Maki Yamaguchi began with a dropped assignment from The Drift magazine—portraits of Eric Adams and Lori Lightfoot in her signature mix of bold brushstrokes and delicate penwork. Instead of quitting, she tucked the work into her portfolio, entered it in the 3x3 International Illustration Show 21 and won a Merit Award. That win helped turn The Drift into a steady client. Originally from Japan and now in New York, Yamaguchi balances opposites. She uses simple, abstract black-and-white strokes alongside detailed, realistic pen drawings. Her palette shifts from muted tones to bright, saturated hues. Folklore, mythology and science all feed her imagination; she treats every living and non-living thing as if it holds a spirit. When strange images pop into her mind, she captures them on paper. A recurring skeleton avatar appears in her pieces to strip away race, gender and age—leaving only human essence. She’s tackled discrimination in publishing on a conceptual cover for The Writer’s Chronicle and earned awards for Smoke, an unfinished cityscape that Communication Arts and Applied Arts recognized in 2023. Signed to IllustrationX, Yamaguchi wants her work on billboards and public signs that leave a positive mark on society.