Featured Artist Chelsea Trousdale
I met Chelsea at Animation Y'all in Tennessee earlier this year, but I had already been admiring her work online for a while. I’ve always been impressed by her illustration and character design, but I was blown away when I saw her felt characters in person, the cute factor is off the charts. I saw her again at LightBox Expo, and once again, her felt characters stole the show.
Even though her sculpted pieces draw people in, her illustration work is just as amazing. Her drawings are full of life, each one feels like a snapshot from a larger story you can’t help but want to see more of. Please keep reading to get to know Chelsea better!
When did you go from being like every other kid who liked to draw to being “the artist kid”?
Sometime in elementary school, it became pretty clear. I remember kids coming up to me and asking me to draw things for them—sometimes even on assignments they were supposed to do themselves (which I always refused). That’s probably when I realized I had become “the artist kid.”
When did you decide to pursue art as a career?
I actually resisted it until my senior year of high school. Everyone expected me to go into art because I loved it so much, and for some reason that made me want to push against it. I even considered studying biology and genetics for a while because I’ve always been fascinated by how living things work—especially animals. Eventually I had to be honest with myself: every time I imagined my future, I was drawing and designing characters. At some point, it just made more sense to call that my career instead of pretending I was headed in a different direction.
What is the process of getting an agent like?
There isn’t one set path. For me, it started with building a strong character-illustration portfolio, sharing it consistently, and eventually having the right person see it at the right time—my agent reached out after following my work online. Since then, the combination of that illustration work with my needle-felt characters has helped my portfolio stand out a lot more.
Do you have a favorite gig you’ve done?
My favorite gig ever is still under NDA, but it was an amazing project for DreamWorks TV. Pretty typical for this industry—the work you’re most excited about is often the stuff you can’t show or talk about yet. Another favorite was working for MoonActive—I designed characters and backgrounds alongside incredibly talented artists from all over the world and learned a lot from that experience.
What are some current things you’re working on?
Right now, I’m focused on expanding the needle-felt side of my character brand—developing larger needle-felt sculptures for shows and collaborations, and Felty Pins needle-felt kits that give people a taste of how I felt my characters, using the same materials I use in my own work. I also recently contributed to the Sandbox comics anthology Kickstarter, which put my work alongside a lineup of character artists I really admire. At the same time, I’m wrapping up a children’s comic and laying the groundwork for future publishing, merchandise, and eventually bringing my characters into film and animation. A big part of that is steadily building out my online shop, selling books, prints, felt pieces, and kits as they develop.
What would be your ideal job?
The work I’m most drawn to is character design for animation—especially films and series built around expressive animal characters. My portfolio is already very focused on that kind of storytelling, so projects in the Zootopia or The Bad Guys space feel like a natural fit; if anyone reading this is on those teams, I’d be happy to talk. At the same time, it’s important to me to keep developing my own stories and characters through books, comics, toys, and needle-felt pieces, so the ideal setup is a mix: selective studio collaborations and a personal brand that can stand on its own.
When and how did you get into character felting?
I’ve loved both drawing and sculpting for as long as I can remember. Before needle felting, I sculpted in clay, but I was always trying to find ways to bring my 2D characters into three dimensions. I experimented with felting years ago, but it really became part of my practice when I revisited it specifically as a way to “sculpt my drawings in wool.” Approaching it as character sculpture rather than just a craft is what made it stick.
Are there other fiber arts you currently do—or would like to try—such as sewing, quilting, weaving, or puppet making?
Right now, my focus is sculpting characters in wool through needle felting. That’s the medium I keep coming back to. I could see myself doing simpler sewing for tiny clothes or accessories in the future, but mainly as a way to support the felt characters rather than as its own separate craft.
How do you balance the need to maintain a social media presence without letting it distract you?
I keep the quality of the work at the center, whether I’m illustrating or needle felting. Needle felting in particular is very time-intensive, so I can’t treat social media like a volume game. I focus on sharing strong pieces and meaningful process instead of constant output, and I plan the content with my creative partner so more of the scheduling and strategy can happen in the background while I stay focused on the work itself.
If you were a Slurpee flavor, what would you be?
Probably peach—I love anything peach-flavored.
What advice would you give your 17–18-year-old self just finishing high school?
Don’t separate “art”and “business”in your head—they’re part of the same job. The art is only half of it; the other half is understanding how value, audience, and distribution work. I’d tell myself to start thinking more like an entrepreneur early on: learn how to talk about your work, how to price it, how to negotiate, and how to get it in front of the right people.
What advice would you give a high school student today who wants to pursue illustration?
If you want illustration to be your job, you can’t stop at “I like drawing.”You have to think about your work the way an entrepreneur thinks about a product: who is it for, and why would they care enough to spend money or time on it? Your work might be personal, but once it goes out into the world it also has to carry clear value for the person on the other end. Pay attention to how artists you respect present, price, and talk about their work, and keep asking what you’re doing that feels genuinely your own. That kind of business thinking will carry your art a lot further than just hoping good drawings are enough.
If money and time weren’t an issue, what would you do?
I’d buy my grandparents’ old house in Indiana, refurbish it, and live on the 40 acres of woods and fields. I daydream about it all the time. In that version of life, I’d still be doing what I’m doing now—drawing, sculpting, and building stories—just with more time and space to explore ideas without rushing.
How do people follow your journey?
Instagram is where I’m most active day-to-day, and it’s the best place to see new illustrations, felt characters, and works in progress: @chelsea_trousdale. My main portfolio and central hub for my work is chelseatrousdale.com, and I’ll be linking out from there as the online shop launches. I’m also just beginning to build out a YouTube channel under “Chelsea Trousdale”for more in-depth process videos as the work continues to grow.
(Ralph’s note: Please show some love by following Chelsea on Instagram, and especially by subscribing to her fairly new YouTube channel. Thanks!)
