Kirsten Ulve

Cindy Nelson of Dubuque Museum of Art said in 2020, "Kirsten’s story should be a blueprint for how young people in our schools could pursue their dreams in the art world."

In 2011, Ulve created the animated characters and figurines for Hasbro’s Littlest Pet Shop. In 2019, Ulve created fine art that is displayed at the INNSIDE New York NoMad in New York City. During May 2020, Ulve was asked to create Game of Thrones characters in Skyrim’s character creator for Ars Technica. In September 2020, she created illustrations for the annual USPS holiday stamp collection.

Kirsten Ulve (born 1967) is a graphic artist who resides in New York City. She is best known for her caricatures of notable people and editorial illustration for newspapers and magazines. Ulve has also designed for an array of other mediums including a marquee for Broadway and stamps for the United States Post Office. Kirsten is married to WFMU radio personality Clay Pigeon.

Ulve was born in 1967 and grew up in Dubuque, Iowa. Her mother, Charlotte Ulve, taught at Loras College and was involved in the local arts community. Her father, Edward Ulve, was a certified public accountant. She studied drawing and graphic design at the University of Iowa School of Art and Art History, where she also worked at the school’s in house graphic design studio. After graduating, she spent 6 years in Chicago working as a graphic designer and illustrator before moving to New York City to pursue illustration full time.