About me

I grew up exploring the serene forests of Western Massachusetts. I've drawn ever since I was a kid.

I graduated with a degree in computer science from Carleton College, was a coder for 6 years, and now work as a design engineer and illustrator. I received my MFA in illustration from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2026.

When not painting, I enjoy hiking, horror movies, horror movie podcasts, and cooking. I live in Brooklyn with my partner.

Aidan Holloway-Bidwell

my work

I've developed character sheets for private clients, as well as custom illustrations for clients' Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. My work has been shown at the Society of Illustrators and Creative Quarterly. I've also tabled at the IX Art Show (IlluxCon) and MoCCA Arts Fest.

I am experienced in acrylic painting as well as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Blender, Procreate, and Procreate Dreams.

I'm always seeking to learn new tools and skills. I pride myself in communicating clearly and professionally with my teammates and clients throughout a project.

AI statement

I refuse to use AI in my painting and illustration, even in ideation and thumbnails. I do not see the point in depriving myself of the joy of what brought me to art in the first place: putting a pen or brush to paper and wrestling an idea out of my head. I also seek to push against any process that places even more pressure on and exploits working artists.

That said, I do use AI in coding work. This website was built with the help of AI, and some of the more labor intensive pieces of my professional design work were completed with the help of AI, such as complex UI animation sequences.

There's a cognitive dissonance here that I acknowledge: after all, coding agents exploit and put coders out of work just as much as artists. I don't have a rock solid moral foundation to stand on besides transparency. I draw the line where I draw it and others will draw it elsewhere, and the more transparent we all are, the more grounded our arguments and discussions will be.