I’m Justin Ian Lee, an illustrator based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, originally from Cape Breton Island. I love graffiti, cartoons, jazz, and baseball, and I’ve been dedicated to art my whole life. After 15 years working as an animator, I opened my own illustration studio and started exploring the world of kids’ books. My style blends art-school animation principles with the energy and improv of graffiti; what I think of as controlled chaos. I’m a big believer in saying yes and hitting deadlines.

I’ve worn a lot of hats over the years: character designer, background painter, concept artist, animation director, storyboard artist, and more. That range helps me approach each illustration from multiple angles and bring a lot of life, flow, composition, color, and character to the work. I studied art and animation in two programs and was valedictorian in both, and I’ve been running an artistic business for nearly 20 years. I’ve shown work in dozens of galleries, bars, and live art events, been part of award-winning teams, and won a few small film festival awards for music videos I created. One project I’m especially proud of was a t-shirt and packaging collaboration with Tom Segura. No matter the job, I focus on understanding what a client wants deeply so they can see themselves in the final artwork.

A lot of who I am was shaped in sketchbooks. Growing up as a 90s kid in Nova Scotia, moving around, dealing with bullying, a learning disability, and a pretty unsupported childhood, drawing became the place where I figured myself out. As an adult, I try to be the person I didn’t have growing up, especially for creative kids who feel out of place, and I’ve been lucky to teach art to hundreds of them. That’s a big reason kids’ books feel like the right direction for me. My influences are all over the place; comic books, cartoons, 80s SNL reruns, standup comedy, street art, greeting cards, vinyl covers, vintage tin toys. I’m happiest drawing with jazz on, rain hitting the window and both of my rescue dogs asleep in my studio.