I’m an artist known for playful themes, bold colors, and a wacky sense of humor.
My artist’s mission is to create little moments that make people smile, because we can all use a bit more happiness in our lives.
Want to work with me?
SELECT CLIENTS
Target
Pottery Barn Kids
Wayfair
Walmart
TJ Maxx
World Market
HomeGoods
Michaels
Kohl’s
Uncommon Goods
Happywall
Princess Awesome
Hopland Fabrics
Urban Outfitters
Bed, Bath & Beyond
Overstock
Minted
Lookout Games
Alice + Ames
Boozelele
Art.com
Lowe’s
Staples
Avanti Press
Posterlounge
G & Silk
Funky Paper Co.
Artful Threads
Uncommon Wares
Oxknit Clothing
ArtsCase
Amanti Art
Allposters
Greenvelope
Fly Paper Products
Patternbank
Kate & Laurel
The Home Depot
Prairie Love Knits
About Me
Before I became an art brand, I worked for 16 years as a film and TV graphic designer, creating art for the sets of major motion pictures and award-winning TV shows, where I was nominated for an Art Director's Guild award.
I have been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, in TED, UPPERCASE Magazine, Create! Magazine, PAGE Magazine, Peppermint Magazine, Illustrator Magazine, Creative Howl, Voyage ATL, CreativeMornings, Shoutout Atlanta and we [dot] art.
My illustrations have been featured in Society6’s Curator's Picks; Redbubble’s “Found” and Teepublic’s Editor’s Picks list. My patterns have been featured in Project Run & Play, Raspberry Creek's Designer Studio Spotlight and Spoonflower’s Editor’s Picks, and I’ve placed top 10 in Spoonflower’s Design Challenges twice. I have exhibited at the Denver Art Museum; AIGA National Design Center; Walker Art Center; and the Museum of Design Atlanta. I’m also a SkillShare Top Teacher. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master’s Certification in Project Management.
Testimonials
“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
“Carrie is very professional, friendly and easy to work with. She was happy to accommodate design tweaks we needed for our product line, and she was responsive and quick with edits. Carrie delivered her charming, kid-friendly art as print-ready, high resolution files in a timely manner. We really enjoy working with her!”
— Eva St. Clair, Chief Creative Officer: Princess Awesome
“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.”
“Working with Carrie has been an absolute pleasure. As a freelance illustrator, she brought a fresh, creative perspective to our projects while maintaining a strong sense of brand alignment. Her attention to detail, quick responsiveness to feedback, and ability to meet deadlines made the collaboration seamless from start to finish. We were consistently impressed with the quality of work delivered, and the final illustrations exceeded our expectations. We would highly recommend Carrie to anyone looking for a talented, reliable, and professional illustrator.”
— Ashley Laskowski, Art Director: Greenvelope
“Carrie won our design contest with her stunning Snakes & Flowers design, and we made it available for purchase on silk scarves. Her art was well-designed with the product in mind and fit our layout like a glove. Her unique art style has added a touch of whimsy to our line of products. Carrie was a pleasure to collaborate with and promote.”
— Maria Gloria Franco Ferriz, Owner: G&SILK
“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
“It's always great to work with Carrie. Her patterns were a great addition to the 10th anniversary edition of our game—Patchwork—and her art was even perfect to include on the box cover and in the marketing materials. We were so happy with our first project, we hired Carrie to design all the elements for an entire board game—including the box cover. Carrie is always very responsive, and gets the art to us quickly. She is reliable, flexible with revisions, and very easy to collaborate with. Carrie takes direction well, and delivers exactly what we ask for on-time. She's an excellent communicator and is easy to get along with. We're so happy we worked with her, we would definitely recommend hiring her as a freelance illustrator.”
— Ricarda Kleine, Art Director: Lookout Games
“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
“We licensed Carrie's lovely art and manufactured it on quality printed needlepoint canvases. Carrie was great to work with—she sent us the file formats we needed in a timely manner, with no back-and-forth needed. It was an easy, quick exchange that was hassle-free. We really enjoy working with her, and look forward to many more future collaborations.”
— David & Norma Jane Blanchard, Co-Owners: Artful Threads
“Carrie is so great to work with and is extremely talented! You will not be disappointed!”
— Brody De Jager, Owner: Rayze Swimwear
“Carrie is an exceptionally talented illustrator with a strong eye for design and trends. She consistently uploads marketable wall murals and pattern collections that align perfectly with what customers are searching for. Her artwork began selling immediately on our platform, which speaks to both her creative skill and commercial awareness. We truly value having her as part of our artist community.”
— Fredrika Klum Stelander, Art Director: Pictufy
“Carrie is a talented and thoughtful illustrator who brought a unique perspective to our artist roster. Her work on the Save the Bees animated Public Service Announcement was attention-grabbing and impactful, and she was a reliable contributor to client pitches and agency updates. Carrie is collaborative, responsive, and a pleasure to work with throughout the creative process. We greatly value the creativity and originality she brought to our projects.”
— Svetlana Jakel, CEO: Kombinatrotweiss
“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
“Carrie's artwork is so imaginative and beautiful and she has an excellent understanding of surface pattern design. She’s been great to work with!”
— Jordan Boska, Owner: Hopland Fabrics
“Carrie won our contest, and we licensed Carrie's art for fabric. We loved her unique style that was perfect for the holiday season, and I really enjoyed working with her. She was expeditious and professional, the whole experience was seamless. Carrie was a joy to collaborate with, we highly recommend her as an added asset to any company's licensing roster.”
— Sharon Gunawan, Owner: Prairie Love Knits
“Working with Carrie has been a pleasure and an inspiration. Her ideas and designs are exactly what I was looking for. AI can’t replace the heart and soul I’ve found in my work with Carrie. Highly recommend.”
— Liz Kane, Creative Director: Liz Kane & Co.
“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.
“Carrie created a custom illustration and marketing materials for my project, and she delivered exactly what I needed. Carrie is a great collaborator and is very easy to work with. She's responsive and takes direction well. I highly recommend Carrie Cantwell as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer.”
— Mark Cottrell, Playwright: Tomatoes to Die For
“Carrie is an extremely talented artist and a pleasure to do business with!”
— Joe Schab, Director of Sales, Kate & Laurel
“We discovered Carrie’s Meowsterpieces of Kiterature illustration series and were immediately smitten kittens. The artwork was clever, charming, and perfectly executed, so we licensed the entire series for use on stickers, magnets, greeting cards, and more.
Carrie was an absolute pleasure to work with from start to finish. She was enthusiastic, highly professional, and incredibly responsive throughout the process. She went above and beyond to help format each illustration to fit our specific sizes and product requirements, and she delivered production-ready files quickly so we could move straight into manufacturing without delay.
Not only do we love her art, but we genuinely enjoy working with her. Carrie is organized, reliable, and clearly understands the licensing process inside and out. We highly recommend her as an illustrator and licensing partner and look forward to working together again.”
— Hope Meadows, Owner/Creative Director: Fly Paper Products