Hello! My name is Sarah Shaw. I am a cartoonist, illustrator, zine-maker, and professor, who's always on the search for a good story. I mostly make memoir and nonfiction comics about daily life, travel, and history. Originally from Maine, I spent ten years teaching abroad in Korea, Colombia, and Nepal before moving back to New England in 2020. I teach in the Illustration department at Maine College of Art & Design, as well as courses at The School of Visual Arts in Graphic Memoir and Comics Journalism. When I’m not drawing, I’m usually wandering around looking for things to draw. I am represented by Kara Rota at Thompson Literary Agency.
My comics can be purchased on Etsy or Radiator Comics.
Follow my work on Instagram, subscribe to my Substack newsletter, and feel free to reach out to saraheshaw06@gmail.com .
Selected Clients
The Boston Globe, The White House, School of Visual Arts, The Boston Art Review, Rotary International, Dirigo Law Group
Recent Comics Expos and Exhibitions
2023 Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo, Boston, MA (Organized a table for Maine College of Art & Design)
2023 Small Press Expo, Bethesda, MD
2023 The New England Art Book Fair, Space Gallery, Portland, ME
2023 The Great State of Illustration in Maine, Ticonic Gallery + Studios, Waterville, ME
2022 Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo, Boston, MA (Awarded a MICE mini-grant for the comic “Finding Hope: Part I”)
2022 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, Columbus, OH
2022 Small Press Expo, Bethesda, MD
2022 Toronto Comic Arts Festival, Toronto, Ontario
2022 MoCCA Arts Fest, New York, NY (Illustrated an advertisement for the School of Visual Arts in the brochure)
2021 Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (Awarded a MICE Mini-Grant for “The Repatriation Diaries,” as well as a partnership with Radiator Comics)
2020 Carnet de Voyage, New York Artists Equity Association. New York, New York (Virtual Exhibition)
2020 Cartagena Ilustrada. Cartagena, Colombia (Virtual Exhibition)
2020 And Then: MFA Visual Narrative Thesis Show. New York, New York (Virtual Exhibition)
2019 Digital Short Story: Small Bytes, Big Fiction, West Hall Gallery, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2016 Solo Exhibition: Drawing and Teaching on Colombia’s Caribbean Coast, Nancy Ross Project Space, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
Teaching
2022 – Present Assistant Professor in Illustration, Maine College of Art & Design, Portland, ME
2021 – Present Visual Narrative Instructor, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY (Graphic Memoir & Comics Journalism)
2021 – 2022 Middle & High School Art Teacher, The Woodward School, Quincy, MA
2021 Pre-College Digital Illustration Instructor, Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA
2016 – 2019 Middle & High School Art Teacher, Lincoln School, Kathmandu, Nepal
2013 – 2015 Teaching English for Livelihoods Teacher/Trainer, United States Peace Corps, La Boquilla, Colombia
2011 – 2013 English as a Foreign Language Teacher, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Seoul, South Korea
Education
2020 MFA Visual Narrative, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2010 BFA Art and Design Education, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
2009 Study Abroad: Fine Arts, The Korean National University of Arts, Seoul, South Korea