Carmen E. Schwierking
Carmen is the artist and content producer for this website. The illustration part of their art focuses on nature with a special interest in fantasy nature and culinary art rendering. They also work with the subject of identity and pride in the abnormal. Carmen also has a body of studio artwork that is divided into large-scale traditional works and politically charged 2D imagery with a focus on societal inequality. This work has been in several gallery shows.
Carmen graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ball State University with focuses on Drawing and Art History. Currently, they are focused on illustration and running Caramel Comics. They live with their partner and their many plants in the Upper Midwest.
The Behind-the-Art Team
Shy
Shy is a five-year-old American Domestic Shorthair. She is responsible for modeling for and with the merchandise. In her freetime, she likes watching birds and making small talk.
June Streetman
June is the editor for the website and assists with product cataloging and shipment as well. Outside of Caramel Comics, she is also an author for Death of the Critic and pursuing education to become a clinical counselor. June received her Bachelor of Science from Ball State University in 2017 and currently lives with her partner and cats in the Upper Midwest.
Snowball
Snowball is a two-year-old American Domestic Longhair. She likes to do modeling for and with merchandise. Her main role is mental wellness assistance. Her favorite activities are playing with spring toys and snuggling.
Staff
"A Little Art For Everyone"
Our motto at Caramel Comics is "A Little Art For Everyone." To us it is more than just a motto - it is also our mission. We strive to create diverse and inclusive products so that everyone can find something that they can relate to in our work. We want people to know that it is okay to not be what society considers "normal," and instead we should celebrate the things that make us different.
We also support our mission with our business practices. We only buy products from manufacturers that are not using their money to fund policies that harm people. We are in the process of making all products and supplies that can be recycled not just recyclable, but also made of as much recycled material as possible. This reduces our waste impact on the Earth and leaves more resources available for other people to make their own art.
Caramel Comics is a small business in a country that likes big corporations. We strive to support our fellow small artists and art businesses as much as possible, even if it means not getting the lowest price option. People matter the most. We are also trying our best to help our community. Things like keeping industry information freely available to anyone is another way to make art accessible to everyone.
We hope you feel welcome here. If you can think of something that will help us with our mission, join our community on the Blog pages, or leave us a message on the Contact page. ♥