I’m a cartoonist, illustrator, and designer passionate about making stories for kids (and adults with a good sense of whimsy).
My work focuses on subtly magical moments; I love to play with feelings of wonder or catharsis, especially in the context of coming of age stories. I love to create art with a personal, handmade feel and nerdy, passionate characters.
Recent projects include creating Blue & Red, a memoir comic about emotional abuse (which won a 2023 MICE Mini-grant award for excellence in minicomics from Massachusetts Indie Comics Expo), illustrating the Adventure College Student Handbook (a Kickstarter project that made over EIGHT TIMES its original fundraising goal!), drawing and co-writing I Feel Fine (an instagram webcomic about a highschooler growing up with chronic illness, inspired by my co-writer’s own experience with EDS), and creating pieces for Rotary Arts (a multimedia arts collective of queer artists). I also frequently vend at art markets around my home in Boston, MA.
When I’m not making comics or illustrations, I do graphic design as an Assistant Designer at Charlesbridge Publishing. I have a BFA in Communication Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University and am orginially from around Dallas, Texas. I love reading indie comics, connecting with other LGBTQ people, and traveling, especially by train.
Follow my art instagram, like my art on facebook, or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Interested in working with me? You can email me at erhartes@alumni.vcu.edu