Caitlin Kuhwald’s Hand-Drawn Portraits Bring Iconic Faces to Life
A longtime California resident, Caitlin Kuhwald understands the power of a good face. She has a gift for rendering likenesses, and that’s evident in the illustrations she has worked on with Criterion, which feature vividly expressive portraits of stars like Cary Grant and Gene Tierney. But Kuhwald’s style has evolved over the years to also include more vibrant shapes and patterns. Her ability to move between different modes is rooted in her childhood interest in drawing, which she nurtured when she began honing her craft in art school. Today, she works from her home studio, where her son can be seen scuttling around, eager to cause a distraction.
Kuhwald’s work—drawn by hand and then digitally colored and fine-tuned—graces our editions of The Awful Truth, Amarcord, Heaven Can Wait, and others. In the latest episode of Studio Visits, she talks about the collaborative nature of her work for Criterion and how her pivotal experience painting a children’s mural expanded her practice and brought her closer to a style she considers truly her own. Check out the above video to learn more about Kuhwald’s process.
