Hand-painted visual worlds
for brands, objects, and experiences

Animated self-portrait of Lee Gruber as a sculpted bust blowing a bubblegum bubble
Colorful garden with yellow, purple, and orange flowers; text overlay says 'some of my garden'.

About
Lee Gruber

With a background in entertainment, branding, and creative direction, she co-founded Get Em Tiger in 2012, developing work across publishing, hospitality, entertainment, and consumer brands.

Her experience spans illustration, environmental design, creative direction, and marketing strategy. She has created everything from brands, print materials, and commercials to work for events, football stadiums, and art museums.

She has worked with small boutique agencies, emerging brands, nonprofits, and large companies, including Fortune 50 organizations. Her portfolio includes projects supporting Disney, Coca-Cola, Lucasfilm, Nestlé, Warner Bros., RSVLTS, and Nickelodeon.

That breadth shapes her approach to illustration: she considers both the image and the world it can become part of. Her work brings together painting, typography, and narrative, connecting illustration with packaging, identity, and the spaces people experience.

Outside the studio, she plays jazz piano and spends time in the garden, usually with her husband and wire fox terrier close by.

Every project begins with the story it needs to tell. From there, I develop a visual language through illustration, composition, typography, symbolism, and material choices. Whether the outcome is a book, a collectible object, packaging, or a brand experience, my goal is to create work that feels like it belongs to a larger world.

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How the Work Comes Together

Phase One: Direction. I begin with sketches—digital or traditional—to establish composition, shape hierarchy, and the visual structure of the idea.

Phase One: Direction. I begin with sketches—digital or traditional—to establish composition, shape hierarchy, and the visual structure of the idea.

Phase Two: Color. Palette, contrast, and atmosphere are explored while the direction is still flexible, allowing the visual language to be refined collaboratively before final painting begins.

Phase Two: Color. Palette, contrast, and atmosphere are explored while the direction is still flexible, allowing the visual language to be refined collaboratively before final painting begins.

Phase Three: Final Painting. Once the direction is approved, I move into the final gouache painting, either as a cohesive composition or in layers when the project requires additional flexibility.

Phase Three: Final Painting. Once the direction is approved, I move into the final gouache painting, either as a cohesive composition or in layers when the project requires additional flexibility.

Final Phase: The finished artwork is scanned at high resolution and carefully prepared for its final application while preserving the texture and character of the original painting.

Final Phase: The finished artwork is scanned at high resolution and carefully prepared for its final application while preserving the texture and character of the original painting.

  • "Gruber is unusually commercially fluent. She understands branding, typography, packaging, publishing, and marketing, and she paints traditionally. That's a relatively uncommon combination."

    Jodie Vaughn, Founder of FORT

  • "Working with you feels like having a true partner in the process. You have always listened deeply, pushed where it matters, and delivered work that feels considered from every angle."

    Aaron Peacock, Creative Director

  • "She has a way of turning loose ideas into something fully formed—clear, cohesive, that lands. It changes how you see your own work."

    Art Director, Cult-Favorite Apparel Brand

  • "She won't just illustrate it. She'll imagine the entire world it belongs in."

    Art Director at an international agency in NYC