Artist Statement
Shane Tolentino is a Filipinx-American designer and illustrator currently working towards a BFA in Illustration and a minor in Environmental Studies at Columbia College Chicago. They primarily do editorial illustrations about food, lifestyle, and/or nature. Their work is made digitally, using Photoshop and Procreate. When they're not making art, you'll find them exploring downtown Chicago, playing with Colby, their blue tongued skink, or walking through their local forest preserves.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch, watercolor and pen on paper / digital prints available for purchase

What are you most proud of during your career at Columbia?
There's a lot that I'm proud to have accomplished during my career at Columbia. I've been incredibly involved with the Illustration program: I've won two ILLO Awards for Best New Illustrator and Most Professional/Most Contribution; I've worked closely with Illustration Student Group for the last two years as their Social Media Manager and now as their Vice President; I've represented the Illustration program in the 26th Hokin Honors Awards and won the show's Popular Vote; and I was part of the team that established INK Fest Chicago, a student-run art convention that drew crowds of over 500 people to attend in its inaugural year. Apart from this, I'm also proud to have worked on several teams of different publications in and out of Columbia, such as The Columbia Chronicle, South Side Weekly, Antithesis: An Academic Journal, Green Building & Design Magazine, and SixtySix Magazine.

Arctic Bunting, watercolor and pen on paper / digital prints available for purchase

How has selling with ShopColumbia added to your Columbia experience?
Through ShopColumbia, I was able to partake in a variety of shows, as both an attendee and as a participant, that were incredibly unique and felt true to the pulse of Columbia students. Being given the opportunity to sell my art alongside other makers in the community was another great plus.


Hares, watercolor and pen on paper / digital prints available for purchase

What's next for you after graduation?
I'd love to move to another fun city with an established illustration community and continue to work on different publications there. My eventual goal is to do art direction for a children's publication and put more diverse books out into the world.

Click HERE to purchase Shane's work!