About the Artist
I’m Anna Sellheim, a cartoonist, artist, and educator based in Baltimore, MD. I earned my MFA from the Center for Cartoon Studies in 2016. My work primarily explores themes of health, trauma, and the healing power of art. My comics have been published by The Nib, Oni Press, and Seven Days (Vermont’s Alternative Weekly Newspaper). I’ve also contributed to several anthologies, including the Eisner-nominated Comics for Choice, which raised over $30,000 for the National Network of Abortion Funds. My fine art and comics have been exhibited across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. As an educator, I’ve had the privilege of teaching students of all ages—from 4 to 77—through group classes and private tutoring throughout the East Coast. In 2025, I completed a Community Arts Collaborative Artist Residency at the Refugee Youth Project (RYP), where I used comics as a way to guide my students in developing their own healing art practices. At the same time, comics became a tool for them to share their stories and strengthen their English skills. A highlight of this residency was the creation of the RYP Zine, an award-winning student anthology that raised over $2,000 for the program through its first print run. I also had the honor of guest curating Infinite Possibilities: Art & Hope, a collaborative exhibition between Creative Alliance and RYP students, which ran from May to July 2025.Artist's Statement
For over a decade, my work has explored my mental health, and as my physical disabilities have worsened, it has increasingly examined my relationship with my body. I navigate rapid-cycling bipolar disorder and brittle bone disease, and art has become a vital form of self-care—helping me process these experiences and connect with supportive communities. This culminated in my 159-page graphic novel Brittle, which explores the intersection of my bone disease, mental health, and lifelong struggle to connect with others, and documents the development of a healing artistic practice. My practice is rooted in accessibility and directness. I have seen how creative expression builds community and amplifies underrepresented voices. My work has appeared in the Comics for Choice Anthology, which raised over $30,000 for the National Network Abortion Fund. By addressing stigmatized topics such as abortion, loneliness, bullying, and mental health with clarity and bluntness, my work invites connection and conversation, leading to professional collaborations with organizations including the Refugee Youth Project (RYP), Solrad, and Pyramid Atlantic. I was the Community Art Collaborative (CAC) Artist In Residence at RYP for the past three years, where I taught art and comics to refugee youth ages 5–21 across Baltimore City. My teaching prioritized creating safe, healing spaces and helping students develop their unique creative voices rather than focusing on technical skill. In 2024, I received a MICA Community Engagement Grant to produce the award-winning RYP Zine, a 28-page, full-color anthology created with refugee students at Patterson High School. The project allowed students to reclaim their narratives, and proceeds from the zine support program essentials such as food, clothing, and supplies. I am currently a teaching artist working in the Baltimore area. In addition to one-off workshops, I am a contracted teaching artist with the Enoch Pratt Free Library system in Baltimore and the Sequential Artists Workshop, where I teach art comics and art workshops for a wide range of community members, focusing on using storytelling to connect with others and share personal experiences.Featured Work
Photos
Featured Work: Photos
Crowd Scene
Cassie's Journey
Beautiful in Kinyarwanda
Booking
Booking Price: < $500
Teaching one-off workshops are $150-$300
Short course fee $45-200 per class, depending commute
Commissions range from $30-$500
To commission me or hire me to teach a class, visit my website and fill out a contact form: https://www.annasellheim.com/contact
-Pencils
-Pencil sharpener
-Erasers
-Pens
-Markers
-Paper
-Scissors
-Rulers
-Bluetooth speaker
I can present slideshows using a projector, or I can send the materials ahead of time for you to print and distribute as handouts.
I am available to teach in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County. I have my own car. I also teach online over zoom
Susan Tuberville
Program Manager of the Community Art Collaborative, an AmeriCorps Program at MICA
[email protected]
Alanna Hays
Former Program Coordinator at the Refugee Youth Project
[email protected]
Tom Hart
Founder and President of the Sequential Artist Workshop
[email protected]
Arts in Education
Audiences Types: Middle School (6-8 grade), High School (9-12 grade), Veterans/Military, People Experiencing Incarceration/Re-entry, LGBTQ+ community, People experiencing Homelessness, English Language Learners, Educators, Other Population/Community
Create Your Own Superhero/Supervillain
Ages 4-13
1 hour workshop (depending on age range)
Students will design original superhero avatars, including unique logos and defined powers. They will then illustrate themselves in action, demonstrating these abilities. In addition, students will compose a brief written description explaining who they aim to protect and the reasons behind their choices.
Comics About Pets
All ages
1.5 hour workshop
Students will design an avatar of their pet that reflects its unique personality traits. They will then create a comic—either fictional or nonfictional—featuring a pet as the central character.
Adults Creating Comics and Art About Kids
Age 18+
1 hour workshop
Students will receive instruction on how to ethically create comics about children, with a focus on topics such as consent, privacy, and appropriate tone. The lesson will also explore methods for fictionalizing or abstracting real children when portraying them in artwork and comics. Following this, students will create a narrative illustration or comic centered on children.
Comics About TV (or other non comic media)
Ages 13+
1.5 hour workshop
In this two-hour workshop, students will create a comic inspired by a TV show, movie, or book that had a lasting impact on them. What story shaped who you are or influenced the way you tell stories? Rather than simply recapping a favorite piece of media, students will explore how it affected their lives and creative voice, turning that personal connection into an original comic.
Creating a Comic Diary
Ages 14+
Classes run 1.5-2 hours each
4-8 week workshop
Students will learn how to create compelling diary comics, with an emphasis on narrative styles, the role of backgrounds, and the use of tone. The course will highlight the importance of focusing on specific moments or emotions, rather than broadly summarizing daily events. The class will meet once per week over the course of four-eight weeks; the timeframe, number of sessions, and duration of each class are flexible.
Visionary Boards
Ages 14+
1.5 hour workshop
Students will create vision boards that imagine what they want their lives to look like after graduating high school—where they might live, what they want to do, and the goals they hope to pursue. I will provide collage examples and guiding questions to help them reflect as they create.
One-Page Zines
All ages
1 hour workshop
Students will learn how to make a zine from a single sheet of paper (or more than one zine, if they choose). The library will then make copies so students can share or trade their zines with others. Zines are a fantastic way to spread ideas and build community. I will bring my one-page zine collection for inspiration.
Art Therapy Card Deck Exercises
Ages 10+
1-2 hour workshop or a short multi session course
Using Emily Sharp's Guided Art Therapy Cards Deck, students will complete guided art prompts alongside reflection questions to help them process emotions and center themselves. Teen librarians will receive a set of selected cards ahead of time for approval, and together we can plan multiple activities.
I have used these prompts with my students at the Refugee Youth Project, and they absolutely love them.
Drawing on Anxiety & Drawing on Grief (both by by Kate Sutton)
Ages 15+
1-2 hour workshop or short multi session course
These are two separate workshops. Clients can choose a workshop based on Drawing On Anxiety or one based on Drawing On Grief. The latter book has been very personally helpful to me while processing my mother’s passing. I adapted both into lessons for my teenage students—many of whom have experienced significant anxiety or loss, particularly refugee youth.
Lessons can be structured in two ways:
I guide the group through selected xeroxed pages or prompts, with optional discussion.
-or-
Students choose their own pages and work at their own pace.
Art About Music
Ages 12+
1.5 hour workshop
After a short presentation to abstract fine art influenced by music, students will listen to a song and create artwork inspired by what they hear.
Learn to Make Your Own Anime Character
All ages
1.5-2 hour workshop
Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of creating original anime and manga-style characters. Drawing inspiration from popular series such as One Piece, Naruto, Fruit Baskets, etc., the workshop will guide students in developing original characters (OCs) that can be used in future comic projects or as standalone creative work.
Anime Fighter OCs
Ages 12+
1.5-2 hour workshop or short multi session course
Students create original characters (magical girls, fighters, heroes, villains, etc.) along with their powers and combat moves. This can stand alone as a one-time workshop or expand into a series culminating in a tournament where all characters “battle” until one OC is standing (a favorite activity among my middle schoolers at Mt. Royal) or the OCs can work collaboratively to defeat enemies together.
Anime Plot Generator
Ages 12+
1.5-2 hour workshop
Students roll dice to randomly select from categories of genres, character types, and settings displayed on a large sheet of presentation paper. They then can create prose stories, comic panels, or character designs based on their prompt.
Anime OC Random Generator
1.5-2 hour workshop
Using the same dice-rolling method as above, students will create original characters based on randomly selected physical traits, personalities, and character archetypes. This activity results in three unique character designs per student.
MerMay
All ages
1-2 hour workshop
In celebration of the online MerMay art event, students will receive printouts of various fish species along with interesting facts about them. They can then design a mermaid characters inspired by any of the fish in the printouts—or create their own from their imagination.
Draw A Comic Page
Ages 12+
2-4 hour workshop
Students will learn how to create a comic on a single page. The workshop will cover techniques for expressive character design, effective visual storytelling, and other key elements of comic creation. All experience levels are welcome, and students will have the opportunity to bring their own ideas to life in a finished one-pagecomic using the same tools and techniques as professional cartoonists use.
How Comics Can Be A Useful Education Tool (Lecture)
Audience: educators, teaching artists, ESOL instructors, and individuals interested in creative approaches to language learning
1 hour
This lecture examines how comics can serve as effective tools for teaching English to ESOL students across age groups. Emphasizing the combination of visual and textual storytelling, the session will highlight how comics can support language development in an engaging and accessible way. Comics can strengthen language skills through creative writing, encourage self-expression, provide a flexible and low-pressure creative outlet, and build confidence while affirming students’ identities. The lecture will also address the role of comics in humanizing refugee and immigrant narratives, empowering students to share their experiences and perspectives in their own voices.
I will share examples of my past students' work and lesson materials to demonstrate a range of approaches and outcomes.