Velicia Gourdin began her creative career as a fashion illustrator and graphic designer. Later she continued to pursue her passion for fashion illustration, creating work for, among others, The New York Times, Norma Kamali, and We Are Onyx. She has continually focused on the portrayal of women of color in her work to raise awareness about the importance of diversity and inclusion within the fashion industry. Velicia also enjoys a love of history—her family history, the history of fashion, and the history of Black people in America. She also hopes to utilize her artistry to showcase the achievements of Black female entertainers such as Josephine Baker, in the form of a graphic novel series in order to raise awareness of Black achievement.

Velicia Gourdin

Velicia Gourdin began her creative career as a fashion illustrator and graphic designer. Later she continued to pursue her passion for fashion illustration, creating work for, among others, The New York Times, Norma Kamali, and We Are Onyx. She has continually focused on the portrayal of women of color in her work to raise awareness about the importance of diversity and inclusion within the fashion industry. Velicia also enjoys a love of history—her family history, the history of fashion, and the history of Black people in America. She also hopes to utilize her artistry to showcase the achievements of Black female entertainers such as Josephine Baker, in the form of a graphic novel series in order to raise awareness of Black achievement.

Available to hire

Velicia Gourdin began her creative career as a fashion illustrator and graphic designer. Later she continued to pursue her passion for fashion illustration, creating work for, among others, The New York Times, Norma Kamali, and We Are Onyx. She has continually focused on the portrayal of women of color in her work to raise awareness about the importance of diversity and inclusion within the fashion industry. Velicia also enjoys a love of history—her family history, the history of fashion, and the history of Black people in America. She also hopes to utilize her artistry to showcase the achievements of Black female entertainers such as Josephine Baker, in the form of a graphic novel series in order to raise awareness of Black achievement.

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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Illustrator at Historic Hudson Valley
October 1, 2025 - November 1, 2025
Create panels that featured the enslaved at the Philipsburg Manor in Tarrytown, NY for a Black History Month Exhibition.
Children's Book Illustrator at Ralph Beach
March 9, 2026 - January 30, 2026
Created illustrations for a children's book entitled, "Matthew Brown, Please Sit down!?
Illustrator at B Side Comics
March 1, 2021 - Present
Creating serial comic recounting Josephine Baker's life as a spy fighting for the Resistance in World War II.

Education

Associates of Art at New England School of Art & Design
September 8, 1980 - May 15, 1982

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Education, Non-Profit Organization, Retail, Other
    Pinkster - Sankofa
    Draft created for Pinkster Celebration Annual Festival held at Historic Hudson Valley - Phillipsburg illustrator graphicdesigner
    Target
    Personal project to illustrate the current attack on womens' reproductive rights. editorial illustrator
    Salem
    Personal project. illustrator ethnic portrait
    Masque of the Red Death
    Personal project to portray The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe. illustrator graphicdesigner
    Margaret
    Created for Historic Hudson Valley to highlight Margaret Hardenbroeck Phillipse. illustrator
    Having Faith
    Personal project foregrounding artist Faith Ringgold. illustrator
    4 20
    Personal work celebrating 4 20. illustrator
    When She's Cold
    Personal work. illustrator fashion illustration editorial
    Black Women Lead Book Cover
    Created as a book cover to accompany the Black Women Lead Project which is a series of 200+ illustrations hung as street banners in the Grove Hall community in Roxbury, MA illustrator
    Kofi Jumps to Safety
    Created for Kofi's Fire - A Spark of Resistance. https://www.twine.net/signin illustrator
    Four Faces
    Created for Kofi's Fire - A Spark of Resistance. https://www.twine.net/signin illustrator
    Running for His Life
    Created for Kofi's Fire - A Spark of Resistance. https://www.twine.net/signin illustrator