My name is Colleen Kong-Savage—yes, as in King Kong was a Savage beast.
I am an illustrator and teaching artist.

As a child, I hopscotched about the globe—Philippines, Zambia, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia—then settled in New York City as an adult. Here I earned a masters degree in fiction-writing, a scholarship to the Art Students League, and a black belt in taekwondo. While I have the freelancer’s privilege of creating graphics for a wide variety of industries—food, fitness, health, arts—I do have a penchant for picture books. My work in kid lit has garnered an NCTAsia Freeman Honor (The Turtle Ship by Helena Ku Rhee) and the Ezra Jack Keats/SCBWI Showcase Prize for promising BIPOC illustrator. Since 2021, I’ve also been a teaching artist, guiding teens through the mural-making process and inspiring littler folk to explore various mediums. In 2024 I made my author-illustrator debut with Piano Wants to Play, published by Page Street Kids. My most recent book, Fortune Cookies for Everyone, is by Mia Wenjen, published by Red Comet Press and came out October 2025.

Follow me on Instagram to see what else I’m up to.