books
comics
projects
illustration
visual development
zines
visit
afternoon games
ocean day
dragon boat festival preparations
tea pets
dragon boat festival
aquarium trip
fanart of Ninomae Ina'nis
fanart of Valorant for Lunar New Year
fanart of Valorant for Lunar New Year
fanart of Dandadan
mock cover for Marcie's Ashes
fanart poster of Bocchi the Rock
fanart of Ninomae Ina'nis
strawberry milk
get on chuu
spring breeze
Dragon Boat Festival book cover illsutration
Dragon Boat Festival illustration spread
Dragon Boat Festival illustration spread
Tea Pet Party mock cover
Tea Pet Party illustration spread
aquarium trip
grandma is going to make pork rib radish soup for dinner
spread from picture book dummy "Suzie Can't Sleep"
Suzie can't sleep spot illustrations
spread from picture book dummy "Suzie Can't Sleep"
road trip washroom break!
ancient world adventures
illustrations commissioned for a self-published middle grade book that contained six short stories set in different time periods
cover
half page illustration for story about early humans and neanderthals
half page illustration for story set in early civilization
half page illustration set in early civilization
half page illustration set in ancient sumer
half page illustration set in ancient egypt
half page illustration set in ancient athens
full spread color map
Sabine and Rhiannon
3 page excerpt for a coming of age story between two friends
The Little Prince
a 24 page adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Expuréy's novel
inherent vice
created in response to my experience taking a textiles conservation course.
The Tiger and the Mouse
an 8 page adaptation of the Aesop fable the Lion and the Mouse
how to make instant noodles
the college student special
environment
character
floral shop, background paint
floral shop, background design
Sundial, background paint
Sundial, background design
Sundial, environment concept
Sundial, environment illustration
background illustration for Blehblades Level 1, video game with BRGD
night iteration of Blehblades background
The Haunts, bar design
room designs for Night at the Museum, video game with BRGD
Aquarium room background
The Sleepy Leaf tea bar
The Sleepy Leaf shop floor
Bonnie's Burrow kitchen
Bonnie's Burrow entryway
Yueyi character sheet
Wan character sheet
Heng'e character sheet
Hou Yi character sheet
character explorations
Mickey turnaround
Mickey material callouts
Mickey illustration
Mickey, sculpted in Zbrush, textured with Substance Painter, rendered in Blender
frog mecha character design
The Haunts, Carmen character sheet
The Haunts, Gene character sheet
The Haunts, Danni character sheet
Professional
Nunuka: My Village
Study Buddies
Gearshift Fellowship
Personal
The Haunts
Sundial
The Sleepy Leaf
Gearshift Fellowship
2024Freelance visual development and 2D artist for Gearshift Fellowship.
Designed 2D assets and UI for a car chase video game that doubles as a psychology study. The game is not only designed to study behavior in players, but also focuses on recognizing and training mindfulness and resilience, especially for those with ADHD, depression, etc.assets made in adobe photoshop, ui designed in figma
vehicle designs
vehicle designs
player and narrator sprites
early variations for player and narrator characters
level map
in game screenshots
Sundial
2024A visual development project inspired by the myths of Chang'e and Hou Yi and the
ten suns, set in sci-fi timeline that combines the modern and the traditional.
The Haunts
2023Members of rookie band "The Haunts" are unaware that their manager is possessed by a dead rockstar.
Ghostly encounters make their road to fame a paranormal one!(Animated Series Concept: co-designed by Taylor Burgess + Rachel Zhu)
The Sleepy Leaf
2025project made for Comfy Jam Autumn, community voted #4made with unity
assets made in adobe photoshop
Study Buddies
2023project made for internship with Fablevision Studiosmade with unity
assets made in adobe photoshop, adobe animate, adobe after effects
early sketches
In-game screenshots
planner
2023, printed with letterpress and risograph, spiralboundflexible planner that includes pages for month, week, to-do list, and groceries/chores list.
music collection for the guqin
Volume 3: Hand Forms2022, ink and risographillustrated translation of excerpts from a compilation of texts on the guqin dating back to the Song dynasty.
looking for luck, pt 1
2025, printed with risograph
looking for luck, pt 2
2025, printed with risograph
boba tierlist
2025, printed with risograph
Rachel Zhu is an illustrator and visual development artist currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and graduated with a BFA in Illustration at Rhode Island School of Design. Rachel has always loved children’s media and their passion for it drives their career as an illustrator. Some of their favourite pieces that really inspire their work both artistically and thematically include Ghibli movies Whisper of the Heart and Princess Mononoke, Cartoon Network shows such as Steven Universe and Adventure Time, and other great shows such as The Owl House and Bluey.Rachel strives to include the same level of attention and whimsy in their own work, and they hope that their artwork can inspire joy and appreciation for the every day and ordinary. Most of their work is illustrated digitally, though they also love to play with watercolors and oil paints. Rachel is currently a member of both The Society Of Children’s Book Writers And Illustrators and Asians In Animation. When they’re not drawing, you can find them crocheting, fighting for their cat’s attention, or fishing in various video games.Feel free to contact at [email protected]!