Art Faculty - Julie Kukreja

Julie Kukreja portrait

jkukreja@mchenry.edu

Julie Kukreja is an illustrator, author, and art instructor based in Algonquin, IL. Since 2008, she has owned her own illustration and graphic design business, Pen & Mouse Design House Inc. Her work focuses on illustration for character design, visual development, children's books, and graphic design services. She has created logos and artwork for several local McHenry County businesses, including Autotech Automotive, Julie Ann’s Custard, Duke’s Alehouse, Christ United Methodist Church of Algonquin, Galati’s Hideaway, and Old Orchard Prime Meats, among others.

Julie graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from The Columbus College of Art & Design in 2000, where she specialized in 2D Animation. Recently, she completed her Master of Fine Arts in Visual Development from The Academy of Art University in San Francisco, graduating in 2024. During her studies, she received the first place online character design award for her thesis project, which featured a villain character named Queen Thistle. She is also an award-winning technical illustrator with 24 years of experience at Motorola, where she illustrated hundreds of mobile device products for user manuals. A notable project involved introducing the concept of “Bluetooth” using characters she created.

Julie is passionate about creating interactive character experiences through multiple forms of creative storytelling, including animation, children’s books, merchandise, interactive games, theater, and play. She enjoys taking her audience along on her creative storytelling journeys.

Her hobbies include competing in live competitive speed painting competitions and is ranked in the top 20 in the world. She also enjoys performance art painting live in front of auditions and urban sketching with her artist friends.

Currently, Julie teaches students of all ages and has over 30 years of teaching experience at various institutions, including McHenry County College, the McHenry County College Kids and College Program, the McHenry County College Personal Development Program, Elgin Community College Personal Development Program, and the Crystal Lake Park District.

See more of Julie's work on her website and Instagram.

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