What does it take to turn a hand-drawn sketch into a 50-foot mural?

In this episode of How To Become A…, Grace sits down with Chanel Dehond, large-format illustrator, trained architect, and global creative director, to explore how art can scale from personal projects to public landmarks.

From illustrating children’s books at nine years old to designing massive Manhattan maps for Metropolis and ArchDaily, Chanel shares how saying “yes” to one opportunity launched an international mural career.

Chanel shares:

• How she transitioned from architecture into large-format illustration
• The difference between illustration and fine art
• Why she prefers hand-drawn raster work over clean vector graphics
• How she landed her first major commission
• The reality of pricing and fabricating large-scale murals
• Working with corporate brands and translating identity into space
• Balancing a full-time creative leadership role with freelance illustration
• How motherhood reshaped her creative lens

She also opens up about:

• Imposter syndrome in creative industries
• The importance of community and collaboration
• The power of networking moments
• Why “meeting people is my peanut butter and collaboration is my jelly”
• How greeting cards can be your first step into a creative career

If you’ve ever wanted your art to live beyond the page, on walls, in offices, or in cities, this episode shows you how to start thinking bigger.

Because illustration isn’t just about drawing.

It’s about storytelling, scale, and the courage to put your work out into the world.

@chaneldehond

Resources:

Chanel's Website

https://chaneldehond.com/

brandx

https://hlwbrandx.com/

Metropolis Magazine:

https://metropolismag.com/

Arch Daily:

https://www.archdaily.com/

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