Born and raised in queens, new york.

Hello, my name is Alexandra Chimelis, but most people call me Alix! I’m a proud Nuyorican, a horror fan, dog and cat mama, and (most importantly for you) a self taught artist.

I come from hardworking parents, my mom is an ESL/Spanish teacher and my father is a superintendent. Growing up (temporarily) in conservative Pennsylvania and going to catholic school I was often punished and judged for letting my weird flag fly, so cartoons became my main form of escapism. I spent so much time replicating all of my favorites as a way of dealing with my struggling mental health in tough times. I’ll never forget the day my world changed when I watched a behind the scenes clip from a movie and realized I could have a job creating my own cartoons. To think, I could have instead pursued my childhood dream of being an acrobat...

Today, after a long journey of discovering exactly the type of artist I want to be (I try to embrace darker themes as much as I can), my dream has evolved. I’m meant to be a storyboard artist and to eventually create my own show and one day be recognized as a horror icon. Not just be a “female Tim Burton” but blaze my own trail for young girls to look up to. As a creator it’s my wish to use my passion and talent to give a voice to all those like me and to build a bridge for all of us with similar struggles to be seen and heard.

I never want to stop growing as an artist because I truly believe we never stop learning and we can always try to be a better version of ourselves. From when I first started doodling as a child to my work now at 27 to one day when I’m 85 years old still creating, I’ll never feel like I can’t try to be better. Even though I am proud of what I’ve already managed to accomplish as an artist, I still have so much more that I know I’m capable of.

My early on inspirations were Danny Antonucci (creator of Ed, Edd, and Eddy on Cartoon Network), Jhonen Vasquez (creator of Invader Zim), and Ai Yazawa (creator of the manga NANA). Vasquez and Antonucci had a distinct and almost grotesque style while Yazawa studied different iconic fashion styles (lolita, punk, goth, etc) and drew diverse cute girls. Vasquez's impact on me extends beyond his art style, but also being a successful Latinx/Hispanic goth gave me the hope and representation in this field I didn’t know I needed. I know it’s frequently said but music is a huge motivator and source of inspiration for me. When music plays it’s almost as if scenes, characters, and entire worlds form in my head and the possibilities are endless.

I don’t have a strict regimen when creating my art. I typically stick to loose storyboards/comics and do the occasional finished portraits. My art tends to have a recurring formula of pink hues and an element of horror/the paranormal. I’ve also been experimenting with superimposing photos onto my art for a more surreal ominous feel. I’ve drawn with pencil, pens, and highlighters for years up until earlier this year when I got my iPad and Cintiq, now I draw almost entirely digitally.