Welcome to the Studio


I’ve Got a Bad Case of Poetry

Out Now from Bandersnatch Books!

Silly and sincere poems by me and about 60 other authors, collected by Rachel Donahue, illustrated by Emily Person, and ready for your bedtime routine!

Catch a Case of Poetry!

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Penpals get monthly updates, first dibs on limited editions, the occasional discount, and quite literally my constant gratitude.

Because you’re all amazing.

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Commissions & Contracts

Artist for Hire

I’ve been painting watercolors, telling stories, and writing poetry for as long as I can remember, but there’s always more that deserves to be shared and said. The world is huge and wonderful, and telling the truth to it and about it can be a complicated adventure.

Count me in.

What should we work on together?

Cute Little Sketch

Perfect for digital avatars, family Christmas cards, custom stickers, bumpers or interstitials for a vlog, first proof-of-concept for a character, or a fun surprise in a grouping of little picture frames.

  • Ink drawing on paper, colored with watercolors
  • One main subject with very little background (think a figure with a few props, or a grouping of the tools to make a recipe)
  • Sizes between 4×6″ and 6×9″
  • Receive the original by mail or a digital file in your inbox, or both (they may be slightly different, as I optimize scans to reproduce well in digital environments)
  • Commission prices start at $40, but vary based on size, number, and complexity. Reach out with your ideas for a specific quote, or let me suggest a range of options based on your brainstorms!

Drawing or Painting

Commission an original piece of art to complete a room, commemorate a special occasion, bring an imagined character or place to life, or give the most memorable present ever to someone you love.

  • Watercolor or ink on paper
  • Fully rendered scene or composition with one or more figures or focal elements
  • Any size you need, up to a full sheet of watercolor paper (approximately 32×40″)
  • You receive the original, with the option to have me matte and frame it or send it rolled
  • Commission prices start at $300, but range widely based on size, material, and complexity. Reach out with your exact ideas and needs, or let me suggest possibilities based on your budget.

Illustration Project

Hire me to create the artwork for your book, pitch, site, campaign, interior or exterior environment design, theatre or cinema production, or anything else that would come to life in watercolor!

  • Traditional media specializing in watercolor and brush-and-ink
  • Draw on my background in print production design to optimize work for its final use
  • Exclusive or serial publication rights, depending on the nature of the project
  • Credited or non-credited depending on the nature of the project
  • The sooner you reach out, the sooner we can get to work! Send an inquiry with the scope and nature of the project as exactly as you know it, and I’ll do my best to suggest a quote, timeline, and roadmap for our project.

Inquire by Email

Recent Projects in the Real World

Advent–Living Water OPC

Photo courtesy of Living Water OPC and Tammy Parsons

Eastertide–Living Water OPC

Photo courtesy of Living Water OPC and Tammy Parsons

”

The church banners. Look. AMAZING!
[fifteen seconds of applause]

—the young adults of the Living Water OPC congregation, filmed and sent as a Marco Polo video message

”

More thanks…and I just have to share the delight you’ve spread to homes all over! Yesterday one recipient of Winter Pages messaged me this lovely framed #birdinberet and another wrote in a letter that hers sits ‘in her kitchen…’

— Reagan Dregge, Winter Pages editor

Winter Pages 2024

Photo courtesy of editor Reagan Dregge

Ordinary Time–Living Water OPC

Photo courtesy of Living Water OPC and Tammy Parsons

Lent–Living Water OPC

Photo courtesy of Living Water OPC and Tammy Parsons

”

Thank you again for all your work on this.  Truly, you accomplished more than I ever hoped.  These designs are fantastic.

— Helena Sullivan, St. George Academy headmistress

St. George Academy Coat of Arms

photo courtesy of headmistress Helena Sullivan

About Me

Five-Sentence Bio

I’m Elise: an illustrator, fiction writer, poet, printmaker, sculptor, and textile artist. I watch the world around me like it’s the best drama series ever (because it is) so I usually start projects by sketching from life…

…and then things get weird. It’s easy to spot my fondness for conservation biology, classic sci-fi, the art nouveau movement, the metaphysical poets, film noir, hand-drawn animation, and sugary snacks in my finished work (even when they weren’t present in the source material).

Find my drawings, poems, and prose in Tales from the Dragon Lord Saga (iss. 2, Rabbit Room Press), Outlook Springs (iss. 2, Fall 2016), Resuscitating Paideia (vol . 1, iss. 1), and lots of blogs and one-off ‘zines. Look for new poems soon in I’ve Got A Bad Case Of Poetry, coming in 2025 from Bandersnatch Press.

–EMJ

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