Hello! I’m Diana Vázquez, an illustrator and printmaker from Mexico, based in Toronto.

I draw animals and creatures caught in small, slightly illogical situations: two dogs keeping watch while their human is away, a pawn riding a borrowed horse, penguins visiting a sleeping girl. They are funny at first glance and, on a second look, a little tender or a little sad. I like images that tell a story without explaining it, and that leave room to discover the details.

I came to art by a long road. I studied Computer Systems Engineering and worked in technology for years; I also practised mountaineering for more than five years, studied photography for two, and completed a master’s in Coaching and Leadership. In 2020 I left that path to dedicate myself to illustration. Each of those experiences shaped how I observe and build images: with structure, curiosity and close attention to detail.

I work in watercolour, gouache, coloured pencil, cut paper, embroidery and digital illustration, and I carve and print linocuts by hand. Printmaking is tactile and intuitive; illustration is playful and driven by story. Each one keeps teaching me something about the other.

I hold an Illustration diploma with Honours from Seneca College, where I received Best in Show at the Graduate Exhibition. My illustrated colouring book Animales en situaciones absurdas was published by Editorial Gusanillo in Spain in 2026, and I illustrated the Spring 2025 website header for SCBWI Canada East. My work has been shown at art fairs and group exhibitions in Toronto and Mexico, and I teach beginner workshops, because making something by hand is a joy worth sharing.

Photo by @jpaulosampaio