Mikaworks

Mika is an award winning creative explorer with a passion for drawing figurative fine art portraits.

Fine Artist | Creative Explorer

Mika Denny was born and raised in Orange County, California. As a Laguna Beach Festival of Arts scholarship recipient she attended Cal State Fullerton and studied fine art, photography, design and illustration. After college, Mika had a successful design career working for an award-winning in-house art department for a publishing company in Laguna Beach. She starte

d out as a graphic designer and worked her way up to the creative director position. Eventually she launched her own boutique design agency Mikaworks Design. In addition to design work, Mika considers herself a creative explorer and has a passion for creating portraits of people and pets.

09/02/2026

Thrilled that three of my drawings have been longlisted for the 2026 Almenara Art Prize. The Almenara Collection The online exhibition is now live. (See the link in their bio) This international competition is based in Southern Spain and run by the Almenara Collection. This year’s edition drew entries from artists worldwide 🌎 across 10 categories including drawing. Proud to have made the cut among so many exceptional works. Swipe to the other pieces that are longlisted. Fingers crossed for the finalist and awards announcement coming September 15. 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

08/28/2026

A memorial pet portrait I drew a few years back. Sweet Sollie 💕🐾 I drew this one with Generals charcoal pencils, Derwent Pastel Pencils and PanPastel on Black Strathmore paper. Posting in honor of National Dog Day (a little late)

08/27/2026

A thousand times YES! I made it into the American Artists Professional League’s 98th Grand National Exhibition in New York City! My graphite and PanPastel portrait of Jordan titled “Skyscraper”was selected as a finalist for the in person show at the Historic Salmagundi Art Club. Beyond thrilled and grateful to the jurors for selecting my work!

08/22/2026

Rehung my Festival of Arts booth for the third and final jurying session of the summer. 🖼️ 🎨 A few new pieces up on the wall. Can’t believe there are only 2 weeks left! Time flies when you’re having fun! Let me know if you need a pass to get in! 🎟️💕 swipe to see a little video of the new art. 🎨🎨🎨

08/18/2026

This guy. One of my favorite portraits I’ve drawn. A departure from charcoal, I worked this one with Staedtler graphite pencils and PanPastel on Strathmore Bristol. The sweet spot is the little reflection on his cheek. From my Muse Encounter series: this is Miles Regis. Published in Strokes of Genius : The Best of Drawing issue Artists magazine.

08/14/2026

One of the absolute best things about being in the Festival of Arts family is getting to know the other artists. Here is legendary artist Michael Situ looking at my work! I can’t believe there are only three weeks left at the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach. Come see me and my work. I would love some of my portraits to go to good homes. 🏠 💕🥹

08/11/2026

My charcoal and pastel portrait “Take These Wings” is back home again after exhibiting in the Inaugural “OC Made” show at the Fullerton Museum Center. Truly exceptional curation and care for the art. When I picked up my portrait drawing, the staff member donned white gloves to retrieve and hand me my work! Love that! 💕🌟 next stop the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach. Beautiful framing by Chemers Gallery in Tustin.

08/06/2026

Still need to spend a little more time on this portrait commission piece that I started at the Festival of Arts a few weeks ago. Capturing a moment in time in a child’s life is such an honor. Charcoal Pencil and PanPastel on Strathmore toned paper.

Address

301 N Pomona Ave
Fullerton, CA
92832

Website

https://mikaworks.art/

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