MenuClose
About
Charles Kohlbeck is an illustrator and comic artist currently based in the Greater Milwaukee Area who’s love of the rural Midwest is paralleled only by his strong inclination towards horror and fantasy. His work can be found to reflect the aura of these areas, from a dark forest lit only by the orange glow of vintage streetlights to a small town gas station with an video rental section to boot. Charles wears his influences on his sleeve, the vintage horror and fantasy film, comics, and games he consumed in his youth, and the diverse personalities and appearances of the many people he’s met being combined to conjure the unique stories and characters his ink or digital pen brings to life. No where is this more apparent than his most recent project Another Day, a personal story which allowed him to create his own ghost story for the sleepy Wisconsin towns he’s frequented and the people (and urban legends) which call them home.
Charles has found that the best stories are those that are a perfect combination of real culture, people, and places combined with just enough of the fantastic to make the viewer feel like they are someplace new, free to explore and discover a new, yet familiar adventure.  Â
When he’s not busy rapidly smashing Ctrl + Z or spilling ink on his favorite flannel, Charles can be with his second love plants, tending to the abundance of house plants his fiancé and him still find as being too few. If not feeding Audrey II jr. he can be found playing one of many of his favorite card games, watching old horror movies, playing piano, or flipping through comics and art books to get enveloped in someone else’s imaginary worlds for a change.
Resume
Programs and Skills
- Clip Studio Paint
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Figma
- Font Forge
- Wonder Unit Storyboarder
- Visual Studio Code
- Atom
- Comic Pencils/Inks/Flats/Colors
- Traditional Pen and Ink (India Ink)
- Digital Painting
- Story Design
- Script Writing
- Storyboarding
- Character Design
- Concept Design
- Graphic Design
- Page Layout Editing
- HTML5/SCSS (CSS)
Experience
Social Media Manager & Assistant Concept Designer
Hey Hello Candle Co.
- Maintained posted material amongst a variety of social media sites to engage with different customer segments.Â
- Â Developed content strategies with graphic designer to optimize product launches across all platforms including Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
- Assisted in ideation, design, and development of new product concepts.
- Engaged in a friendly manner with local community durring variety of markets and fairs.
Feb 2021 - Present
Brookfield, WI
Self Published Author
- Wrote and Illustrated 100 page graphic novel “Another Day”.Â
- Managed and promoted a successful Kickstarter campaign.
- Worked in a mix of mediums including pen and ink, Clip Studio Paint, and Adobe Photoshop.
- Participated in all stages of book management and production.
- Produced finalized pages and images according to print specs using Adobe InDesign.
March 2019 - Jan 2022
Menomonee Falls, WI
Storyboard Artist
Freelance
- Illustrated and formulated storyboards into an animatic for the short animated film “Chirp”.
- Collaborated with director and producer to sketch out envisioned scenes using a mix of mediums including Adobe Photoshop, and Wonder Unit Storyboarder.
- Used Adobe Premier to edit and curate audio to aid in sequential storytelling.
- Worked with director and producer in concepting of story, and characters following the director’s vision.
June 2018 - Sep 2018
Menomonie, WI
Illustrator
Freelance
- Coordinated and spearheaded preproduction, art, and ideation for strategy card game Survive the Night.
- Illustrated multiple assets including player characters from a diverse collection of backgrounds.
- Administered “slasher” assets amongst three illustrators to create a feeling of cohesion between different card type groups.
- Designed page layout, additional art assets and story for the game’s rule book.Â
Jan 2018 - Feb 2018
Menomonie, WI
Editor & Illustrator
Freelance
- Cultivated content and files from multiple illustrators and writers for the anthology graphic novel, Wisconsin Legacies.
- Contributed a total of two short comics consisting of four pages each.
- Crafted a character, including history and personality in collaboration with other writers and illustrators on project.
- Worked with Lead Editor to review page layout and data for eventual print. Â
Jan 2016 - May 2016
Menomonie, WI
Education
University of Wisconsin - Stout
Bachelor Of Fine Art, Entertainment Design - Comics and Sequential Art
September 2013 - May 2019
Menomonie, WI
Certificates
Udemy:
Instructor: Hardy Fowler
Instructor: Dr. Sheena Howard
Instructor: Lindsey Marsh