Hi, I’m Ellie, a cartoonist, illustrator, and graphic designer.
I love to play with intense feelings of wonder, catharsis, or pain, especially in the context of coming of age stories. Whether I’m designing, drawing, or both, I always start by asking myself: what would this feeling look like?
When I’m not making comics or illustrations, I do graphic design and art direction for children’s books as an Associate Designer at Charlesbridge Publishing. I have a BFA in Communication Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University and am originally from around Dallas, Texas. I love reading indie comics, connecting with other LGBTQ people, and traveling, especially by train.
Follow my art instagram or Bluesky to keep up with my latest projects and upcoming events!
Interested in working with me? You can email me at erhartes@alumni.vcu.edu
If you wish to submit your portfolio for consideration by Charlesbridge Publishing, please follow the guidelines for illustrators on the Charlesbridge Submissions page.
Some freelance client projects I’ve work on:
• Illustration: Catch of the Day by Dina M. Hardt, published by Morgan James Publishing. On sale 9/08/26, and available for preorder now!
• Book design (for entire book): Unscripted by Melissa Hannon. Published in December of 2025 by Align LLC.
• Comic illustration (for one story in the anthology) and book design (for entire book): Celebrating Trans Joy: Building Community, an anthology of comics about the stories of trans Virginians, published in January 2025 by the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia. The anthology project as a whole was a 2025 bronze winner for the Anthem Awards for social impact work in community engagement!
• Illustration: the Adventure College Student Handbook by Fiona Shade (a Kickstarter project that made over EIGHT TIMES its original fundraising goal!) and its companion project Dungeons & Datemates (also kickstarted, and made over seven times its original goal!). Adventure College was published in April 2024 and Dungeons and Datemates in March 2025, both by Fiona Shade Stories.
Some events where I’ve tabled:
• Massachusetts Indie Comics Expo (MICE)
• Brooklyn Indie Comics Showcase (BICS)
• Nib and Ink Fest (NIF)
• SomerCon
• Brighton Bazaar
• Small Mart
• Multiple Formats Art Book Fair
• Somerville Flea
• Boston Women’s Market
• NICE, a fest
• Watertown Zine Fest