Greta Mantooth is a graphic designer
in illustrator’s clothing.

Newly, a writer. Always, an optimist.

The optimist hat is the best one she wears. And we don’t mean the “everything is puppy dogs and rainbows” kind of optimist, either. We know all too well that everything is most certainly not puppy dogs and rainbows, not all the time, anyway. Often, it’s gum in your hair and gray skies and nary a rainbow in sight. We know how it is.

But, Greta is in the hope and humor business, and always has been. A consistent thread through a winding, lifelong creative journey of making and storytelling. 

As a child, Greta made books with her parents to help figure out tricky situations, and later, laugh about them. (Like that one time at the doctor’s office when her usual pediatrician was nowhere to be found, and in her place… a stranger! Can you imagine?)

As an adult, she is still crafting characters and spinning yarns to try and make sense of it all. She likes to think she and her young readers are in cahoots as they figure things out together, with a wink and a smile. 

How?
Greta is a draw-er, a lover of lines and mark-making. She combines pencil drawings and hand-painted Gouache textures with the magic of Procreate to bring her ideas to life. (She’s been known to dip into the kids’ crayon box from time to time, too.) 

What else?
Greta holds a B.F.A. in Illustration and an M.F.A. in Advertising Design from Savannah College of Art and Design. A lifelong learner, she continues to hone her craft through classes and a very diligent school lunch note drawing practice.

Greta has lived and worked all over the United States, and has designed all kinds of goodies, like fancy beverage packaging (for grownups), punny holiday advertisements, and Halloween costumes for baby carrots. She is a creative entrepreneur available for freelance design and illustration projects, as well as children’s book work. (You can check out her commercial design portfolio here.)

At home in Austin, Texas, Greta lives with her wonderful family (the Manteeth), including two smart, creative kids and two big rescue dogs. They eat lots of tacos, and read lots and lots of books.