I’m Courtney Autumn Martin, (known professionally as C.A. Martin). I'm a US-based freelance artist. I studied illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and graduated with honors in 2006. I spent the first 11 years of my career working as an in-house graphic designer and freelance children's illustrator on the side. My work in children's publishing has been seen in children’s picture books, book covers, and educational materials. In 2017, I left my graphic design job to work on entertainment illustration exclusively and to pursue my true passion: alternative movie posters and pop culture art.
Although children's illustration is no longer my primary focus, it continues to influence the work I do today. Whether creating a poster or a book cover, I enjoy telling a complete story in a single striking image. My posters often give a solid sense of character, relationships, setting, and tone at a glance. Portraiture plays a big part in what I most love about creating film posters and I work with particular care to capture the likeness of every character. But my favorite part of creating my own posters is the puzzle-like process of collecting, assembling, unifying, and transforming reference materials to build exciting and sophisticated compositions. My illustration work is created digitally, typically using my favorite dither and chalk style brushes. As of 2023, my work has been translated to one officially released and six privately released screen printed posters.
I currently work as a member of The Poster Posse, a collective of artists creating for-hire alternative movie poster art. Clients include Disney, Marvel Studios, and Sony Pictures.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading outside, exploring new places in nature with my husband, Adam Peck, and creating colorful abstract paintings for sale at DoodlePaintings.com.
