About

Hi again!

Were you itching to learn more about me? That makes sense because this is the about me page!

I have two completely different professional personas. By day, I work in Corporate HR in Organizational Effectiveness; by night, I paint book characters and geek out for pay. How did I end up with two such opposing careers?

My business-patriarchy-stomping ambitions and free-spirited-artist-bookworm personality always seemed to be at odds with each other. For college, I had the choice to get my business degree at a top university or go to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago – as I got into both. At 18, I chose the business route, and I have NO regrets. I stayed through my master’s degree in leadership and am passionate about what I do in HR.

Art has always been my hobby. However, I didn’t take kindly to my high school art teacher criticizing my whimsical choice of subject matter, so I tended to rebuff *Art Authority*, and thus decided a structured art university was not necessarily the right fit for me. Don’t worry; I made my extra cash to buy novels in college by painting royal pet portraits, so the whimsy never left me.

Flash forward to 2020/2021. I got COVID (sad trumpet noises). I got it bad and am one of the countless COVID Long-Haulers. For about four months after my illness, I was bedridden for 80-90% of the day. So other than working my regular job from my laptop in bed, the only thing I wanted to do was read. So I read and read and read. And then, I decided that I had really strong images of each character in my head, so as I got my energy back slowly, I started sketching. I filled up notebooks of Sarah J Maas’s characters and dipped my toes into drawing Jennifer L Armentrout’s character portraits, Jay Kristoff’s heroes, and more. And from those, I got my first bookish art commission. I bought an iPad, taught myself digital art on the fly, and have had a whirlwind time ever since.

And now we’re here! And I love what I do. I still work full-time in corporate, but my nights and weekends belong to bookish art.

Fun Facts

  • I married my high school sweetheart, Shayne
  • We have two dogs (named after book characters) and a bunny (who has her own bedroom)
  • I got married in a castle in Scotland
  • I’ve lived in several states in the US, Mexico, and Italy
  • I’ve read over 700 books
  • I’ve seen over 100 bands in concert
  • I’ve been making digital art since May 2021
  • I once sang a pop-punk karaoke song in a dive bar in Kansas in front of one of my favorite bands

FAQs

Q: Are you an artist full-time?

A: Nope! I have an entire 9-5 corporate career – so art is more of a hobby or side hustle.

Q: Do you have a Patreon?

A: I will soon! Mark your calendar for June 1 2023 😉

Q: Do you accept gifts?

A: if we know each other already, sure! Otherwise, I’d prefer you direct your generosity to charitable purposes. Some of my go-to charities are:

  • Dent County Animal Welfare Society
  • Crisis Text Line
  • The Trevor Project
  • Best Friends Animal Society
  • Equal Justice Initiative
  • Planned Parenthood

Q: How do you choose what to make?

A: Unless it is a commission, it’s whatever I feel like! I don’t accept direct requests unless they are commissioned. If I am open to suggestions or ideas, I will post them on my Instagram stories to crowdsource.  

Q: Can I repost your art?

A: Yes! BUT you must clearly credit me in the caption and/or tag me in the post. You must include “@Alicia.MB.Art” in the caption. If it is a piece I have created for someone else (like a shop or author), you must also include that information in the credit. For example:

“Artist: @Alicia.MB.Art, commissioned for (SHOP NAME OR AUTHOR TAG).”

Q: What does it mean that you are Sarah J Maas licensed?

A: It means that Sarah and her team approve of each piece of art I make of her characters/books to sell. I give Sarah royalty fees for each sale I make of one of her characters.

Q: Can I get a tattoo of your art?

A: If it is a personal design or doodle I’ve made that is posted to my account: most likely, yes! Just send me a note before!

If it is a design that I made for someone else – you have to get permission from the commissioning party. If they say yes, then I say yes! For example, Jennifer L Armentrout and I have let someone get the Fire & Ash symbol I made for her tattooed – it turned out super cool!

Please get in touch with me to ask first – while I will likely say yes, I need to ensure that all appropriate parties have been consulted first.