GELA KALAITZIDIS

GELA KALAITZIDIS
ILLUSTRATOR HIGHLIGHT

Gela Kalaitzidis grew up in Sweden, surrounded by endless forests and thousands of lakes. There, she developed an affection for drawing, reading, and dreaming, childhood passions which eventually earned her a degree in Fine Art and a job in digital media. After 25 years of snowy winters, Gela swapped her snow boots for flip-flops and moved to sunny California to work as a digital artist on Hollywood blockbusters.

To that end, Gela has made Robert Downey Jr. fly, aged Brad Pitt backward, sunk Johnny Depp in countless pirate ships, and exploded just about everything on screen. Now, with her signature style that’s both classic and fresh—that perfect balance of funny and sweet—she’s “exploded” as a children’s book creator. Among other accolades, Gela’s debut picture book, OZZIE & PRINCE ZEBEDEE (Flamingo/Penguin), was nominated for Best Picture Book of the Year (2022) by Barnes & Noble.

“A fun pair of characters and a good friendship lesson
make for a worthy dragon tale.” —Kirkus

Gela loves working with traditional materials, including watercolor pencils (her favorite of which is Caran d’Ache) and graphite, enhancing her drawings in Photoshop. Her illustrations have a classic humorous style wherein the sketchy linework brings movement and expressiveness to her characters. Like the old fairytales and Northern European mythology she grew up with, Gela’s tales of trolls, dragons, and witches ignite the reader with adventure and wonder. It’s not a surprise that in her very own world, a dragon’s lair is an apartment by the beach and the knights are her kids in Converse and baggy pants.

Gela (pronounced Gay-lah) lives in Venice Beach with her three kids, a Greek husband, too many pets, and an endless supply of stories to share. When she’s not creating picture books, she’s recharging her creativity by teaching art at the local public elementary school or spending time with her family, munching on salty Swedish licorice, and doodling in her sketchbook.

More Art by Gela Kalaitzidis

The Illustrator Highlight is a monthly publication featuring some of the artistic talent represented by East West Literary Agency.

DEBORAH WARREN, EAST WEST LITERARY AGENCY
dwarren@eastwestliteraryagency.com

KAREN KILPATRICK, EAST WEST LITERARY AGENCY
kkilpatrick@eastwestliteraryagency.com

ANA CRESPO, EAST WEST LITERARY AGENCY
acrespo@eastwestliteraryagency.com

East West Literary Agency, LLC specializes in children’s books of all genres, from concept, novelty and picture books through young adult literature and everything in between.
We represent both authors and illustrators.

More East/West Artists

Gela Kalaitidizis is represented by Deborah Warren at East West Literary Agency.

Our mailing address is:
2632 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 462
Santa Monica, CA 90403

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GELA KALAITZIDIS

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