I have been illustrating for a variety of clients in editorial, advertising and book publishing since 2006. I also have a Master's Degree in Architecture, and am currently working as an Intern Architect. As an illustrator I have recently been focused on book illustration, and over the past few years have collaborated with authors on titles published through Kids Can Press and Nimbus Publishing.
Originally from St. John's, Newfoundland, I have also lived in Calgary, Alberta, Wabasca, Alberta, New York, New York, and Toronto, Ontario. I currently live in Edmonton, Alberta, with my partner Josh and our dog, Birdy.
Email Me: gdfsimms@hey.com
Illustrated BooksSlowpoke: The Bell Island Mine Horse
written by Heather Smith, Nimbus Publishing, 2021
Screech!: Ghost Stories from Old Newfoundland
written by Charis Cotter, Nimbus Publishing, 2020
Ojiichan's Gift
written by Chieri Uegaki, Kids Can Press, 2019
The Man Who Kept Meeting Himself
written by Ryan Boudinot, McSweeney's Issue 28, 2008
Past Illustration Clients:
The Boston Globe, Bloomberg, Canada Goose, Canada Post, Canadian Business, Edmonton Arts Council, The Globe and Mail, House of Anansi Press, Kids Can Press, The Los Angeles Times, Maclean’s, Maisonneuve, Mcsweeny’s Quarterly, Polaris Music Prize Inc., Quill & Quire, Reader’s Digest Canada, The Stranger, The Walrus
2021-present
Intern Architect, hcma, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
2020-2021
Sessional Instructor, Undergraduate Architecture Program, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Sessional Instructor, Illustration Program, OCAD U, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
2018-2019
Sessional Instructor, Undergraduate Architecture Program, University of Waterloo, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.
2017-2019
Architectural Intern, Lateral Office, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
2014-2018
MArch, Architecture, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
2012-2014
Architectural Technologist, DIALOG, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
2012
Artist Residency, Frans Masereel Centrum, Kasterlee, Belgium.
2010-2012,
Diploma, Architectural Technology, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
2006-2007
Guest Study, Illustration and Cartooning, School of Visual Arts, New York, New York, USA.
2002-2006
BDes, Visual Communication Design, Alberta College of Art and Design, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.