Michelle Viet (IDEA Grad 2023) wins 3rd Place in CAPIC Rodeo 14 Student Illustration Contest with 'Mia the Bold'

Michelle Viet (IDEA Grad 2023) wins 3rd Place in CAPIC Rodeo 14 Student Illustration Contest with 'Mia the Bold'

Congratulations to Michelle Viet (IDEA Grad 2023) for winning 3rd place in the CAPIC Rodeo 14 student contest for Illustration with “Mia the Bold” (shown above)!

Many congratulations to Capilano University's IDEA School of Design students who continue to dominate the CAPIC student awards in illustration!

Check out this award-winning student illustration project!

This project was an exercised-based assignment to explore and develop a personal style and voice with an emphasis on interpreting human emotions and feelings.

First I selected some reference pictures of my friend, Mia and created some initial sketches of them. I wanted to go for a loose, textured and bold look with my illustration, so I used a graphite brush and halftone textures for a rougher look.
— Michelle Viet (IDEA Grad 2023)

As seen in the time-lapse animation, I moved away from the “less is more” mindset and kept building the illustration up with scribbles, textures, graphic shapes and bold lines.

“Mia the Bold” process work — initial sketches in Procreate

“Mia the Bold” process work — reference photos

“Mia the Bold” process work — initial sketches in Procreate

“Mia the Bold” process work — reference photos

“Mia the Bold” process work — initial sketches in Procreate

“Mia the Bold” process work — reference photos

CAPIC Rodeo 14 Winners from IDEA School of Design

CAPIC (The Canadian Association of Professional Image Creators) holds an annual nationwide student contest in illustration and photography, titled Rodeo. This was the fourteenth year of the contest, but far from unlucky for Bachelor of Design students: First Place for illustration went to Tiffany Zhong (IDEA Grad 2024), Second Place for illustration went to Hannah Bontinen (IDEA Grad 2024), and Third Place for illustration went to Michelle Viet (IDEA Grad 2023).

In addition, no fewer than seven IDEA students placed among the Top Ten for illustration: Aleks Jones (IDEA Grad 2023), Arsheya Seraji (IDEA Grad 2024), Anais Bayle (IDEA Grad 2024), Joanne Cuevas (IDEA Grad 2024), Natasha Lee (IDEA Grad 2024), Kathleen Manuel (IDEA Grad 2024), Jordan Richert (IDEA Grad 2025) plus one top ten for photography: Christopher Rodgers (IDEA Grad 2025)!

About CAPIC

CAPIC is the Canadian Association of Professional Image Creators, and RODEO student competition is open to photography and illustration students across Canada. Visual arts students from across the country compete for national exposure and an array of great prizes. The winning entries are also published on the CAPIC website and on social media.

IDEA School of Design’s Bachelor Of Design in Visual Communication is a career-oriented program for the next generation of creative professionals with concentrations in branding, illustration and interactive design. IDEA School of Design’s Interaction Design Diploma is a two-year program with career outcomes in the field of digital product design and user experience.

About IDEA School of Design

The Bachelor Of Design in Visual Communication is a four-year undergraduate degree with a variety of career outcomes in the creative field. Students can specialize in branding, Illustration or interactive design in upper years. The Interaction Design Diploma is a two-year program with career outcomes in the field of digital product design and user experience. The focus is on creativity, design thinking, and problem-solving.

See all of this year’s winners at capic.org.

Follow Michelle on Instagram @michelleviet.

Happy Halloween featuring illustrations from our first-year students (IDEA Grad 2026)

Happy Halloween featuring illustrations from our first-year students (IDEA Grad 2026)

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