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Home Arts & Culture Freelance Illustrator Speaks on Trials and Experiences

 

by April Bayer

 

Students and faculty from Concordia’s art department gathered on Wednesday, Sept. 21 in the Thom Leadership Education Center auditorium to listen to Concordia alumna Kris Easler talk about her experiences working as a freelance illustrator of children’s books. On Thursday, Sept. 22, Easler also visited various art classes and taught students about building a portfolio.

Easler graduated from Concordia in 2012 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art. She then continued her education at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, where she earned her master’s in illustration.

Easler is best known for the work she completed for Bloomsbury Children’s Books on “The Mustache Series” written by Alan Katz.

Kris approaches life and art with a whimsical flair combined with the edge of hard work and serious determination,” Professor of Art James Bockelman said in an email interview. “We wanted to provide students with an opportunity to see someone in the field of graphic design who is published and engaged in a successful career.”

Some of Easler’s clients include the Chicago Tribune and the Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago. She has also collaborated with several churches in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to create bulletin art, which is currently on display in the Wolfram Gallery at the LCMS International Center in St. Louis.

Easler began her presentation by reading Proverbs 16:9, citing it as an inspiration and a verse that applies to her experiences as an artist.

“I have done a horrible job in planning my own life and in predicting my own life,” Easler said. “Yet I can proclaim with humble confidence that I can see so many ways in which God has worked in my life and has led me to where I am today.”

Easler then spoke about her initial struggle to find work after moving to Chicago soon after finishing school, and used her story to teach students about the process of becoming a freelance artist.

“I applied again and again,” Easler said. “For nearly a full year, I heard nothing but silence, and I was desperate for a chance.”

This concern eventually motivated Easler to send 136 personalized emails in a single week to the art directors of major publishing companies. Her efforts proved successful after she was contacted by Bloomsbury Children’s Books and started illustrating her first book in 2014.

“The right person plus the right time plus the right work equals a job,” Easler said. “To the world, you are only as much as what you present yourself to be. I made sure to present myself as a professional freelance illustrator.”

“I found it very beneficial to talk with a graduate of Concordia about her experiences here and how they have translated into her career as a freelance illustrator,” junior Kelly Snader said.

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