Tyler Culligan Fine Art Portfolio

Tyler Culligan

Fine Art Teacher K-12
Drawing, Painting, Sculpture & Visual Storytelling

I am a fine art educator with a strong foundation in drawing, painting, printmaking, and illustration. My work and instruction focus on helping students build technical skills and develop the ability to observe, interpret, and express ideas visually.

My training includes traditional studio disciplines such as still life drawing, watercolor, printmaking, and narrative illustration. Alongside my studio background, I bring over a decade of experience working in creative industries: animation and visual media; this allows me to connect classical art fundamentals to both craft and culture.

Resmue CV

  • My foundation in the arts began with traditional studio training in printmaking and book arts.

    I earned my Associate degree at Santa Fe Community College, where I studied:

    • Silk screening

    • Etching and printmaking

    • Bookmaking and handmade publications

    • Drawing and design fundamentals

    I later attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), where my studies focused on illustration and narrative arts, including:

    • Illustration and visual storytelling

    • Watercolor and painting

    • Comics and sequential art

    • Puppet-making and object performance

    • Audio-visual storytelling

    These disciplines shaped my approach to art as both a technical craft and a narrative form.

  • My goal as an art teacher is to help students build confidence in their ability to create.

    In the classroom, I emphasize three core areas of artistic development:

    Technical Skill
    Students learn foundational techniques in drawing, composition, color, and form so they can develop control and confidence in their work.

    Artistic Thinking
    Students are encouraged to think like artists; observing carefully, experimenting with ideas, and learning how artists translate the world around them into visual form.

    Creative Process
    Students learn that strong artwork develops through a process of planning, practice, revision, and completion. The goal is to guide students from initial idea to finished piece while helping them understand the value of craftsmanship and persistence.

    Through this approach, students gain both practical art skills and the ability to communicate ideas visually.

    • Observational Drawing & Still Life

    • Illustration & Visual Storytelling

    • Watercolor & Painting

    • Printmaking Fundamentals

    • Design & Composition

    • Sculpture and Mixed Media

  • I have five years of higher-education experience teaching video and illustration at a collegiate level as an adjunct professor at Nossi College of Art in Nashville, TN. In addition, I have over a decade of experience working with children and art, including The Chicago Children’s Theater, and after-school art programs in Wicker Park.