• Illustration
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Maki Yamaguchi
  • Illustration
  • About + Contact

Skeletal Journal: Old Phuket Town, Thailand 2022

Personal Project: Illustrated journal of places/things I personally visited and seen, with the skeleton character as my avatar.

三亀 Three Tortoises

Private Commission: Store front of the Yakitori (grilled chicken on skewers) restaurant “Sankame (Three Tortoises)” in Nagoya, Japan.

Kame (tortoise), Tsuru (crane), and Tanuki (raccoon figurine) are all considered as lucky symbols in Japan.

Simone Weil

Illustration for the essay “Whose Weil?” in The Drift Magazine issue 14 about Simone Weil, a French philosopher and political activist, who was called “The Red Virgin” for her asceticism, communism, and scorn for femininity

Mushrooming

Illustration for The American Scholar, for an article about “True” foraging

Five Almuni

For the fall 2024 Smith Quarterly of Smith College; portraits of five alumni who have shaped today’s culinary scenes in the US

Cocoon

Illustration for L. A. Affairs, a popular weekend column in LA Times, published on Feb. 2, 2024. The essay was about a newly-wed girl having an affair and ultimately destroying her marriage.

Smoke

-Society of Illustrator Illustrators 66 Selected

-Communication Arts Illustration Annual 64 Award of Excellence

-Applied Arts 2023 Winner

-World Illustration Award 2024 Shortlisted

Personal Project. New York Cityscape

Love Lessons

Opener and inside illustrations for “Love Lessons” in LDS Living Magazine May/June 2024 issue, about lessons we can learn from the parables.

Lost

-World Illustration Awards 2024 Shortlisted

Personal Project: Originally made for the Instagram illustration challenge called “Folktale Week” for a made-up story about a skeleton castaway.

Bangkok Supper Club

Private Commission: Inside views of Bangkok Supper Club

Fish Cheeks

-Society of Illustrator Illustrators 67 Selected

Private Commission: Illustrations of Fish Cheeks restaurant’s four partners preparing for its opening back in 2016

Gandhi

Illustration for an article in The Drift Magazine issue 12, about Gandhi and how his image has been idolized, mass-produced, and commodified by the government and public.

Judith Butler

For the essay about Judith Butler in The Drift magazine issue 12

Andare en Tilt, on Tilt

-18th edition of Tapurulan illustration competition “Tilt” selected

-American Illustration AI42 Selected Winner

Andare en tilt (going haywire in Italian) on tilt (poker term for making bad & costly decisions out of frustration), and of course everyone and everything is tilted. Will be included in the exhibition and printed calendar in 2023.

Ideal World Fashion

-World Illustration Award 2023 Longlisted

Personal Project

Mayors

-3X3 International Illustration Show No. 21 Merit Award

Unpublished portraits of Mayor Adams (NY) and Mayor Lightfoot (Chicago) for The Drift magazine issue 10

Roosters on the Beach

 Personal Project. Phuket, Thailand 2022

Queens County Farm

Private commission

Aurelie Paradiso Design

Commissioned painting on a black sideboard

Faces

Perfect Vacation

-3x3 International Illustration Awards 2021 Honorable Mention

-Society of Illustrators Illustrators 63 selected

Passover

Illustrations for an article in LDS Living magazine March/April 2023 issue about connection between Easter and Passover traditions

New Year's Eve Party

Private commission

The Writer's Chronicle

-Communication Arts Illustration Annual 2017: Award of Excellence

-World Illustration Award 2017 Shortlisted

Cover and inside illustrations for The Writer’s Chronicle Octover/November 2016 issue.

VIP

MLK

Michelle Yeoh

New Year

-3x3 Magazine: International Illustration Awards Honorable Mention 2021

Tin House Magazine

Cover illustration for Tin House Magazine Summer Reading 2017 issue.

Awaken

-Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles: Illustration West 60 selected 2022

Summer

Mormon Church

Series of illustrations for an article “Insights from an Inactive Gay Mormon” by John Bonner in LDS Living Magazine May/June 2018 issue.

Brenyama

CD cover illustrations for “Euphoria Love” by BRENYAMA

Fall

-Society of Illustrators: Illustrators 58 selected

Feast

Moonlight

Kingfisher

-Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles Illustration West 58 selected

Kaguya

Boats

ContentsPower Corp Books

Commissioned by ContentsPower Corp. Illustrations of short stories in their English workbooks for non-English-speaking children.

Unpublished

Disco Gnome

Animal Protein

Afternoon Tea

King Penny

Animals -Collection

A collection of animal illustrations

Personal Projects

Hamlet's Father

Turtle Race

Queen Under the Neon Light

Herbalist

Dance

Fan

Fire

Lucky Charm

Personal Project

Night Owls

Y's Publishing

Small illustrations of sea creatures for their sushi book

Stary Night

Chrismas

Personal Project

Walk

Personal Project

Angel

Personal Project

Amanda Jones Aromatics

Illustrations for their product labels and packages

Trois Peignes

Personal Project

Bird Cage

Personal Project

Seven Fortune Gods

Personal Project

Dilemma

Personal Project

Skeletal Journal: Old Phuket Town, Thailand 2022

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OldPhuket_SOI.jpg

三亀 Three Tortoises

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Simone Weil

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Mushrooming

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Five Almuni

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Smith_web+icon+2.jpg

Cocoon

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LA affairs.jpg

Smoke

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CA_Smoke.jpg

Love Lessons

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IMG_0062 icon.jpg

Lost

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Lost_SOI.jpg

Bangkok Supper Club

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BSC_web.jpg

Fish Cheeks

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FC_SOI.jpg

Gandhi

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Gandhi icon.jpg

Judith Butler

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JB icon.jpg

Andare en Tilt, on Tilt

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Tilt_HI.jpg

Ideal World Fashion

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Ideal World Fashion_web.jpg

Mayors

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CF447A6B-87E0-411B-899C-12CA420895AB.JPEG

Roosters on the Beach

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CA_Roosters on the beach.jpg

Queens County Farm

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Queens County Farm_web.JPEG

Aurelie Paradiso Design

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Faces

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Faces_web.jpg

Perfect Vacation

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PerfectVacation_web.jpg

Passover

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New Year's Eve Party

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NYE_Card_web.jpg

The Writer's Chronicle

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wc-cover-web.jpg

VIP

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VIP_web.jpg

MLK

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MLK.jpg

Michelle Yeoh

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Michelle_web.jpg

New Year

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NewYear_web.jpg

Tin House Magazine

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tinhouse-cover-web.jpg

Awaken

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Awaken_web.jpg

Summer

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Summer_web.jpg

Mormon Church

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lds-living-page-web.jpg

Brenyama

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Fall

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fall-web.jpg

Feast

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Feast.jpg

Moonlight

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Kingfisher

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Kingfisher_web.jpg

Kaguya

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Kaguya_web.jpg

Boats

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FishermansBoat_web.jpg

ContentsPower Corp Books

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kings-order2-web.jpg

Disco Gnome

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Gnome_web.jpg

Animal Protein

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AnimalProtein_web.jpg

Afternoon Tea

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AfternoonTea_web.jpg

King Penny

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KingPenny_web.jpg

Animals -Collection

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bluebirds-web.jpg

Hamlet's Father

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Hamlet's Father_web.jpg

Turtle Race

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Turtle_web.jpg

Queen Under the Neon Light

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QueenUnderNeon_web.jpg

Herbalist

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Herbalist_web.jpg

Dance

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Dance_web.jpg

Fan

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Fan_web.jpg

Fire

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Fire_web.jpg

Lucky Charm

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lucky-symbols-web.jpg

Night Owls

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Y's Publishing

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edomae-sushi-web.jpg

Stary Night

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StaryNight_web.jpg

Chrismas

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christmas-web.jpg

Walk

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walk-web.jpg

Angel

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angel-web.jpg

Amanda Jones Aromatics

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spices-web.jpg

Trois Peignes

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trois-peignes-web.jpg

Bird Cage

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bird-cage-web.jpg

Seven Fortune Gods

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seven-fortune-gods-web.jpg

Dilemma

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dilemma-web.jpg

All images © Maki Yamaguchi 2025 Contact