xiera

illustrator | surface designer | animator | ceramicist ccad illustration '26 COMMISSIONS: OPEN work inquiries: [email protected] linktree | website

[burnedmi1k]

“playtime pals.” 2025. mixed media on thick raw baltic birch. 8 in. x 8 in.

this is my second entry for the 2025 pet portrait competition, hosted by trekell art supplies! this piece features mochi, peach’s sister and our other recently adopted kitten.

mochi has a rainbow caterpillar toy that i bought for her shortly after we adopted her, and it has since become her favorite toy. i had to include it in this portrait!

she carries this caterpillar all around our home, often leaving it in front of the rooms we’re in or bringing it directly to us. sometimes, she even plays fetch with it; it’s the cutest thing!

[burnedmi1k]

“purrfect peaches.” 2025. mixed media on thick raw baltic birch. 8 in. x 8 in.

here is my first entry for the 2025 pet portrait competition hosted by trekell art supplies! for this piece, i chose to illustrate one of my two recently adopted kittens, peaches. we brought her home when she was around 8 weeks old, and it has been a joy to watch her grow in both size and personality.

peaches has been learning a lot about being a cat from her slightly older sister, mochi. she has picked up some of mochi’s adorable behaviors, which is just the cutest! i truly enjoyed illustrating my sweet baby peaches and had a lot of fun creating the peach pattern in the background.

[burnedmi1k]

i'm excited to present my final project for my digital sculpture illustration class: a furby flower pot!

before starting this project, i searched for a furby-inspired flower pot to add to my growing plant collection. however, i couldn't find one that matched my vision, especially since i wanted a planter based on the furby models from 1998–1999. so, i decided to create my own for this class, and i'm thrilled with how it turned out!

sculpting the piece was a fun and rewarding experience, and seeing it come to life as a 3d-printed object that i can use makes it even more special. the rainbow pastel filament i chose adds the perfect finishing touch; it's so vibrant and colorful!

[burnedmi1k]

“miso cute.” 2025.

this piece is a tribute to my adorable kitten named soup. she came into my family’s life and quickly touched our hearts, but unfortunately, she passed away just weeks after we met and started caring for her. after her vet visit, she was prescribed medication, but sadly, she didn’t make it. i created this piece to memorialize her forever.

soup was such a vocal little thing for her size, and she loved warm places and food. i thought it would be cute to animate her in a warm bowl of fresh ramen, meowing just like she always did! i titled the piece “miso cute” because miso is a common flavor used in ramen, and soup was just the cutest!

[burnedmi1k]

“the nesting nook.” 2025. digital illustration. 22 in. x 22 in.

i am thrilled to finally share my bandana design from my pattern design and digital surface class! we had the task of creating a bandana, and i chose to focus on chickens.

i made each side of the bandana a different color and featured various chickens, so you can style it in multiple ways to suit your outfit for the day! i’m also excited to announce that my piece won our class contest! we held a vote on which bandanas should be made into actual products, and mine was one of the few chosen. 

if you swipe to the next slide, you can see one of my family’s chickens, vanilla, wearing the bandana!

[burnedmi1k]

i’m happy to share my final project from my pattern design and digital surface class! for our final assignment, each of us was paired with a classmate who acted as our art director. they provided guidance on how they wanted the pattern collection to be designed, and we had to create it according to their vision.

my assigned art director requested a collection of patterns inspired by mother goose. they gave me a lot of creative freedom, and i really enjoyed bringing their overall vision to life. i decided to title this collection “the gentle world of mother goose,” and i think it turned out beautifully. my classmate loved the patterns and said they matched exactly what they had envisioned!

overall, this final project was a lot of fun to work on! i feel it provided me with real-world experience working with a classmate as my art director, and i am delighted with the result.

[burnedmi1k]

“barnyard bliss.” 2025. digital illustration. 19 in. x 13 in.

this piece is my final project from my perspective class last semester. i was inspired by the chickens my family recently adopted, so i wanted to create an illustration featuring them.

this work also holds nostalgic value for me, as i grew up in the countryside, surrounded by farmhouses and the sounds of roosters crowing in the early morning.

[burnedmi1k]

i would like to share my latest pattern design, "hoppy memories."

it is with a heavy heart that i announce the passing of my beloved white tree frog, ding dong. in his honor, i created this pattern to celebrate the joyful moments we shared and to help me navigate my grief.

he was a playful companion and deserves to be remembered beautifully.

[burnedmi1k]

happy fall! i’m excited to share my fall-themed pattern designs to kick off the season.

this is my first project for my pattern design digital and surface class. i chose a halloween theme, as it’s the start of the season and my favorite time of year!

i’ve named this collection “whimsical frights.” which pattern is your favorite?

[burnedmi1k]

“space transgression.” 2024. digital illustration. 12 in. x 9 in.

i’ve been thrilled to see how active the gravity falls fandom has been lately! as a long-time fan, i couldn’t resist joining in and creating some fan art.

i’m eagerly awaiting my copy of the book of bill so i can start reading it. drawing bill again after a couple of years was truly enjoyable; it felt like i was reconnecting with my childhood self while working on this piece.

[burnedmi1k]

i created this commissioned piece for eltystuffs!

it was a delight to work on this piece. i had so much fun painting all the cozy and fuzzy textures in this sleepy scene. thank you again for commissioning me to draw it!

i am currently open for commissions and would love to create artwork of your pet, yourself, or anything else you have in mind! just ask, and i’ll let you know if i can do it. feel free to reach out via email at [email protected]!

[burnedmi1k]

“cinnamon sippin’ chai.” 2024. digital illustration. 12 in. x 9 in.

i created this delightful still life to practice with some new oil brushes i recently purchased.

in this composition, i chose to showcase my 2005 coffee furby alongside a delicious iced chai from cafe 19.

this piece was purchased by two baristas from cafe 19 and is currently displayed at their west milton location!

[burnedmi1k]

“cooked.” 2024. digital illustration. 12 in. x 9 in.

this is the first piece i created to kick off my summer break. i felt inspired to draw everyone’s favorite lazy egg, gudetama!

[burnedmi1k]

“pride fish.” 2023. gouache on watercolor paper. 12 in. x 9 in.

happy pride month!

this is the first piece i've ever created using gouache, and i’m really pleased with how it turned out. i decided to give a unique twist to clownfish by transforming them into actual clowns.

to coordinate with the rainbow fish in the center, i used colors from as many pride flags as i could for all the other fish.

[burnedmi1k]

“unconventional.” 2023. mixed media on watercolor paper. 21 in. x 13 in.

“unconventional” is a representation of the unique aspects of my personality and interests that may appear unconventional or odd to others. this piece is meant to emphasize and showcase the diverse elements that contribute to shaping my identity and individuality. “unconventional” serves as a celebration of my authenticity and the things that make me who i am.

i created this piece for my watercolor class! i had so much fun collaging and incorporating the many things that i love. the second slide features my work in a pop-up art exhibition hosted by my professor. our whole class had the chance to showcase a piece of our work from the class, and this is the one i chose!

[burnedmi1k]

"i can’t escape myself.” 2023. mixed media on watercolor paper. diptych, 18 in. x 12 in. each piece is 9 in. x 12 in.

this piece reflects my daily struggle with visual disability. 

i underwent surgery for esotropia when i was 16, a procedure that is typically performed in early childhood. my family had to search extensively to find a qualified doctor who could perform the surgery. i’m happy to report that the surgery was a success; however, i now experience severe light sensitivity, pain, and temporary loss of vision if i overexert my eyes.

every day, i wake up knowing that the pain will gradually intensify as the day goes on. by night, i often find myself forced to sleep through the discomfort.

[burnedmi1k]

"the first bite.” 2023. mixed media on illustration board. 9 in. x 12 in.

this piece features my family's chunky cat, cupcake. i depicted her eating cheeto puffs on our living room couch, which is her favorite spot to relax while i watch tv.

i believe this artwork perfectly captures her personality, and she seems to approve! when i showed her the illustration, she rolled around in delight.