Keith Grachow

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Keith Grachow

Toronto, Canada
Tel: 905 616 4280

An artist since a wee lad, I have been involved with graphic arts and illustration to some... Read more

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An artist since a wee lad, I have been involved with graphic arts and illustration to some degree all my life. When I was 5, my father started an advertising agency which introduced me to the world of graphics. This interest would continue into college where I earned a BFA with a focus in graphic design. All throughout college and for the next few years after, I took on various graphic and illustrative jobs, even doing the concept design for a sci-fi based dance club and bar. In the early 2000’s I began working my first career job, as the in-house artist for a toy company. Play Along Toys, the creator of the Britney Spears doll and licensed toys such as Care Bears, was where I really cut my teeth and learned how to be a professional.

In the years since, I have rededicated my life to art, taking painting classes, traveling around the world while artistically capturing it, going back to school for illustration as well as working in different artistic fields. In 2004 I taught school in Japan all the while drawing my surroundings and sharpening my skills. A few years later, I returned to Toronto, only to go back to school once more. This time I poured all of my time and effort to focus on illustration and the sequential arts. Once I finished school I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime; to work on a Disney movie. The animation company Yowza gave me the chance to learn how to digitally ink and paint on the traditionally animated film “The Princess and the Frog”. A year later I was once again at work for them, this time painting on the Disney featured “Winnie the Pooh”. While all of this was happening, I opened up my own studio in association with Studio Studios Photography and Video. As the co-owner, I am the creative director, handling designs for all of the marketing as well as the digital storybook albums that have taken the place of the traditional wedding albums.

If all of this wasn’t enough, I have been creating my own independent comic books and freelancing as an illustrator. Bitb, Bot in the box, was the first comic book I co-created, from pencils to paint, I had a hand in it all. Recently I have been working on a comic book with Mitch Cook called Concrete Martians, a comic strip called the Godless Maniacs inspired by Citizen Radio, and doing illustrations for an art book by Nerdpop. Illustrating posters and Cd designs for Lucas Macalastar, the recording artist, donating art to worthy causes such as Japan relief aid and many more projects that are in different stages of development, keeps me a busy boy. Of course I always have time for a commission or two!

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