CREDENTIALS

Education

  • MFA in Illustration — Hartford Art School, University of Hartford, 2025

  • BS in Illustration & Graphic Design — University of Bridgeport

  • AS in Graphic Communications — Holyoke Community College

Recognition

  • Communication Arts Illustration Annual — Short List, 2023

  • Facing Forward: Portraits Looking to Our Future — Gallery Selection, Artists Equity Philadelphia/Tri-State, 2023

Member

  • Society of Publication Designers, New York City

I'm an editorial illustrator and MFA graduate based in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania — and I'm available for freelance commissions.

My work sits at the intersection of portraiture, concept, and narrative. Whether I'm painting a tribute to a rock legend, reimagining a literary icon, or developing a conceptual piece for publication, I bring the same thing to every project: a strong point of view, meticulous craft, and a genuine love of storytelling through image.

I work fluidly across traditional and digital media — watercolor, oil, acrylic, mixed media, and digital illustration (Procreate, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Fresco) — as well as animation (Adobe After Effects). I'm equally at home sketching a tight deadline editorial piece and executing a complex, multi-layered painted composition.

My illustration thesis at the Hartford Art School (University of Hartford, MFA 2025) focused on editorial illustration — the art of translating ideas, opinion, and narrative into a single compelling image. It's the area I love most, and the work I want more of.

Current projects include a series of watercolor illustrations for the Rodale Institute and a large-scale public sculpture for the Fleetwood Borough Community Center.

If you're an art director, editor, or publisher looking for an illustrator who can bring both technical range and conceptual depth to your project — let's talk.

ABOUT Karin Crossley