Michael Byers

Combining wit and wisdom

Michael’s exhaustive list of top-tier clients speaks volumes about his talent as an editorial illustrator. Here are the names of just a few of the publications that have featured his witty illustrations: New York Times, Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Toronto Life, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek. Michael has also made the list of the 200 Best Illustrators Worldwide published by Luerzer’s Archive – a big honour for professional illustrators.

Michael believes his ability to highlight humour in an illustration is one of the reasons for his success. But to get where he is today, the Hamilton, Ontario artist heard many no’s before he landed his first ‘yes.’ Michael has passed on his message of perseverance to fourth-year students at Sheridan where he taught part-time. “I told them to trust themselves, be confident and above all, work very hard. It feels good to be able to encourage students who are about to graduate to be confident,” he says.

For Michael, coming to Sheridan to earn an Art Fundamentals Certificate in 2003 followed by a Bachelor of Illustration in 2007, seemed like a logical decision. “I knew it was a highly reputable school with world-class programs,” adds the alumnus who found the art coming out of the illustration program aligned well with his career aspirations.

Michael remembers his student days well and is grateful for the time he spent at Sheridan. “I feel if I hadn’t come to this school, I wouldn’t be where I am in my career. I learned so much, mostly from the faculty and was able to adopt skills to use in my tool box as I moved forward after graduation.”

Check out Michael’s work here
Learn more about Sheridan’s Bachelor of Illustration