Artist Feature: Kaley McCabe Jan 20 2025

This month we feature the artwork of talented illustrator Kaley McCabe.

Kaley has been represented by Advocate Art for over two years. She is based in sunny San Diego, California and works from her home studio in an apartment she shares with her husband, Jake, and their tabby cat, Jellybean. She can often be found wearing head-to-toe black, so you might be surprised by how colorful her artwork is.

Kaley shared a little about one of the titles she's particularly proud of.

"A book called Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: You're My Little Nightmare. It is a ten-spread board book that features raised cutouts of characters from Disney's The Nightmare Before Christmas, along with a really sweet rhyming text that describes what makes your 'little nightmare' so special. This book was a best-seller in 2024 and has sold more than 100,000 copies to date. It was a really collaborative experience to work on this book with the wonderful team at Studio Fun International!"

She elaborated on her process.

"We started with an adorable script from the lovely Grace Baranowski, and she along with the project editor, Autumn Heath, let me know which characters they wanted to feature in the book. They gave me creative freedom on how to lay out the spreads and I was able to come up with clever ways to have the raised die-cut characters transition to different locations in Halloween Town as their pages are moved. Tim Burton's team has been great to work with as well; they always provide great feedback and pointers on how to keep characters on-model."

Another project from 2024 that she loved was a Halloween-themed puzzle for Wentworth Puzzles.

"Halloween is my favorite time of the year, so naturally I was thrilled when Wentworth asked me to illustrate a puzzle filled with monsters, haunted houses, and other spooky surprises. I especially love the standing pieces that we created to slot into areas of the puzzle to bring it to life! The Wentworth team was fantastic to work with, and I really appreciated how much liberty they gave me in designing the 'areas' of the puzzle and letting me add in tons of fun details."

So, what has she been up to lately? 

"I'm currently working on a storybook for the upcoming feature film DreamWorks' Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie. I can't say much about it right now (darn those NDAs), but I'm very happy with how this book is turning out! The characters are so fun to illustrate, especially with all their fun textures and details."

We are excited to share it, but it will surely be worth the wait! Last but not least, Kaley also imparted some kind words about her experience working with Advocate Art.

"I love working with the agents at Advocate-—they're always bringing me fun and interesting opportunities. I'm looking forward to more great projects in 2025!"

The feeling is mutual. We all love working with Kaley and are eager to see what she has in store for 2025! Interested in seeing more? Click HERE to see Kaley's full portfolio!