Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators

Kelly Ackerman is an award-winning freelance portrait artist, graphic designer, and photographer. She has always had a passion for artistic pursuits ever since she could hold a crayon, from her childhood love of drawing to an interest in photography that has developed in more recent years. Kelly pours that passion into her work, and her clients reap the rewards through projects that meet their expectations and their budget constraints.

Specializing in pencil portraits, she has always been attracted to detail, and this is evident in the intricacy, almost realist quality of her work. In 2004, while still in high school, Kelly was a recipient of an Honorable Mention in the Mike Doyle Art Competition, “An Artistic Discovery,” and was a finalist in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Coin Design Competition in 2013. Kelly earned her Bachelor’s degree in Art from Carlow University, and also studied Graphic Design at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh; and is experienced with a wide variety of graphic design and digital imaging software. She was an intern at WYEP FM Radio in the Fall of 2010. In addition, Kelly is also a member of the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators, the 2nd largest organization of its kind in the country, where she serves on the PSI Scholarship Committee. Her clients include former Pittsburgh Penguin Max Talbot, the Wattz Brothers Band, Central Catholic Boys Volleyball, PA Nonbelievers, the Golla Center for Plastic Surgery, Pittsburgh Women's Hockey Resource, and legendary rock concert promoter and entrepreneur Pat DiCesare.