Elise Crane is a self-taught writer and illustrator currently working as an indie graphic novelist, comic & graphic novel scriptwriter, and book illustrator.
Biography
Elise is a Christian illustrator and writer with a deep love for storytelling. While she doesn't write explicitly Christian fiction, her work often explores Christian themes and concepts through symbolic and surreal narratives.
She holds academic training in both psychology and theology, and has long been fascinated by human behavior; why people do what they do, and how belief, emotion, and imagination intertwine.
Though she originally aspired to work in animation, Elise discovered graphic novels during a season of self-directed art education and was drawn to their narrative potential. She now uses the medium as a more flexible and accessible way to bring her stories to life.
When she's not working on her projects, Elise enjoys time with her family and pets, watching films, playing video games, reading books, diving into new and various subjects and trying to pick up hobbies that she won't eventually turn into work.
Artist Statement
Visually, she embraces expressive minimalism: a playful yet dark illustrative style inspired by folk traditions, modern surrealism, and storytelling driven art. Her character designs are simplified but emotionally vivid, drawing inspiration from thin-line animation, mid-century illustration, and classic rubber hose animation.
Writing Statement
Her creative work explores a modern form of Surrealism, blending influences from Dada, Nonsensical literature, and Folk storytelling.
Through techniques like stream of consciousness, non-sequential narratives, symbolism, innuendo, and allegory, she crafts stories that invite an active, collaborative partnership between writer and reader.
Closing Thoughts
In both her writing and art, she strives to weave dream logic, layered subtext, and symbolic abstraction to create immersive, whimsical worlds, spaces where weirdness, absurdity and meaning intertwine, and interpretation is an essential part of the experience.
Education
2005-2010
Liberty University
Multidisciplinary Studies - Psychology, Bible, Theology.
2010-2015
Liberty University
Masters of Arts in Human Services Counseling Crises Response and Trauma.
2016-Present
Self education in Illustration, Sequential Art, and Creative Writing.
Awards
20?
One Day ∠(:3」∠)_