Cartoonist and illustrator Gina Kirlew’s drawings of miniature snacks like pizza, bagels, and pretzels 
become incredibly personable as she brings them to life with tiny smiles and excited eyes. Her cartoons can be seen on canvas and on products like socks and tote bags.
Culture influences a lot of Kirlew’s ideas — this native New Yorker has a Jamaican background that remains very present in her life and often inspires her work. There are plenty of things she has yet to create that reflect her background, from short stories and comics to food and culture paintings.
Since her arrival to Atlanta, Kirlew has been quick to dip her toes in the arts community by participating in the Indie Craft Experience markets and group gallery shows like Battle & Brew curated by Kate Logan and the sQuishiepuss Birthday Party, as well as live mural painting during the Paint Love Artist Challenge and the Ultimate Pizza Party with Make Black-Out Poetry.
Here, Kirlew shares with CommonCreativ how she’s balancing her full-time gig with her illustration side hustle, what kind of cartoon styles inspire her, and the furniture she’d like to collaborate on with another beloved local art collective.
CommonCreativ: Have you always been in Atlanta? What keeps you here?
Gina Kirlew: I’m a native New Yorker who actually ended up in Atlanta after studying abroad in England for grad school. Living in Atlanta was a happy accident. I initially wanted to live in England, but after graduation, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do next. I considered living in Jamaica while I was visiting my parents there. My older brother, who lives in Atlanta, came to Jamaica for a visit, while I was there, and convinced me to try out Atlanta. He sold me on, “Cartoon Network is in Atlanta.” So I ended up here and enjoyed the city so much that I decided to stay.
I really like the art community here in Atlanta and feel like it’s still so young that it’s much easier to grow here as an artist and make a name for yourself. I also felt like it was important for me to live somewhere other than New York so that I could reinvent myself.
CC: Have you always been an artist?
GK: Yes! I’ve been drawing and painting since I could hold a pencil and a paintbrush. I studied Traditional Animation at the School of Visual Arts in New York for my undergrad degree. I almost changed my major to Illustration & Cartooning because I really wanted to study comics, but since it would have delayed my graduation, I stuck with animation. I also studied Graphic Design at Nottingham Trent University in England for my graduate degree. I’m super happy that I studied graphic design as I definitely use what I’ve learned then for my art business today.
CC: How did you end up becoming an illustrator and cartoonist focusing on food?
GK: I have always been obsessed with food. I loved drawing food or incorporating it somehow into my work. I also used to and still do sometimes collect fake food — replicas or cute food toys. While I enjoy doing portraits of people or animals, food is probably my favorite thing to illustrate and recreate.
Photo by Figure and Ground ATL
CC: Tell me about your creative process — do you have a studio or do you work from home?
GK: Earlier this year I moved into a studio outside of the home, but I will be leaving it soon. While I like the idea of it, my vision for it has not come [to] fruition. I noticed that I just enjoy working from home the most. My ideal creative situation is to have a dedicated workspace studio within my home. It’s super convenient. Besides being able to work in pajamas [laughs], I love having the ability to jump out of bed with an idea and start creating right away.
CC: Do you currently have a full-time job or do you work freelance?
GK: I currently work at a casino gaming company as a graphic designer. I have been doing my art on the side whilst working full-time. However, I’ve just recently reduced the hours at my full-time job from 40 to 32 hours a week. This gives me one extra free day a week to dedicate to my art business. I chose Mondays — I really love Mondays now.
CC: What inspires you?
GK: I’m inspired by so many different things. However, I do find myself most attracted to bright, vibrant colors and clean line art with bold, thick black lines. I love cartoon styled art, faux food and cute food, objects, and art. As a kid, even though I pretty much loved all cartoons, I found myself being drawn to shows where I really liked the drawing style (Rocko’s Modern Life, Powerpuff girls, Daria, Ren & Stimpy).
These days, I’m inspired by Instagram accounts like @jesiiii, @shelbyandsandy, and @tokidokibrand.
CC: How do you promote yourself?
GK: Sharing my art on Instagram and Facebook, mostly Instagram, has been an amazing tool for me to promote my work. I love sharing things I’ve already done for myself or others. I find this inspires people to reach out to me for custom work. Free Art Friday ATL on Instagram is also an awesome way to connect with art lovers and fellow artists. In addition to social media, doing art shows is a great way to meet people in person and connect with people who may have never have come across you online.
CC: Do you have any dream collaborations with other local artists?
GK: Yes! I would love to do mini paintings to go inside of the miniature worlds that Karen of Tiny Doors ATL creates. I would also love to do a “Cute vs. Creepy Cute” art show with Joe Havasy.
CC: What do you think about Atlanta’s current arts scene?
GK: I love the art community in Atlanta right now. It feels so special, like we are all creating something big here together. I love the huge, colorful murals I pass by every day and the Free Art Friday community. 
There’s a strong sense of community with artists in Atlanta — artists here want to help other artists grow. But people are also creating their own opportunities.
CC: What’s next for you?
GK: Ahhhh, I have an incredibly long list of ideas and things I want and need to do, including updating my online shop and website in order to start selling on places like TeePublic, Society 6 and RedBubble. I want to add more product design like create more mismatched happy food socks and mini purses with my happy art patterns on them.
CC: Why do you make art?
GK: I make art because I can’t help it — it’s like breathing for me. I also love being able to make people smile and feel happy with the work I create! It’s an amazing feeling.
You can see more of Gina’s work on her portfolio, Instagram, and Etsy shop.
