Disabled Digital Artist

My name is Michaela and I am a 35 year old queer disabled digital artist from the United States.

I am completely self taught and have been drawing from bed since I was 17 years old when I decided that drawing was something I really wanted to do. I was very limited due to my severe chronic illnesses and injuries so I needed to adapt and learn to draw in a way that worked for me. The solution came in digital drawing on a tablet connected to my laptop from bed. Now I am still always learning new ways to improve and make drawing easier for myself.

My main series are the Disabled Beauty Series which showcases Disabled People for Disabled People and the Portraits for Disabled Kids which is all about giving representation to kids who rarely get to see themselves in media.

Please feel free to reach out to me via email for questions about using my work at ogrefairy@gmail.com

Where does the name “Ogrefairy” come from?

When I was a teenager I felt very insecure about being overweight, disabled, and deep in the closet. I wished to be pretty like a fairy but found myself relating more to an ogre.
I decided to take that and make it mine. I am the ogrefairy.

[ID: a photo of Michaela sitting in their wheelchair outside in a parking lot. They has long brown hair that is purple that fades into red in the front and have on a black N95 mask and had purple circle glasses with silver accents and multiple silver necklaces. They are wearing their punk denim jacket covered in patches and pins and their “The future is Accessible” shirt, by Annie Segarra as well as black denim pants. They are sitting in their purple wheelchair and holding up a peace sign.]

Why Do I write IDs (Image Descriptions)?

Not everyone who is Blind, Low Vision, or are otherwise Visually Impaired have access to screen readers. Everyone should get to have access and ability to enjoy art.

[ID: a digital drawing depicting a large crowd of silhouetted disabled people with a large variety of disabilities as far as you can see, all with their right fists raised. There are a row of identifiable people sketched in the front and above us reads the words. "We Will Not Stand For This"]