Julianna Brazill — Readers of Seven Days‘ Fun Stuff will recognize Winooski artist Julianna Brazill, or at least her alter ego, as a stripey-shirted, hilariously quirky cartoon character who talks to her cats. But real-life Brazill also puts her pens and brushes to use capturing quieter moments outside her comics: Vermont landscapes, old buildings with character and less mouthy feline friends.
What makes Brazill’s illustrations so successful is the breadth of her style. Sometimes she creates black-and-white drawings using an overwhelming flurry of lines to describe every flower and leaf in a field. Other times, blocky bright colors map out flattened still lifes or stylized blossoms. Elsewhere, those comic skills are put to use in imaginative paintings of cats throwing a cocktail party or bunnies bird-watching in the park.
Illustrations don’t need to be funny, but Brazill’s are always lighthearted. She’s an expert at paring down her scenes to exactly what’s needed while still offering up the details that spin a whole story. Even when she’s not drawing comics, Brazill can steer her viewers through a meandering visual tale to land at a beautifully composed punch line.
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This article appears in Seven Daysies 2025.
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