Hi, I’m Kaelen!

I’m an artist who loves combining whimsical imagination with over 4 years’ of professional illustrative, graphic design, and print production experience to create products that bring stories and brand voices to life! I bring dedication, positivity, and a collaborative mindset to my projects, delivering clients’ visions on a page. As the current Social Media Chair for AIGA St. Louis, I enjoy using the techniques I developed while earning my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration at the Memphis College of Art in 2018 to create and share pieces in illustration, graphic design, and print production. 

At a young age, I fell in love with illuminating characters and scenes from my imaginative stories, a passion that continually inspires my professional work. In 2020, I was awarded Best Book Illustrator from Sound Advice Book Awards for my work in the children’s books Freddy the Foster Frog: Finds a Friendly Family and Freddy the Foster Frog: Finds a Forever Family. 

When creating illustrations for stories, I begin by reading the manuscript to ensure that I follow the author’s vision for the characters and scenes. Drawing on my whimsical style influenced by Vincent Van Gogh to capture light sources and balance shadows, I brainstorm images, then put pencil to paper! Following this process, I created illustrations for A Colorful Balloon Ride, a children’s book published in 2018. While earning my bachelor’s degree, I interned at the Jabberblabber Family Magazine, an E-zine which publishes media for 50,000 monthly subscribers. There, my depiction of the character Jabberblabber was featured on the front cover of their October 2017 issue.

Working with graphic design and print production, I strive to deliver products that meet clients’ goals in a timely, professional manner. While interning remotely at 360 Magazine in Los Angeles, I created pieces to resonate with the print magazine’s target audience by embracing their brand identity through images with a stylized, pop-art feel. Inspired by Andy Warhol, these pieces depicted images on a range of topics, including: celebrities, food, culture, politics, and current events. 

During a 2021 internship with BYK Digital Marketing, I utilized graphic design, marketing, and collaborative skills to support clients’ needs. I delivered images for products like blog posts and E-blasts, and I also developed skills in animating by learning about video-making. This experience encourages me to extend my skills to social media, sharing my passion and growing knowledge of the creative field online. As the Social Media Chair for AIGA St. Louis, I post content for the organization’s social media pages, connecting other members across the region by using written communication skills. 

I want to continue sharing my passion with clients who want to see their visions and products brought to life! If you’d like to view samples of how I could help you do just that, check out the links for my portfolio and my social media pages:

@kaex_fx (Twitter)
@kaelix_fx (Instagram)
@kaelenfelix (Linkedin)