Hello, I’m Chris! I’m a Greek digital illustrator and designer with a focus on children's media. My passion is to create vibrant and heartwarming illustrations that captivate the imaginations of the audience. I graduated from the Public Technical School of Thessaloniki with a Diploma in Graphic Design for Printed & Electronic Media. Simultaneously, I took life-drawing classes in an art studio, to learn fundamentals and take my illustration skills a step further. I especially love working on children’s illustration projects, crafting engaging and whimsical illustrations for picture books, storybooks, educational material as well as products. During my process, I’ve often created character design sheets as well, in order to develop unique and memorable characters that resonate with children and enhance storytelling. I’m also capable of creating concept art as well as storyboarding for books, in order to lead to a polished final artwork and ensure a cohesive visual narrative. If you’re looking for a passionate children’s book illustrator to bring your stories to life, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s embark on this creative journey together and create something truly special for the young audience!…Hello, I’m Chris! I’m a Greek digital illustrator and designer with a focus on children's media. My passion is to create vibrant and heartwarming illustrations that captivate the imaginations of the audience. I graduated from the Public Technical School of Thessaloniki with a Diploma in Graphic Design for Printed & Electronic Media. Simultaneously, I took life-drawing classes in an art studio, to learn fundamentals and take my illustration skills a step further. I especially love working on children’s illustration projects, crafting engaging and whimsical illustrations for picture books, storybooks, educational material as well as products. During my process, I’ve often created character design sheets as well, in order to develop unique and memorable characters that resonate with children and enhance storytelling. I’m also capable of creating concept art as well as storyboarding for books, in order to lead to a polished final artwork and ensure a cohesive visual narrative. If you’re looking for a passionate children’s book illustrator to bring your stories to life, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s embark on this creative journey together and create something truly special for the young audience!WWW…
Chris Karathanou
Hello, I’m Chris! I’m a Greek digital illustrator and designer with a focus on children's media. My passion is to create vibrant and heartwarming illustrations that captivate the imaginations of the audience. I graduated from the Public Technical School of Thessaloniki with a Diploma in Graphic Design for Printed & Electronic Media. Simultaneously, I took life-drawing classes in an art studio, to learn fundamentals and take my illustration skills a step further. I especially love working on children’s illustration projects, crafting engaging and whimsical illustrations for picture books, storybooks, educational material as well as products. During my process, I’ve often created character design sheets as well, in order to develop unique and memorable characters that resonate with children and enhance storytelling. I’m also capable of creating concept art as well as storyboarding for books, in order to lead to a polished final artwork and ensure a cohesive visual narrative. If you’re looking for a passionate children’s book illustrator to bring your stories to life, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s embark on this creative journey together and create something truly special for the young audience!…Hello, I’m Chris! I’m a Greek digital illustrator and designer with a focus on children's media. My passion is to create vibrant and heartwarming illustrations that captivate the imaginations of the audience. I graduated from the Public Technical School of Thessaloniki with a Diploma in Graphic Design for Printed & Electronic Media. Simultaneously, I took life-drawing classes in an art studio, to learn fundamentals and take my illustration skills a step further. I especially love working on children’s illustration projects, crafting engaging and whimsical illustrations for picture books, storybooks, educational material as well as products. During my process, I’ve often created character design sheets as well, in order to develop unique and memorable characters that resonate with children and enhance storytelling. I’m also capable of creating concept art as well as storyboarding for books, in order to lead to a polished final artwork and ensure a cohesive visual narrative. If you’re looking for a passionate children’s book illustrator to bring your stories to life, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s embark on this creative journey together and create something truly special for the young audience!WWWW…
Available to hire
Hello, I’m Chris!
I’m a Greek digital illustrator and designer with a focus on children’s media. My passion is to create vibrant and heartwarming illustrations that captivate the imaginations of the audience.
I graduated from the Public Technical School of Thessaloniki with a Diploma in Graphic Design for Printed & Electronic Media. Simultaneously, I took life-drawing classes in an art studio, to learn fundamentals and take my illustration skills a step further.
I especially love working on children’s illustration projects, crafting engaging and whimsical illustrations for picture books, storybooks, educational material as well as products. During my process, I’ve often created character design sheets as well, in order to develop unique and memorable characters that resonate with children and enhance storytelling. I’m also capable of creating concept art as well as storyboarding for books, in order to lead to a polished final artwork and ensure a cohesive visual narrative.
If you’re looking for a passionate children’s book illustrator to bring your stories to life, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s embark on this creative journey together and create something truly special for the young audience!
Skills
Experience Level
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Language
Greek, Modern
Fluent
English
Fluent
Portuguese
Intermediate
Work Experience
Brand Graphic Designer - Illustrator at Contese Agency
May 6, 2024 - June 20, 2023Junior Graphic Designer at Import-Export Company (S.A.)
June 1, 2021 - June 1, 2023Graphic Design Internship at Printing Studio
June 1, 2020 - January 30, 2021Education
Diploma of Graphic Design for Printed & Electronic Media at Public Technical School of Thessaloniki
October 2, 2017 - May 1, 2019Qualifications
Essential Skills in Adobe Illustrator Professional Certificate
April 6, 2024 - April 6, 2024Essential Skills in Adobe Illustrator Professional Certificate
April 1, 2024 - April 1, 2024Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
October 1, 2022 - October 1, 2022Digital Illustration Skills
May 1, 2025 - May 1, 2025Industry Experience
Education, Computers & Electronics, Manufacturing, Non-Profit Organization, Media & Entertainment, Gaming, Travel & Hospitality
Nature of Love: Children’s book character design and illustration
This is an exploration project for children’s illustration and character design, based on a story I wrote, titled “Nature of Love”
The story revolves around two childhood best friends with very different backgrounds and personalities. It’s a magical tale about love persevering through even the toughest of hardships, with themes of friendship and love as well as our relationship with nature.
For this project, I initially focused on designing the two main characters, making sure to illustrate their differences through visual elements. For the spread illustration, I wanted to convey a sense of magic and mystery through the environment, while also creating a composition with a main point of interest that allowed space for text. Lastly, I designed the cover to evoke a feeling of wonder, using high contrast and a bright focal point to guide the viewer. Throughout the project, I utilized rough brushes and textures, in order to visually connect the illustrations with the theme of nature that is present in the story.
Programs used: Procreate, Photoshop, InDesign
See more: chriskarathanou.com/project/nature-of-love
illustrator childrensillustration…This is an exploration project for children’s illustration and character design, based on a story I wrote, titled “Nature of Love”
The story revolves around two childhood best friends with very different backgrounds and personalities. It’s a magical tale about love persevering through even the toughest of hardships, with themes of friendship and love as well as our relationship with nature.
For this project, I initially focused on designing the two main characters, making sure to illustrate their differences through visual elements. For the spread illustration, I wanted to convey a sense of magic and mystery through the environment, while also creating a composition with a main point of interest that allowed space for text. Lastly, I designed the cover to evoke a feeling of wonder, using high contrast and a bright focal point to guide the viewer. Throughout the project, I utilized rough brushes and textures, in order to visually connect the illustrations with the theme of nature that is present in the story.
Programs used: Procreate, Photoshop, InDesign
See more: chriskarathanou.com/project/nature-of-love
illustrator childrensillustrationWW…
Behind the red door: Children’s book character design and illustration
Based on one of my own short stories, “Behind the Red Door” is a test project to showcase my character design and illustration skills for children’s literature.
The story follows Marie, a bright and adventurous little girl that discovers a magical world behind a red door in her new house.
For this project, I began by illustrating a small character sheet of the main character, in order to have a guide for how she would appear throughout the book. I continued with a spread illustration, making sure I designed a layout with plenty of space for text. In this illustration I made use of contrasting colors as well as bright and dark areas in order to guide the eye though the page, while also creating a dazzling and magical atmosphere. Finally, for the cover of the book, I chose to create an illustration featuring the main character looking through the door, which not only invites the reader but also gives the composition empty space for the title.
Programs used: Procreate, Photoshop, InDesign
See more here: chriskarathanou.com/project/nature-of-love
illustrator childrensbook childrensbookillustration…Based on one of my own short stories, “Behind the Red Door” is a test project to showcase my character design and illustration skills for children’s literature.
The story follows Marie, a bright and adventurous little girl that discovers a magical world behind a red door in her new house.
For this project, I began by illustrating a small character sheet of the main character, in order to have a guide for how she would appear throughout the book. I continued with a spread illustration, making sure I designed a layout with plenty of space for text. In this illustration I made use of contrasting colors as well as bright and dark areas in order to guide the eye though the page, while also creating a dazzling and magical atmosphere. Finally, for the cover of the book, I chose to create an illustration featuring the main character looking through the door, which not only invites the reader but also gives the composition empty space for the title.
Programs used: Procreate, Photoshop, InDesign
See more here: chriskarathanou.com/project/nature-of-love
illustrator childrensbook childrensbookillustrationWW…
Wee Witches: Cute illustration series
“Wee Witches” is a collection of illustrations with a cute, witchy theme. With this project, I aimed to challenge myself by using a limited color palette for all the individual pieces, in order to maintain visual consistency throughout the project.
While making the illustrations, I focused on creating a magical atmosphere with the use of light and shadow and illuminating certain areas in different ways. I also chose to depict a diverse cast of cute girls and convey their varied personalities through visual elements.
Programs used: Procreate
See more here: chriskarathanou.com/project/wee-witches illustrator illustration childrensillustration…“Wee Witches” is a collection of illustrations with a cute, witchy theme. With this project, I aimed to challenge myself by using a limited color palette for all the individual pieces, in order to maintain visual consistency throughout the project.
While making the illustrations, I focused on creating a magical atmosphere with the use of light and shadow and illuminating certain areas in different ways. I also chose to depict a diverse cast of cute girls and convey their varied personalities through visual elements.
Programs used: Procreate
See more here: chriskarathanou.com/project/wee-witches illustrator illustration childrensillustrationWW…
Time for chores: Children’s colouring book illustrations
“Time for chores!” is a small colouring book I fully designed and illustrated. It includes a series of intricate illustrations in a cute and child-friendly artstyle, using bold lines and simple shapes. Each illustration features a different little critter doing a daily chore or running an errand.
Programs used: Procreate, Adobe Illustrator
See more: chriskarathanou.com/project/time-for-chores
illustration childrensillustration…“Time for chores!” is a small colouring book I fully designed and illustrated. It includes a series of intricate illustrations in a cute and child-friendly artstyle, using bold lines and simple shapes. Each illustration features a different little critter doing a daily chore or running an errand.
Programs used: Procreate, Adobe Illustrator
See more: chriskarathanou.com/project/time-for-chores
illustration childrensillustrationWW…
Lost & Found: Short digital comic
“Lost & Found” is a comic based on a short story about books and the power of storytelling. My first step was to adapt the script into rough thumbnails while I laid out the dialogue and panels. I then finished illustrating each individual panel by lining and using grayscale coloring to bring it to life.
Programs used: Procreate, Illustrator, InDesign
Read it here: chriskarathanou.com/project/lost-and-found
illustrator comicillustrator…“Lost & Found” is a comic based on a short story about books and the power of storytelling. My first step was to adapt the script into rough thumbnails while I laid out the dialogue and panels. I then finished illustrating each individual panel by lining and using grayscale coloring to bring it to life.
Programs used: Procreate, Illustrator, InDesign
Read it here: chriskarathanou.com/project/lost-and-found
illustrator comicillustratorWW…
My busy book: Kids’ educational activity book illustration and design
One of my favourite projects, this is a kids’ educational activity book (or “busy book”) I worked on. For this book, the goal was to create a set of printable pages for online purchase and use at home.
Since this project is aimed at younger children, I focused on making the designs cute and approachable while using simple shapes, flat colors and a fairly limited color palette. One of my favourite parts was illustrating the different little characters and giving them an array of clothes and accessories for kids to dress up!
Aside from sketching and carefully vectorising each individual element, I also designed a simple layout for the pages.
Programs used: Procreate, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
See more here: chriskarathanou.com/project/my-busy-book
illustrator designer graphicdesigner busybook…One of my favourite projects, this is a kids’ educational activity book (or “busy book”) I worked on. For this book, the goal was to create a set of printable pages for online purchase and use at home.
Since this project is aimed at younger children, I focused on making the designs cute and approachable while using simple shapes, flat colors and a fairly limited color palette. One of my favourite parts was illustrating the different little characters and giving them an array of clothes and accessories for kids to dress up!
Aside from sketching and carefully vectorising each individual element, I also designed a simple layout for the pages.
Programs used: Procreate, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
See more here: chriskarathanou.com/project/my-busy-book
illustrator designer graphicdesigner busybookWW…
Animals at work: Illustrated stickers series
This sticker series features some adorable animal characters and various objects related to their work environment.
For these illustrations I made use of a slightly rough outline brush as well as a stippling effect for the shadows, to create a more natural, hand-drawn look. I also chose a warm color palette to give them a more “cozy” feel.
Programs used: Procreate, Photoshop
See more here: chriskarathanou.com/project/animals-at-work
illustrator childrensillustration…This sticker series features some adorable animal characters and various objects related to their work environment.
For these illustrations I made use of a slightly rough outline brush as well as a stippling effect for the shadows, to create a more natural, hand-drawn look. I also chose a warm color palette to give them a more “cozy” feel.
Programs used: Procreate, Photoshop
See more here: chriskarathanou.com/project/animals-at-work
illustrator childrensillustrationWW…
Cinderella character design: Character design for a children’s book
This is a quick character design sheet I created for the classic story of Cinderella. I began with a few different options for her design which I then narrowed down to one. I made a turnaround for the final design then finalized by lining and coloring.
Programs used: Procreate
See here: https://www.twine.net/signin
illustrator childrensbook childrensbookillustration…This is a quick character design sheet I created for the classic story of Cinderella. I began with a few different options for her design which I then narrowed down to one. I made a turnaround for the final design then finalized by lining and coloring.
Programs used: Procreate
See here: https://www.twine.net/signin
illustrator childrensbook childrensbookillustrationWW…
Sleepy little bears: Vector illustration project
In this small personal project, I designed and illustrated an adorable bear character getting ready for bed.
The simple vector illustrations were then used to design a pack of cute stationery made up of a sticker sheet, a notebook and patterned paper tape.
Programs used: Procreate, Adobe Illustrator
See it here: chriskarathanou.com/project/sleepy-little-bears
illustrator illustration childrensillustration…In this small personal project, I designed and illustrated an adorable bear character getting ready for bed.
The simple vector illustrations were then used to design a pack of cute stationery made up of a sticker sheet, a notebook and patterned paper tape.
Programs used: Procreate, Adobe Illustrator
See it here: chriskarathanou.com/project/sleepy-little-bears
illustrator illustration childrensillustrationWW…
The Stress Detective: Logo design, card illustrations and packaging design
One of my favourite freelance projects to work on, “The Stress Detective” started with the development of a series of “clue cards”.
These illustrated cards indicate various stressors that will allow better communication between children and their care-giver/therapist. The end goal of the illustrations was to give a visual representation to an array of triggers that might be hard for kids to convey, so the chosen art style was simple, straightforward and clear, while utilizing a bright and eye-catching color palette that kids will be drawn to. In addition to the cards, I was tasked with designing the packaging for the product that would go to print.
The second task of this project was to develop a logo and brief brand guide. I presented a few initial options to my client and once the final selection was made, I created a small delivery kit which included the logo variations, a selected color palette and fonts, as well as a seamless pattern.
Programs used: Procreate, Illustrator, Photoshop
See more here: chriskarathanou.com/project/the-stress-detective illustrator logo branding graphicdesigner designer…One of my favourite freelance projects to work on, “The Stress Detective” started with the development of a series of “clue cards”.
These illustrated cards indicate various stressors that will allow better communication between children and their care-giver/therapist. The end goal of the illustrations was to give a visual representation to an array of triggers that might be hard for kids to convey, so the chosen art style was simple, straightforward and clear, while utilizing a bright and eye-catching color palette that kids will be drawn to. In addition to the cards, I was tasked with designing the packaging for the product that would go to print.
The second task of this project was to develop a logo and brief brand guide. I presented a few initial options to my client and once the final selection was made, I created a small delivery kit which included the logo variations, a selected color palette and fonts, as well as a seamless pattern.
Programs used: Procreate, Illustrator, Photoshop
See more here: chriskarathanou.com/project/the-stress-detective illustrator logo branding graphicdesigner designerWW…
Cats love bubble tea, too: Sticker sheet vector illustration
This tiny project is made up of cute vector illustrations featuring cats enjoying some bubble tea.
Programs used: Procreate, Adobe Illustrator
illustrator designer…This tiny project is made up of cute vector illustrations featuring cats enjoying some bubble tea.
Programs used: Procreate, Adobe Illustrator
illustrator designerWW…
Art style exploration: Exploring character design with different art styles
This is a small art style exploration I did for a project. While I used the same character design and color palette, each version has different proportions, line art, coloring and shading styles.
Programs used: Procreate
illustrator childrensbook childrensbookillustration…This is a small art style exploration I did for a project. While I used the same character design and color palette, each version has different proportions, line art, coloring and shading styles.
Programs used: Procreate
illustrator childrensbook childrensbookillustrationWW…
Hire a Children’s Book Illustrator
We have the best children’s book illustrator experts on Twine. Hire a children’s book illustrator in Thessaloniki today.