August 2024

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
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out our previous Illustrator Highlights:
SUMMER VIBES  |  SAXTON MOORE  |  HEATHER B. LEE  |  DIANA TOLEDANO
TAMMY DO  |  HAPPY 2024!  |  LET FREEDOM READ | KERSTIN STOCK | GERMÁN BLANCO
LUCIANA N. POWELL  |  Z.B. ASTERPLUME  |  LISA J. HANCOCK | JOEY SPIOTTO
LOTS OF LOVE  |  HAPPY 2023  |  SUMMER 2022  |  KELLY CRULL  |  CHRIS CASE  |  SPRING 2022
KIRK REEDSTROM  |  VALENTINE’S DAY  |  HAPPY 2022  |  JOHN LEDDA  |  DANIELLE ARBOUR
NIKI STAGE  |  AAPI HERITAGE MONTH  |  CAROLINE DITTMANN  |  RUTH E. HARPER
NEW TALENT  |  SHIHO PATE  |  NEW BEGINNINGS!  |  STAR WATCH  |  LATINX HERITAGE MONTH
DOW PHUMIRUK  |  HAPPY 2020  |  HAPPY HOLIDAYS  |  GIANNA MARINO  |  NORA HILB
GELA KALAITZIDIS   |  AUDREY WOOD  |  CHRIS GORMAN
THOMAS GONZALEZ  |  SPECIAL EDITION

 

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
 
 

Illustrations Copyright © 2024 Gela Kalaitidizis. All rights reserved.

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
 
 
See All Illustrator Highlights