Gage Spehar
Education
Cleveland Institute of Art
B.F.A. Illustration, May 2025
Cum Laude: G.P.A. 3.6
Experience
CIA Production Workshop
Visual Development Artist
Cleveland, Ohio | January - May 2025
​Animated Film Concept
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Developed an environment and character design for a hypothetical Pixar film.
7 Minute Stories Podcast Cover Image
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Selected as winner of a competition to create a cover image for a podcast story.
Gap Closer Games
Concept Artist
Cleveland, Ohio | January - May 2025
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Created backgrounds and character designs for an upcoming boardgame.
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Selected as one of the strongest designs in class.
Grog Shop
Digital Illustrator
Cleveland, Ohio | January - May 2025
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Designed a concert promotion poster for an underground band named Meat Bodies displayed at the venue to promote the band.
American Greetings Corporation
Digital Illustrator/Character Designer
Cleveland, Ohio | January - May 2025
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Designed characters and environments to create a memorable holiday greeting card.
Freelance Digital Illustrator
Cleveland, Ohio | June 2021 - Present
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Commissioned for unique projects solicited through my art portfolio on Instagram.
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Continued development of a unique brand and a distinguishable online persona.
WaterHigh
Digital Illustrator
Chagrin Falls, Ohio | June 2022 - August 2022
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Summer internship focused on designing graphics of characters for a lifestyle clothing brand.
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Collaborated directly with the art director to create new character designs.
Skills
Visual Development | Digital Illustration | Character Design | Concept Art | Environment Design
Technical
Procreate | Adobe Illustrator | Adobe Photoshop
Awards &
Recognitions
Gund Family Scholarship, Cleveland Institute of Art, August 2020 – May 2025
Senior Traveling Scholarship Finalist, Cleveland Institute of Art, May 2025
Grog Shop Poster Display: Selected among top designs for client band poster display
Podcast promotion design winner with cash reward. 7 Minute Stories, May 2025
Gap Closer Games Concept Design Recognition: Recognized as one of the top designs by client
Interests
Film/TV genres: dark comedies, sitcoms, historical fiction, and adult animations.
Learning about history.
Studying the German language and culture.
Niche music genres: electro swing, breakbeat, old school triphop, etc.
Experimenting with animation as a hobby.
Resume Download
Portfolio Download
