Meet Caitlin Alejandre | Artist & Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Caitlin Alejandre and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caitlin, why did you pursue a creative career?
There were never any other career options for me- art is what I was to do no matter what. As long as I can remember, I have always drawn, painted, and experimented with everything art-related. It is what I love to do! It also helped that since I was a kid, I was aware that artists created my favorite cartoons and books. Knowing that people did that for a living pushed me to want to do the same.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work is playful with fun characters and peculiar details. I like to blend reality with fantasy to create this weird, wonderful world! I create my illustrations primarily with watercolors or digitally via Photoshop and Procreate. However, I do not limit myself to only that as I also love 3D digital sculpting, screen printing, 2D animation- everything really! I’m really proud of my artistic voice and I am excited to see where it goes. I think what I love most about it though is that it doesn’t limit me to only one art path as I can do book illustrations, poster art, character design, sell prints of it, and more!

I think the biggest challenge though was getting started and putting my art out there. Even after going to art school, creating a portfolio I am proud of, and feeling ready to get started on my art career- I found it intimidating. While I knew I was ready, I felt maybe it wasn’t the “right” time for me to illustrate professionally or that maybe I should create more examples first. It takes a lot of courage to take that leap. For example, I remember thinking I wasn’t ready to start selling at conventions. However, as soon as I got the first one out of the way I realized I got this and of course I wish I started sooner! There’s definitely no such thing as the “perfect” time. Now, I am now working on product designs, children’s books, and preparing for more conventions!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would plan for an equal amount of outdoorsy and cultural activities. Being currently located in northern Illinois, I am fortunate to have access to both!

I love the outdoors so I would plan for us to go hiking and kayaking at a state park such as Starved Rock or head up to Wisconsin to Devil’s Lake. Afterwards we’d hit a nearby winery to relax.

As for cultural activities, I love museums and thankfully Chicago has some great ones such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum, and the National Museum of Mexican Art. As for food, I love street tacos- so that’d be a must. Or, since it’s the Chicagoland area, I’d recommend Portillo’s as that’s a favorite of mine too.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my parents! They are very supportive and encouraged me to follow this career path. They never made me second guess my decision to be an artist. I am thankful as they would take me to art museums, art fairs, and anything to help me get inspired or show me what I can do with art. I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without their support.

Website: https://www.caitalejandre.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caitalejandre/

Image Credits
© Caitlin Alejandre