My name is Sheffield Abella and I am interested in the Illustrator Faculty-In-Residence position at UNLV.

I am currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at UNLV teaching the Illustration and Digital Illustration classes since Fall 2023.

I taught drawing and painting at The Art Institute of Las Vegas, UNLV(Adjunct 2014-2015), and The Art Institute of Pittsburgh(Online Remote Instruction) on and off starting in 2004 up until the start of the pandemic.

Bachelors Fine Art – Art Center College of Design 1994 – Illustration

Masters Fine Art – Academy of Art University 2013 – Animation

I come from a military family which is what brought me here to Las Vegas.

What follows below is a mix of images from my freelance assignments and the classes that I have taught as well as examples from my past students.

Click on the “+” to expand each section.

My primary philosophical goal behind teaching is to motivate students to discover their own unique visual voices, and to support them in amplifying who they already are as visual artists. Beyond teaching fundamental principles and techniques of visual development, I want to assist students to solve technical and conceptual problems in elegant and efficient ways. Facilitating my students’ development of confidence in their work is a priority for me. Honing their ability to negotiate the standard professional aspects of their careers, from properly valuing their worth and their time to recognizing when they need to navigate sensitive subjects, as they service their clients and art directors is vital.

I look forward to continuing to work with our students from diverse backgrounds. I share UNLV’s goal to provide a dynamic academic environment, celebrating the uniqueness of our students, faculty and staff, all while pushing forward the core values of open-mindedness, equity and inclusion while maintaining the highest level of respect for one another. I will do my best to ensure that all my students, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, physical abilities, or race, thrive in my classroom.    

Examples of my illustration work.

Below are Design Examples, logos, packaging, and branding.

The ideal candidate for Illustration Faculty should be able to draw, both from life and from the imagination.

YouTube Demonstrations For the complete list of demo videos, click here.

Sheffield Abella 

Artist | Designer

Objective

Remote Instructor

Education

2009 – 2013. MFA Animation, Visual Development Emphasis, Academy of Art University, 79 New Montgomery St., San Francisco, CA 94105.

1991 – 1994. BFA Visual Communication, Illustration Emphasis, Art Center College of Design, 1700 Lida Street, Pasadena, CA 91103.

  •         Cal Grant Scholarship.

Experience

2024 – Present. Visiting Assistant Professor, College of Fine Art, University of Nevada Las Vegas. 4505 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89154.

  •         Classes Taught: Illustration, Digital Illustration, Individual Studies, 
  1. Adjunct Professor, College of Fine Art, University of Nevada Las Vegas. 4505 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89154.
  •         Classes Taught: Digital Illustration, Drawing II, 

2019 – 2020. Full-Time Instructor, The Art Institute of Las Vegas. 2350 Corporate Cir, Henderson, NV 89074.

  •         Classes Taught: Life Drawing, Advanced Life Drawing, Character Design, Character Ideation, Color Theory, Illustration/Advanced Illustration. 

2016 – 2019. Full-Time Instructor, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. 1400 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.  

  •         Classes Taught: Life Drawing, Character Design, Advanced Illustration for Production

2014 – 2017. Illustrator/Designer/Social Media, Kizzang LLC Las Vegas, NV.

  •         Produced graphics and digital illustrations for various game symbols and environments and user interfaces in a Facebook slot machine platform. Delivered and designed daily ad hoc art assets for the social media team. Created original game assets and also manipulated client supplied artwork. Produced company print ad promotion that appeared in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, as well as collateral assets for SI Launch event in New York. Designed apparel for company sponsored boxer Keith Thurman. Responsible for all print tasks for the company.

 2014 – 2015. Adjunct Professor, College of Fine Art, University of Nevada Las Vegas. 4505 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89154.

  •         Classes Taught: Digital Rendering, Ideation & Process, Graphic Design II.

2004 – 2010. Full-Time Instructor/Senior Faculty, The Art Institute of Las Vegas. 2350 Corporate Cir, Henderson, NV 89074.

  •         Classes Taught: Life Drawing, Advanced Life Drawing, Observational Drawing, Digital Painting, Digital Imaging, Advanced Digital Imaging, Web Scripting, Drawing & Perspective, Digital/Web Portfolio.

1998 – 1999. Art Director/Lead Visual Development, helloNetwork.com, Inc. 3035 East Patrick Lane Suite 1. Las Vegas, Nevada 89120. Web Development Company specializing in JAVA enabled video streaming solutions.

  •     Designed, restructured, and redesigned multiple company websites, delivering modern, user-focused digital experiences while providing ongoing backend support and technical maintenance for sister companies. Created comprehensive branding and marketing materials for a diverse portfolio of clients, including: 
  •  Logo and brand identity systems      
  • Print collateral (brochures, posters, direct mail)  
  •     Large-format trade show booths and environmental graphics
  •     Demonstrated versatility across digital and print media, consistently delivering high-impact visual solutions that strengthened brand presence and drove engagement.

1996 – Present. Owner/Illustrator/Designer, Pixel Colada LLC Las Vegas, NV 89193. Illustration, Design, Identity/Branding, Web Design, Consulting.

  •         Partial Client List: Air Force Reserve, AT&T, Bally’s, Bill Maher, Caesars Palace, Circus Circus, Excalibur, Gillette, Hello Network, Konami Gaming, McGraw Hill, Michele Fiore Las Vegas Mayor Pro Tem, Nokia, Phillips, Pontiac, Saturn, Toyota, Ultimate Fighting Championship, The Venetian, Wells Fargo, Westwood Studios

1995 – 1996. Designer/Illustration Consultant, Adrienne Weiss Corp. 737 N Michigan Avenue # 1580, Chicago, IL, 60611-5406. Design Firm. Illustration, Design, Identity/Branding, Consulting.

  •       Developed comprehensive brand identity systems for high-profile clients, including 

Chase Field (formerly Bank One Ballpark),
Country Star Restaurants, Warner Bros. Studio Stores, and
MCI Center (home of the Washington Bullets/Wizards)

  •       Created illustrations, logo designs, taglines, and a range of conceptual branding elements to establish distinctive visual identities and messaging for entertainment, retail, and sports venues.
  1. Production Artist, Cloud 9 Interactive. 2720 Neilson Way, Santa Monica, CA 90409. Edutainment Gaming Company. Illustration, Design.
  •     Contributed to award-winning interactive educational products for children and young adults, including:  Created original scratch art and final production artwork for the “How to Draw the Marvel Way” CD-ROM, a bestselling interactive drawing tutorial featuring Marvel Comics characters.  
  •     Designed and integrated digital assets (illustrations, character templates, backgrounds, and user interface elements) to deliver a seamless, engaging learning experience.  
  •     Designed mechanical actuators and interactive components for “Wanna-Be a Dino Finder,” an educational toy/game that encouraged hands-on dinosaur discovery and exploration.
  •     Demonstrated expertise in both traditional and digital illustration, asset integration, and product design for interactive media and educational entertainment.

1993 – 1995. Production Artist, Synapse Technologies, 3400 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles. Robert Abel CEO. Interactive Media Company.

  •         Produced digital assets for the Interactive Television Future for Wells Fargo, and contributed to the production of assets for a booth video wall for the Information Superhighway Conference at UCLA, spearheaded by Al Gore.
  1. Photographer, Interactive Support Group. Philips CD-i, publisher. Chatsworth, CA.
  •         Photographer for interstitials and menu screens within Video Speedway, CD-I game. 

Skills 

Digital Skills | Software

  •         Expert: Photoshop, Xara Designer Pro, openCanvas, Sketchbook Pro, Painter, ArtRage, Rebelle, Mischief, Microsoft Office Suite, OBS Studio, BandiCam,
  •         Intermediate: Illustrator, After Effects, InDesign, Animate, Flash, Premiere Pro, WordPress, Design Expression, Krita, Clip Studio Paint, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Dreamweaver, Brackets, MarkDown, Amberlight, Flame Painter, Acrobat, Media Encoder,
  •         Working Knowledge: Blender, Maya, 3dStudio Max, Silo, Character Animator, Lightwave, Particle Illusion, Zbrush, Animate, Sound Forge, Audition

Traditional Skills | Analog

  •         Mediums: Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache, Ink, Marker, Colored Pencil, Graphite, Charcoal, Pastel
  •         Other Skills: I am comfortable as a public speaker having taught illustration, design, and software applications to students for over seven years. I have the ability to demonstrate digital techniques or techniques in traditional mediums while answering questions.

Exhibitions

Abella, Sheffield. 2025. Erl. Oil portrait. Group show: 25th Annual Celebrating Life!, Charleston Heights Arts Center, Las Vegas, NV. Presented by the City of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Arts Commission. Juror: Professor Robin Stark.

Abella, Sheffield. 2014. Geoffrey Holder. Watercolor portrait. 3rd Place, Nevada Watercolor Society Fall Show, Sahara West Public Library, Las Vegas, NV. Judge: Carl Purcell. Group show.

Public Commissions

Abella, Sheffield. 2020. Golden Knights Math. Digital mural design, 127 x 115 in. Commissioned by Michelle Fiore, Mayor Pro Tem of Las Vegas. Joseph M. Neal STEAM Academy, Las Vegas, NV.

Bibliography

Abella, Sheffield. Cover Art. Thunder at Darwin Station, Poetry Collection Lance Strate (Author); Sheffield Abella (Cover Artist) Probe 1 Ltd., 2015. 

Abella, Sheffield. Contributing Artist. When You Ride Alone You Ride with Bin Laden: What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism, by Bill Maher, New Millennium Press, 2002.

Publications as Author

Abella, Sheffield. 2013. Liz Crimson. N.p.: Pixel Colada LLC.

 References

Academic & Professional References available upon request.

Air Force Reserve

AT&T

Ballys

Bill Maher

Caesars Palace

Circus Circus

Excalibur

Gillette

Hello Network

Konami Gaming

McGraw Hill

Michele Fiore Las Vegas Mayor Pro Tem

Nokia

Phillips

Pontiac

Saturn

Toyota

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Venetian

Wells Fargo

Westwood Studios

Sheffield Abella

702.604.8800 Mobile
sheffield.abella@unlv.edu
sheff@sheff.com