Carson Ellis is an American illustrator and artist. She is best known for her illustrations in children's novels such as The Mysterious Benedict Society, Wildwood, and The Composer is Dead. She has also written a children's picture book of her own, Home.
Ellis is married to a member of the band The Decemberists, and has done most of their album covers and poster art. She has also done album art for other bands, including the background art for Weezer's Make Believe album cover.
Ellis uses thick lines and blunt colors to produce childlike but detailed illustrations. Her pieces tend to be flat, with limited use of perspective and often crowded with excessive and heavily-lined detail. She has a very good sense of arrangement and humor, making her illustrations engaging in a way that many artists are lacking.
Her style might be compared to Early American folk art, and would probably fall into the category of naïve art. Her work is reminiscent of Charles Wysocki or Martha Cahoon... or Dan-ah Kim. She works in pen and ink, pencil, and watercolor, making her perhaps compare better to illustrators such as Chuck Groenink and Ani Castillo.