My Journey

I grew up grew up as a child of two artists and learned a great deal from their experiences, eventually going on to major in fine art, with additional study in the newly emerging computer graphics field.

While still in school and for several years after, I was a member of the Entertainment Company at the Texas Renaissance Festival and was eventually one of the Core Company group leaders of the Fairy Group for the Company.

My personal and professional relationships and creative enthusiasm has led to collaborations in a broad variety of experience with storytelling, character and costume design, branding, logos, set painting, prop design, concept art, custom painting, portraits, comics, graphics, editorial and marketing illustrations, as well as fine art commissions.  

While in college, I also illustrated a comic strip for a monthly fan newsletter distributed by one of the Fairy performers at the ate as Renaissance Festival and worked on set painting and prop design for productions in the Company and well as Community Theater productions of a Midsummer Night's Dream and Camelot directed by the festival Entertainment Company director.

In the mid-1990s, I was approached to develop a Fairy Coloring book that did not go forward, but the process of developing those designs cemented my interest in applying my creativity to illustration and storytelling.  I also participated in several competitions for marketing posters and logos for various festivals and online companies, receiving honorable mentions and attracting some of her more recent clients. 

My central creative goal is to collaborate with clients and fellow creatives to amplify their passion and vision into something that will resonate and stand the test of time.

Experience

Custom Fine Art Commissions

Entertainment Company

1994; 1998 - 2003

Freelance Illustration

Main Street Theater - Houston Texas

1997 Children's Theater Season Brochure

Produced a number of spot illustrations to accompany each play included in the Season Programming Brochure.

Texas Renaissance Festival

In addition to interactive theater characters and group leader roles within the company, designed and created costumes, props, sets and various other productions and concept art for the company.

Comic strip illustrations for the fan newsletter distributed by the performer Arhianna the Fairy written by the performer and inspired by characters from the Entertainment Company.

Arhianna the Fairy Newletter - Comic

1996 - 1997

1996 - Present

Whether recreating photographs as full scale portraits or collaborate with clients to create narrative images from custom references, Amanda has produced a wide variety of projects using acrylic, graphite, pen & Ink or computer graphics to capture the inspirations from her clients or their loved ones. I do not publicly display or post portrait images from my clients without prior permission, but specific inquiries can be made through the contact links below.

Perilous Journeys - SteamCraft

2013 - 2023

Interior pen and ink illustrations for several publications related to a Steampunk themed tabletop roleplaying game called SteamCraft.  Also worked on some concept illustrations and character design work for a potential re-release of the original fantasy roleplaying game same name as the company, yet to be released.

Wooly Wonka Fibers

2018 - 2020

Interior spot illustrations to communicate the inspiration for client's knitwear designs including greyscale interior spot illustrations for each pattern as well as a full page back cover.  Also produced images for each of the festivals comprising the Celtic Calendar and composited into a Celtic Wheel used for a year-long pattern club for the designer.  Later worked on a mascot and branding projects for the company.  

Divine & Conquer

2025

Interior illustrations for construct encounters included in the new Dungeons & Dragons compatible tabletop roleplaying game The Age of Maya, releasing on BakerKit in May, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Are you available for commissions?

I do have limited availability for commissions. If you are interested in my work for a specific project, feel free to contact me by email with a description of the work and the timeframe you have in mind, as well as a ballpark budget, rights requested, and any other questions you may have for me.

How does your process for commissions work?

Once again depending on the project, timeframe, and budget, there are 4 stages to each project.

1. Discussion and planning of the image(s) and requirements for the project including the subject, reference materials and research as well as contract details, rights, usage, pricing and deadlines. Depending on the project, a deposit payment may be required prior to work beginning;

2. Thumbnails/Sketches/Roughs submitted with installment payment due upon approval;

3. Final image approval upon submission of lower resolution image with full resolution and/or original submitted after final payment. There is generally a previously agreed number of rounds for revisions available prior to final approval depending on the contract.

How much does it cost?

It is strongly recommended that clients have a budget in mind for their project when making an inquiry so we can begin discussions on the scope of what a project entails with an open dialog. If you are new to commissioning artists, I recommend researching sources like the Graphics Artists Guild or Illustrators.com for more information on the costs and considerations involved in making and purchasing art.

I have a book I want to publish. Would you be interested in doing the illustrations?

I would love to hear about your project depending on how you want to get it published and what stage it is in development. If you are shopping the book to publishers, they will likely want to use their own connections for illustrations and it does not necessarily provide an advantage to have one already attached.

It is also highly recommended to not reach out to an illustrator until you have been through at least one phase with an editor - especially for a children's book. Imagine spending hours working on a spread for a section of the book and then discover that the section/paragraph/sentence that image was created for or formatted around had completely changed or been cut out entirely. Just something to keep in mind.

How can I contact you?

Feel free to reach out through the email form below, or sign up for my newsletter to keep track of where I will be to sell autographed prints and other merchandise in person. You can also follow me on Tumblr, BlueSky, and Cara through the social links below.

Do you have a pricing sheet?

I've done pricing sheets before, but I find they are more a limitation to a conversation with a client than being of any real help.  I would much rather hear about what a project is and treat my client and their ideas as the unique opportunity they are rather than apply an arbitrary number to something we could otherwise both be excited about.

Will you take a photograph or other image and turn it into a portrait?

Absolutely, as long as you can certify that the image is owned by you, was taken by you, or you have explicit permission from the photographer or image creator/owner for it to be used for that purpose.  Alternatively, the photos and/or images and descriptions provided can be used as reference for an original composition that will substantially different from the originals provided in order to protect the rights of the original creator.  If you have any questions regarding the nuances of these requirements, feel free to contact me below.