Maria Michelman was born and raised in Richmond Hill Ontario Canada. 

Maria had this to say about his experiences, why she chose to study Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts program and why art is important:

“Art has been in my life since I was very young, from drawing little doodles with my grandmother, to watching anime with my older brother in front of the tv. I’ve always found myself doodling whenever I could, making little comics for myself and creating characters, hoping one day I could create art that others will like and take inspiration from.

What primarily inspired me to study illustration- and art in general- was anime. I grew up watching animations with my brother and wanted to learn how to recreate those art styles as my own. I always knew my imagination was endless and wanted to find a way to bring those visions to life. Many visions were specifically of fantasy worlds, filled with magic and creatures, aesthetical topics that ranged from the dark gothics to cute and humble. I liked telling stories through pictures and drawings. Where one creation could tell you a 1000 words, and where one picture could take you into a new world that I created. 

The first time I heard of Max the Mutt was in my final year of high school at Stephen Lewis Secondary School. I was in my portfolio class and my teacher gave us pamphlets of animation schools in Ontario, Max being listed there. At first I didn’t think too much of it until weeks later my mom mentioned that one of her clients’ daughter was a concept art student and gave me her contact information. I spoke to her for a bit and she introduced me to the school, answered some of my questions and gave me the website where I did my own research. I was really taken by the courses offered and after I had my tour with Kent Burles, I was basically sold for the program. 

While truthfully I don’t have a clear vision of what I want to do after graduation, I know I’m willing to sample whatever will be thrown at me. Learn, gain more experience and to further perfect my craft. Whether to work freelance or work for a company, I’m willing to try it all in order to find myself. In general, I wish for my drawings to bring people comfort and happiness like it does for me. I want to inspire people that just because you start art later in life, doesn’t mean you can’t grow and produce beautiful works. Everyone works at their own pace and everyone has something to offer to the industry, you just need to find it in time.”

You can see more work from Maria Michelman via her Instagram account @marimickle