Nathaniel "Natie" Freson, a Savannah-based illustrator, is recognized for his talent in bringing ideas to life through captivating visuals. With a BFA in Illustration from the renowned Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Natie seamlessly blends technical expertise with a distinct artistic perspective. His lifelong fascination with storytelling through art is evident in his work. Natie has recently illustrated a delightful children's book and designed the cover for a popular board game, demonstrating his versatility and creativity in visual storytelling. His illustrations not only engage viewers but also transport them into imaginative worlds, making him a sought-after artist in his field.…

Natie Freson

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Nathaniel "Natie" Freson, a Savannah-based illustrator, is recognized for his talent in bringing ideas to life through captivating visuals. With a BFA in Illustration from the renowned Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Natie seamlessly blends technical expertise with a distinct artistic perspective. His lifelong fascination with storytelling through art is evident in his work. Natie has recently illustrated a delightful children's book and designed the cover for a popular board game, demonstrating his versatility and creativity in visual storytelling. His illustrations not only engage viewers but also transport them into imaginative worlds, making him a sought-after artist in his field.…

Available to hire

Nathaniel “Natie” Freson, a Savannah-based illustrator, is recognized for his talent in bringing ideas to life through captivating visuals. With a BFA in Illustration from the renowned Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Natie seamlessly blends technical expertise with a distinct artistic perspective. His lifelong fascination with storytelling through art is evident in his work. Natie has recently illustrated a delightful children’s book and designed the cover for a popular board game, demonstrating his versatility and creativity in visual storytelling. His illustrations not only engage viewers but also transport them into imaginative worlds, making him a sought-after artist in his field.

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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Ornament Designer/Key Holder at A Coastal Christmas
March 17, 2024 - Present
- Designed and personalized holiday and Savannah-themed ornaments, including custom orders - Supported daily store operations, handling customer service, cashier work, and key holder duties
Digital Illustrator/Portrait Artist at Freelance
January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2025
- Produced graphite and digital portraits of elite athletes, celebrities and others - Marketed business and established social media presence with 1,500+ followers
Toy Designer/Book Illustrator at American Liver Foundation
December 10, 2023 - April 9, 2024
- Conceptualized and designed the character for a plush toy and illustrated a children’s book about liver disease using the same character - Worked closely with the hiring manager and creative team, incorporating feedback while independently managing the full remote pro-bono project
Packaging/Toy Designer | Funwares at Funwares
June 29, 2023 - October 29, 2023
- Interacted with owner/art director to create whimsical, bold artwork for 'Squid Squish' game packaging, toys, stickers, and the project logo - Delivered polished illustrations that appealed to a wide audience and met all project briefs and industry standards

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts: Illustration (Cum Laude) at Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD)
August 1, 2019 - June 2, 2023
Minor: Drawing

Qualifications

Ornament Designer/Key Holder | A Coastal Christmas
March 17, 2024 - December 31, 2025
- Designed and personalized holiday and Savannah-themed ornaments, including custom orders - Supported daily store operations, handling customer service, cashier work, and key holder duties
Toy Designer/Book Illustrator | American Liver Foundation
November 15, 2023 - June 30, 2024
- Conceptualized and designed the character for a plush toy and illustrated a children’s book about liver disease using the same character - Worked closely with the hiring manager and creative team, incorporating feedback while independently managing the full remote pro-bono project
Packaging/Toy Designer | Funwares
July 1, 2023 - October 31, 2023
- Interacted with owner/art director to create whimsical, bold artwork for 'Squid Squish' game packaging, toys, stickers, and the project logo - Delivered polished illustrations that appealed to a wide audience and met all project briefs and industry standards
Illustrator | PGA TOUR x SCADpro Collaboration
March 4, 2023 - June 30, 2023
- Collaborated with multidisciplinary team of students, faculty and business professionals to develop concepts that elevated brand awareness of PGA TOUR University -Researched, designed, and delivered effective and creative brand toolkit to utilize in advertising and promotion, ensuring consistent and impactful messaging
Digital Asset Artist - Dirty Cowboy Productions
June 1, 2021 - August 31, 2021
Created high quality FG & BG assists for animated reenactment of "Rescue Gold" (pilot episode) of Stunt Life
Illustrator/Portrait Artist | Freelance
January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2025
- Produced graphite and digital portraits of elite athletes, celebrities and others - Marketed business and established social media presence with 1,500+ followers - Specialized in commissions as requested
Illustrator/Animator | Shelley Whitman Associates
August 13, 2025 - December 31, 2025
- Created illustrations, animations, and assets for client advertisements and for “Comic-mercials” - Collaborated with senior illustrators and developed cohesive work from sketches to final deliverables

Industry Experience

Professional Services, Retail
    uniE621 Book Illustrator : Emperium Entertainment Group
    Envisioned and illustrated a children’s book exploring color and family, shaping artwork to support its educational and warm narrative Collaborated with the founder while independently refining the visuals to strengthen the storytelling for young readers bookillustration book illustration childrensbookillustration…
    uniE621 Ornament Designer : A Coastal Christmas
    Designed and personalized holiday and Savannah-themed ornaments, including custom orders Supported daily store operations, handling customer service, cashier work, and key holder duties illustration design designer…
    uniE621 Toy Designer/Book Illustrator : American Liver Foundation
    Dec. 2023 - Apr. 2024 • Conceptualized and designed character for plush toy and illustrated children’s book about liver disease utilizing the same character • Communicated with hiring manager and creative team throughout process, incorporating feedback into revisions • Managed time independently while working remotely on pro-bono project from conceptualization to completion bookillustration illustration childrensbookillustration lion…
    uniE621 Packaging/Toy Designer : Funwares
    Jul. 2023 - Oct. 2023 • Interacted with owner/art director to create whimsical and bold artwork for children’s game packaging, toys, and stickers • Designed illustrations and logo that appeal to a broad audience and also align with project briefs and specifications • Delivered professional, enticing designs meeting industry standards boardgame game childrensgame design toy toydesign…
    uniE621 Anti-Dweebs: Trading Cards
    For this project, I worked with Detroit rapper, "J1Hunnit", to create trading cards of all of the rappers that are featured on his album titled, "Don't be a Dweeb 2". These trading cards are based off of vintage Topps Garbage Pail Kids cards and I was given free reign to do whatever I wanted with these cards creatively. Overall, they came out great and the reactions I got were very positive. illustration illustrator tradingcards cards concept create creative…
    uniE621 Illustrator/Graphic Designer : PGA TOUR x SCADpro Collaboration
    Feb. 2023 - Jun. 2023 • Collaborated with multidisciplinary team to develop concepts that elevated the PGA TOUR University's brand awareness • Researched, designed, and delivered an effective and creative brand toolkit ensuring consistent and impactful messaging • Developed skills in concept ideation, project management, storytelling, brand development, and professional presentation sports sportsillustration portrait group caricature golf SCAD illustration photo…
    uniE621 Digital Asset Artist : Dirty Cowboy Productions
    Jun. 2021 - Aug. 2021 • Created high quality FG & BG assets for animated reenactment “Rescue Gold” (pilot episode) Stunt Life • Followed detailed instructions to produce quality animation assets • Received IMDB credit for contribution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvpcloZILP0 animation short documentary gif assets procreate trees fire stunts sports framebyframeanimation…
    uniE621 Digital Illustrator/Portrait Artist
    Jan. 2012 - Present • Produced graphite and digital portraits of elite athletes, celebrities, etc. • Commissioned for a variety of projects including illustrations, motion graphics, graphic design, visualizers, and trading cards • Marketed own business and established strong social media presence sports sportsillustration basketball editorialillustration king art cartoon losangeles…