Karlotta Freier draws with such freedom her imagery seems to float on air

The subtle tilt of a woman's smile, gentle hatching that shades and textures an unusual leaf, the breeze catching some fabric so it floats on air —little details like these give New York-based illustrator Karlotta Freier's work a light, whimsical quality that's comfortable and optimistic, always with a touch of the surreal, the unexpected, the invisible.

Karlotta is an artist who is most at ease when drawing, which shows through her imagery. There never seems to be an imperative other than to draw something – even when she tackles a difficult brief for one of the big brands she works for. Looking at the work, it's easy to imagine her pencil on the page as she plays with ideas and immerses herself in this handmade world.

"To me, the main product of my work is not the drawing in the end, but the time I spent with the drawing," says Karlotta. "I enjoy spending time with my work. I like slowly exploring a theme and discovering something new in the process. I like my work the best when I can surprise myself."

Perhaps it's this connection with what she creates that makes her so popular with clients—in fashion, beauty, and editorial. Her current project, the details of which can't be shared just yet, began in a way many creatives would envy. She was invited to a location and left to sketch for a few days.

"This was such a beautiful way to kick off because now I am very inspired and have all these ideas for compositions and colours that I can use as a basis for this project," says Karlotta. "In the upcoming months, I will create many illustrations for the brand, and having this much deeper, tangible knowledge about it feels so special."

While her soul brims with creative freedom, Karlotta never feels constrained by a brief. Exploring a client's vision is a way of expanding her visual language and toolkit. "Sometimes, I am confronted with themes I have never thought about, and figuring that out can be challenging. It's a big joy when things fall into place. I think it is that feeling that I work towards rather than a message that I want to convey to others," she explains.

Although Karlotta works digitally today, everything she creates continues to have a hand-drawn quality. When she first set out as an illustrator, she was bound to her sketchbook and wouldn't even tear pages out to scan them, resulting in some blurry edges. While drawing with pencils and pens onto paper you can physically touch seems the most honest way of doing things, she now embraces digital techniques because they feel fresh and exciting.

"For the longest time, I thought I wasn't allowed to change my analogue ways because I got the feedback that people connected to that, and I immediately assumed this must be the only thing people connect to in my work. The first time I worked digitally, nobody noticed that it was different, and I realised that my work being analogue can't be its only signifier. So, I allowed myself to explore a little more freely," she says.

Meanwhile, Karlotta experiments with different media in her personal work, which may later influence her commercial projects. Currently, she's painting in oils, carving wooden figures, knitting, and sewing. For her, exploring without expectation keeps things fun. Going back to 2018, when she won a Cube from the Art Directors Club for her work, her style has continually evolved, and she has always been drawn to follow her interests rather than formulate a distinctive style.

Since achieving her MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 2021, Karlotta has been teaching illustration at various institutions in the US and Europe. In 2022, she founded Illustrators Acquainted, the monthly video conference meet-up she hosts. It began as a way of sharing career advice because she was receiving so many emails on the topic. Hundreds of people began joining the meetings, and they will return soon after a hiatus due to Karlotta's busy schedule.

"It's funny, we are a little isolated in this job," she says. "You don't naturally share how you write emails, how you organise your PSDs, how you quote or what you do when you lose inspiration or there is an issue with a client. It's somehow really soothing and empowering to realise that a big group of people are dealing with the same things and to share all the different approaches and ideas everyone has developed."