About Carrie Cantwell
Carrie Cantwell is an Atlanta-based illustrator, art brand and surface pattern designer known for playful themes, bold colors and artwork with quirk. She has licensed her art to more than 30 brands, including Target, Pottery Barn Kids, Urban Outfitters, World Market and Wayfair, and her licensing catalog has more than 700 designs. She has landed every one of those licensing deals herself, without an agent.
Looking for art for your next collection?
By The Numbers
30+ brand partnerships
25+ years in business
50,000+ artists reached every year
700+ licensable designs
3 successful Etsy shops
25,000+ community members
Art That Makes People Smile
Carrie loves creating art that makes people smile, because everyone can use a little more joy in their lives. When brands put her art on their products, that joy ends up in people's homes, closets and everyday moments. Her work is known for cute cats and wacky puns, all created by Carrie herself with no AI.
Licensing Partners
Carrie's art appears on home decor, wall art, apparel, fabric, wallpaper, stationery, gifts and more from brands of all sizes, from national retailers to small independent shops.
Exhibitions and Press
Carrie has exhibited at the Denver Art Museum, AIGA National Design Center, Walker Art Center and the Museum of Design Atlanta. Her work has been featured by NPR's All Things Considered, TED, UPPERCASE Magazine, Create! Magazine, Peppermint Magazine, PAGE Magazine and Illustrator Magazine.
Teaching and Community
Carrie is a Skillshare Top Teacher, co-host of the Two Cranky Creatives podcast, and creator of the Graphics Gang community on Patreon. She holds a BFA in Graphic Design, a BA in English and a Master's Certification in Project Management.
What Partners Are Saying
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“Carrie had a wide selection of art available for licensing, and she was very responsive and friendly. Because we needed exclusivity, and several pieces of hers had already been licensed, she created similar custom illustrations and got them to us quickly in the formats needed. We're looking forward to licensing more of her art in the future.”
— Stephanie Klatt, Senior Product Designer, Kate & Laurel
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“Carrie's colorful and quirky designs have quickly won our customers' hearts, and have become a popular part of our collection. Carrie had a large volume of art we were able to pull from for licensing, and she got it to us very quickly in the formats we needed. Our relationship with Carrie is a great long-term licensing partnership that's been a real pleasure.”
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“Carrie is a talented surface pattern designer and illustrator who consistently delivers proven, trend-forward patterns that translate beautifully into wallpaper. Her designs began selling immediately, directly contributing to our sales from the start. She is outgoing, enthusiastic, flexible, and always quick to respond, making collaboration seamless and enjoyable. We truly value her creativity and positive energy as a licensing partner.”
— Caroline Bohne, Owner: Funky Paper Co.
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“We really enjoy everything about art licensing with Carrie. Her catalog is full of licensable art, and she consistently creates and shares fresh, trending work regularly. Her illustrations and patterns have been a great asset to our company, and we look forward to continuing our profitable, rewarding long-term relationship.”
Natalie Lavacca, Artist Relations Associate: Deny Designs
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“Spoonflower needed a trade show design and two custom pattern designs for our Quiltcon booth, and we are so pleased we hired Carrie to design them all! The design was beautifully executed, and it was an attention-grabber at the conference. Her custom patterns coordinated perfectly with the theme, looked great on name tags, and were a big hit. She was kind, easy to collaborate with, and efficient. Everything went smoothly and turned out beautifully.”
— Angela Bakas, Sourcing & Technical Design: Spoonflower
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“Carrie regularly uploads market-ready surface pattern designs and always supplies the files in the formats we need. She often provides bonus files, such as additional colorways, giving our customers a variety of options with minimal effort on their part. Carrie is a competent designer with the ability to create professional, on-trend designs that appeal to our customer base.”
— Neil Elliott, Co-founder & Director: Patternbank
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