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About Tiff
Hi! I'm Tiff (she/they), a Viet-Canadian writer and multidisciplinary artist based in Winnipeg. My practice includes illustration, writing, filmmaking, music, design, animation, soft sculpture, and more. I like to create art that showcases diverse characters, playful personalities, and quirky humour, all in vibrant colour.
My third picture book, We Need Everyone written by Michael Redhead Champagne, was published by Portage & Main Press in 2024. It was a finalist in the 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, won a Silver (Honour) Award at the California Reading Association's Eureka Book Awards, and was featured as a Fold Kids Book-of-the-Month.
While I've been creating things my entire life, I got my professional start illustrating gig posters and band merch, and publishing comics in college newspapers and on the web. My silly little guys can be found in all kinds of places, from alleycat spoke cards, to t-shirts, to beverage cans, to other items cluttering up a thrift shop near you.
When I'm not making stuff, I enjoy riding bikes, niche comedy, and collecting weird vintage toys.
For inquiries, email me at hello [at] tiffbartel [dot] com. I can also be found on Bluesky and Instagram (just barely).
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Member
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) [PAL member], Cartoonists United (formerly Cartoonist Cooperative), Manitoba Writers' Guild, Winnipeg Film Group
Select Clients
Climate Action Team, FascinAsian Film Festival, Frontiers North, Green Action Centre, Grilled Cheese Magazine, Half Pints, Mentoring Artists for Women's Art (MAWA), New Media Manitoba, North Star Editions, Portage & Main Press, Project Whitecard, Sport Manitoba, Rainbow Trout Music Festival, Static Roots Festival, Stylus Magazine, UMFM, VICE Magazine
Awards
CARE Microgrant for Visual Artists (MAWA, QPOC Winnipeg, & UMIH), 2020; Women in Media Award (National Screen Institute), 2015
For We Need Everyone: Finalist (Next Generation Indie Book Awards), 2024; Silver (Honour) Award (California Reading Association's Eureka Book Awards), 2024; Book-of-the-Month (Fold Kids), 2024
For Portage Place: Best Short Films Program (Moviate Underground Film Festival), 2023; Best MB Short Film Audience Choice Award (Gimli Film Festival) 2020
Lectures, panels, workshops, public speaking, etc.
The Edge Gallery & Urban Art Centre - Cat Haus DIY Fest, Pecha Kucha Night Winnipeg - Vol. 23, Red River College Polytechnic - Various, UWPG Film Festival - Developing Your Creative Voice with Womxn Filmmakers of WPG, Winnipeg Film Group - Gimme Some Truth Documentary Festival, We're Still Here: 50 Years of the WFG Festival (Neechis Shorts Program Q&A), Wild Wonderful Words, WNDX Festival of Moving Image - 20x25: One Take Retrospective Q&A
Publications
Carrots (short fiction) / Inagural Run Issue / ivy. Literary Magazine, 2025
Keeners (short fiction) / Funerary Raccoons Issue / Rat Bag Literary, 2025
Perspective (short fiction) / Special Issue 2: Health Scares / FLARE Magazine, 2025
A Lil Treat (comic) / Issue 08 - Juiced / COMRAD Comics, 2024
We Need Everyone / By Michael Redhead Champagne / Highwater Press, 2024
Olive Oh Saves Saturday / By Tina Kim / Jolly Fish Press, 2021
Olive Oh Gets Creative / By Tina Kim / Jolly Fish Press, 2021
Issue 20 - [5-10 y.o.] Star / Various Artists / Grilled Cheese Magazine, 2021
Our Stories in STEM / Various Artists / Our Stories in STEM, 2021
Cartoonist/Writer: Stylus Magazine, The Manitoban, and The Uniter.
Filmography
Canopy / Analog short film, 2022
Plague Summer / Digital short film, 2020
Portage Place / Analog short film, 2019
Retriever / Analog short film, 2015
Dog Show (The Unbelievable Bargains) / Animated music video, 2015
I Eat Trash, Therefore I am Trash / Animated short film, 2014
Festival Screenings
Annual WFG Members' Screening, Artifact Small Format Film Festival, Cinematheque At Home, Gimli Film Festival, Gimme Some Truth Documentary Festival, Moviate Underground Film Festival, the8fest, We’re Still Here: 50 Years of the WFG Festival, WNDX Festival of Moving Image
Discography
As a member of Homeward Bound: Homeward Bound EP, 2017 / Homeward Bound Demos, 2016
As a member of Crusty Cat: Compilations - Songs in the Key of Hope: The Derek Wheeler Story, 2013 / The No Label Collective - LIVE!, 2012 / The No Label Collective, Vol. 1, 2012
Alumnus: Ghost Hole, The Flaming Trolleys, and others.
Other Wild Sightings
This portrait was part of the set for The Chris Gethard Show's TruTV run (including the infamous dumpster episode — watch it if you haven't yet); a few pieces of my Better Call Saul fanart were featured on the 2015 Critics' Choice Awards and on the writers' wall; various large puppets at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, Winnipeg Folk Festival animations, and beyond.
