Alumni Spotlight
Booked and Busy
Illustrator Breanna Chambers has combined whimsy, talent and tenacity into some high-profile early career wins.
By Cara King // Images courtesy of Breanna Chambers
An illustration by alumnus Breanna Chambers.
Breanna Chambers (Art and Design ’21) is a rising star in children’s book illustration. She credits much of her success to Learn by Doing in the studio art program, both in refining her artistic voice and in learning how to manage her career as a small business in the highly competitive art world.
“There was definitely an emphasis on persistence and tenacity in the Art and Design Department. If we wanted to make art as a job, that would only happen if we pursued it doggedly,” Chambers said. “There were specific class assignments that forced us to apply for showcases, awards, or fellowships, which was great practice for both the emotional and logistical side of the application process. And there was an understanding that no one person’s career as an artist looks the same as another’s.”
Chambers took these lessons to heart by building client relationships as a freelance illustrator throughout her time as a student, which led to her first major project. Illustrating Gina Biegel’s “Take in the Good,” a mindfulness activity journal for teenagers, challenged her to illustrate nearly 200 pages while managing a full course load during her second year at Cal Poly.
“It threw me into the deep end of book illustration,” Chambers said.
Having a project this big come out has really been a turning point. It feels like this is my capital ‘C’ career now.
At the same time, the studio art program helped Chambers build the technical foundation that continues to shape her illustration work. Although she no longer works regularly with charcoal, plaster or oil paint, she still applies lessons from those courses, including anatomy and composition. Her work had always been stylized, organic and “cartoony,” but supportive faculty helped her refine that style and bring greater depth to her illustrations.
A self-portrait by Chambers.
Chambers credits her sophomore-year Critique, Discourse and Practice course as a turning point because it required her to think critically about her future, make a plan and begin creating a cohesive body of work. Among the art and design faculty, Elizabeth Folk helped her find resources geared toward book illustration, while Laura Krifka and Sara Frantz also served as important mentors.
Throughout her third- and fourth-year studio courses and senior portfolio project, her unique style and future plans continued to take shape.
“The combination of a guiding hand from the professors and the emphasis on student-driven work set me up well for a self-driven artistic career in the future,” Chambers said. “I knew that I wanted to pursue book and graphic novel illustration, and I felt my illustration style was particularly suited for younger audiences.”
Post-graduation, Chambers pieced together part-time jobs at a bookstore, a zoo gift shop and as a gig musician while continuing to build her portfolio. She also took online courses and lectures through the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) to learn more about the business side of publishing.
“The years after graduating were a grind,” Chambers said. “I worked in retail and took any freelance or commission work I could get while working on my portfolio.”
That persistence paid off. Chambers placed second in the 2023 SCBWI un-agented portfolio competition, a major milestone for an early-career illustrator only two years out of school. She leveraged that industry recognition to shop around for an agent and signed with Chad Beckerman at the CAT Agency in January 2024.
First image: The cover of Chambersʼ first collaboration with authors Goldie Hawn and Lin Oliver. Second image: A series of panels from “The After School Kindness Crew.”
“I’m now at liberty to say that he was my first choice from the start,” Chambers said.
With strong representation and industry connections, Chambers’ career has flourished with opportunities to illustrate children’s books by high-profile authors. Her first illustrated book, “The After-School Kindness Crew: Pooch on the Loose,” by award-winning actress Goldie Hawn and best-selling author Lin Oliver, was released in May 2026. The book earned a spot on the New York Times Bestseller List and a sequel is in the works. Chambers is also currently illustrating “ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS, CHEESE,” an upcoming book by stand-up comic W. Kamau Bell and best-selling author Adam Mansbach.
“Having a project this big come out has really been a turning point,” Chambers said. “It feels like this is my capital ‘C’ career now, even though I’ve been working as an artist for years. Anyone who is in the arts knows that it is a hugely competitive scene, and to be able to turn my passion into a full-time job is a huge privilege. Even though I have gotten more visibility than I’m used to lately, I’m very much still in the early career stage, always hoping to get better and learn more.”
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