Kai Gietzen
DEC 30, 2025
Kai Gietzen was always obsessed with creating tiny worlds as a kid—playing with Legos, lifting rocks to see what was hiding underneath. Now based in New York, the Milwaukee-born illustrator creates atmospheric illustrations filled with creatures, landscapes, and story-worlds viewers can get lost in. Drawing inspiration from ecology, folklore, and mythology, his work stimulates the imagination through simplified forms and printmaking-influenced techniques.
Can you tell us about your background and how you found your way into illustration and narrative image-making?
I first found illustration and drawing through the work of John Howe and Alan Lee, two fantasy illustrators who were the primary concept artists for the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. The worlds they created with their drawings and paintings entranced me and motivated me to try and create worlds of my own. This was the first time I really started to understand the power illustrations could have. I started taking art classes in High School and found I had a natural talent for translating people and objects into drawings and paintings.
Can you tell us about your background and how you found your way into illustration and narrative image-making?
I first found illustration and drawing through the work of John Howe and Alan Lee, two fantasy illustrators who were the primary concept artists for the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. The worlds they created with their drawings and paintings entranced me and motivated me to try and create worlds of my own. This was the first time I really started to understand the power illustrations could have. I started taking art classes in High School and found I had a natural talent for translating people and objects into drawings and paintings.
Your work creates atmospheric, story-driven worlds filled with creatures, landscapes, and adventures. What draws you to building these narrative environments?
I think those things go back to my roots and the whole reason I wanted to create illustrations in the first place. It's about stimulating the imagination and creating a story-world the viewer can get lost in. I was always obsessed with creating tiny worlds as a kid, playing with Legos or lifting up rocks to see what was hiding underneath. I can't really explain it, but it's something that's always been with me.
How do you decide your visual language in designing, for example, what to simplify or abstract when translating an idea into an image?
Part of it has to do with composition and the flow of the image, but also with creating characters or environments that tell a specific story. Using basic shape language to make something feel a certain way.
How does working in analog printmaking processes affect the way you approach digital illustration, and vice versa?
By creating digital works that mimic printmaking, I impose restrictions on the digital medium which is supposed to provide the artist with unlimited options. Digital is a great tool that can help with editing quickly and refining work, but creating without boundaries can create too many possibilities. I would rather see how creative I can get with just a few tools. In my process, I often create the work in pieces on paper and then put them together and color digitally, this means most of my work never becomes a finished piece in the physical world.
Who are some of the artists, illustrators, writers, or other influences that have shaped your visual language and approach to storytelling?
I mentioned that fantasy illustrators had an early influence, so I'm definitely looking at a lot of illustrations from folklore and stories. I love to look at old illustrations and figure out what techniques they're using to create certain effects.
What directions are you most excited to explore in your practice next, whether in terms of subject matter, technique, or the kinds of projects you take on?
I think I've been pushing towards more simplicity in my work, maybe partly because I have less time and energy to create things now, but also because my goal has always been to express things succinctly. I'm also hoping to expand my practice into some basic wood-working and other more physical and 3-dimensional mediums.