GROWTH. It was chosen by our Sacramento chapter in California, illustrated by Amber Rankin, and presented by Adobe.

Amber is a 2D animator, illustrator and muralist in Sacramento, CA. She graduated from UC Davis with a BA in Art Studio & Sociology in 2009 and Academy of Art University in 2017 with an MFA in 2D animation. Since graduating, Amber has worked on several award winning short films as a 2D rough animator including the Pixar Co-op film “Amped” directed by Vincent Salvano. Alongside her work in animation, Amber has completed several public art projects throughout Northern California including utility box murals in Windsor, Sacramento, and Natomas. And also two large murals in Sacramento. Amber’s illustrations feature lively colors and expressive characters, often depicting fun stories of everyday life (mis)adventures.

Amber shared the following reflection on her illustration for this month’s theme: ​​

“For this illustration I wanted to explore some concepts for growth that would capture some of the feelings that come along with growth. I ultimately settled on a humorous take on how we tend to want to rush our growth that’s shown by a little boy standing on his toes as he’s measured in a doorway. I think that both in art and in life we’re in a hurry to get to the next milestone. I know that for myself, when I’m struggling to learn a new skill or develop a new habit the first thing I do is Google a plan to get there faster. I think that if I just take a course, get the right critique, or find the right 10-step plan I’ll finally level up! But that’s just not how growth works, it comes slowly from doing the work everyday, trying again and again and starting over when you need to - it’s a journey you can’t skip and should learn to enjoy.”

Listen to how to pronounce Amber’s name.

You can see more of Amber’s work on her site and follow her on Instagram @ambermations.

Selected Works