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KELLY SMYTH
Character design, story art, illustration, and more
Based in Northern California
Featured Work
NEWS REEL
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2-in-1: My Foray Into Music!
October 29, 2026
This year I fulfilled my long-awaited dream of illustrating for musicians, both for a well-established artist I’ve looked up to for years, and an up-and-coming songwriter who’s paving his own path.
Alternative artist Mothica recently hired me to illustrate an exclusive Pokemon-style trading card to sell to concert-goers at her annual Halloween extravaganza. The final product turned out PHENOMENAL, I'll say! Graphic designer @andheartslol (Instagram) did a fantastic job piecing the whole design together. And just look at these pro shots! https://www.instagram.com/andheartslol/reel/DexXCYwyYKp/
But not long before that, I was commissioned not once, but THREE times by an indie artist who specializes in rage and bedroom pop, Daeskii. Over the course of the past year, I lent my artistic sensibilities mainly to singles, like the dreamy and heartfelt “stars” and incredibly danceable “way too big!” But his latest release, the “i want you” EP, is something truly special.
Please give both of these artists a listen, and I hope to contribute to the world of live/independent music more in the future!
This year I fulfilled my long-awaited dream of illustrating for musicians, both for a well-established artist I’ve looked up to for years, and an up-and-coming songwriter who’s paving his own path.
Alternative artist Mothica recently hired me to illustrate an exclusive Pokemon-style trading card to sell to concert-goers at her annual Halloween extravaganza. The final product turned out PHENOMENAL, I'll say! Graphic designer @andheartslol (Instagram) did a fantastic job piecing the whole design together. And just look at these pro shots! https://www.instagram.com/andheartslol/reel/DexXCYwyYKp/
But not long before that, I was commissioned not once, but THREE times by an indie artist who specializes in rage and bedroom pop, Daeskii. Over the course of the past year, I lent my artistic sensibilities mainly to singles, like the dreamy and heartfelt “stars” and incredibly danceable “way too big!” But his latest release, the “i want you” EP, is something truly special.
Please give both of these artists a listen, and I hope to contribute to the world of live/independent music more in the future!
Storyboarding the Science of Sleep
August 19, 2025
Final artwork by Sabrina Pan
The Mista Pat Project released the first of several episodes that I boarded!! (Not the first one I was actually assigned, but stay tuned for more. 👀) For the latest episode of "What's That, Mista Pat," it was my job to come up with imaginative ways to visualize the human sleep cycle and the outcomes of different sleep habits.
View the animatic on my Storyboards page! Also, did I mention I'm one of the team's art directors now?
Final artwork by Sabrina Pan
The Mista Pat Project released the first of several episodes that I boarded!! (Not the first one I was actually assigned, but stay tuned for more. 👀) For the latest episode of "What's That, Mista Pat," it was my job to come up with imaginative ways to visualize the human sleep cycle and the outcomes of different sleep habits.
View the animatic on my Storyboards page! Also, did I mention I'm one of the team's art directors now?
Mista Pat launches "Crazy Cool Careers" segment!
April 8, 2025
The YouTube channel I've been working with for the past 2 years launched a new segment today! "Crazy Cool Careers" aims to educate and inspire 3rd-5th graders, exposing them to emerging STEAM careers and hyped up for future possibilities! I made the credits animation (which will be at the end of every episode), and some title illustrations/extra art seen throughout the video.
Expect a lot more artwork in upcoming volumes!
The YouTube channel I've been working with for the past 2 years launched a new segment today! "Crazy Cool Careers" aims to educate and inspire 3rd-5th graders, exposing them to emerging STEAM careers and hyped up for future possibilities! I made the credits animation (which will be at the end of every episode), and some title illustrations/extra art seen throughout the video.
Expect a lot more artwork in upcoming volumes!
WIA Fall mentorship wraps up
January 22, 2024
Concept art by Magalie Bou Abboud
I'm very grateful to have been accepted into WIA's remote mentorship program last Fall! I was put on a team consisting of 10 artists and 1 mentor, and together we completed the pre-vis stage for an animated short script that I wrote!
"Monster In The Halls" logline: A struggling student named Xavier longs for something more extraordinary than high school – and the catalyst for change arrives as a vicious monster!
My artistic contributions can be found on my Storyboards page and Character Design page.
Concept art by Magalie Bou Abboud
I'm very grateful to have been accepted into WIA's remote mentorship program last Fall! I was put on a team consisting of 10 artists and 1 mentor, and together we completed the pre-vis stage for an animated short script that I wrote!
"Monster In The Halls" logline: A struggling student named Xavier longs for something more extraordinary than high school – and the catalyst for change arrives as a vicious monster!
My artistic contributions can be found on my Storyboards page and Character Design page.
Readeezy collaboration hits stores!
October 18, 2023
Color design by Nibiya Binu
Readeezy is a digital library made for struggling adolescent readers, and last Spring I was hired to illustrate for one of their newest titles, "How A Dog Saved My Life." I contributed all of the character designs, page thumbnails, and linework to this audiovisual storybook! Thank you to company president Maria Cleary for this opportunity.
Page samples available in my Illustration page.
Color design by Nibiya Binu
Readeezy is a digital library made for struggling adolescent readers, and last Spring I was hired to illustrate for one of their newest titles, "How A Dog Saved My Life." I contributed all of the character designs, page thumbnails, and linework to this audiovisual storybook! Thank you to company president Maria Cleary for this opportunity.
Page samples available in my Illustration page.
Creative Collective Studio begins promo for "Rain"
August 14, 2023
It's been pleasure to work on this upcoming short over the past few weeks! The studio just kicked off the film's promotional phase by sharing pieces of official concept art on social media, one such piece being this style frame that I created!
More "Rain" concept art in my Character Design gallery.
It's been pleasure to work on this upcoming short over the past few weeks! The studio just kicked off the film's promotional phase by sharing pieces of official concept art on social media, one such piece being this style frame that I created!
More "Rain" concept art in my Character Design gallery.
DreamArc releases first look at "Songbirds" short
August 9, 2023
I joined this company as a visual development intern last year, and a glimpse of the final project has just been released to the public! I'm beyond ecstatic to see my designs in motion, the animators have really outdone themselves here ^^
See all of my "Songbirds" work in my Character Design gallery!
I joined this company as a visual development intern last year, and a glimpse of the final project has just been released to the public! I'm beyond ecstatic to see my designs in motion, the animators have really outdone themselves here ^^
See all of my "Songbirds" work in my Character Design gallery!
Otis College senior show begins
May 13, 2022
Today was the first day of my college's senior exhibition, to where dozens of industry professionals and working alums came to see the graduating class' best work! Alongside the rest of my portfolio, I displayed my new concept art deck based on the Little Nightmares horror series. It was a grueling creation process that tested my skills hard, but I couldn't be prouder of myself.
Today was the first day of my college's senior exhibition, to where dozens of industry professionals and working alums came to see the graduating class' best work! Alongside the rest of my portfolio, I displayed my new concept art deck based on the Little Nightmares horror series. It was a grueling creation process that tested my skills hard, but I couldn't be prouder of myself.
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