Awesome Socks Club’s November 2026 Artist: Gray Highsmith

Our November artist incorporates their favorite Appalachian plants into this month's Awesome Socks and Undies.

Gray Highsmith is a concept artist and scientific illustrator based in Savannah, GA, who loves bringing characters, creatures, and fantastical worlds to life. Gray loves incorporating plants, rocks, and skeletons in their art, often inspired by their childhood on the East Coast.

An Interview With Awesome Socks Club's November Artist

In a sentence, how would you describe your work?

Professionally, I am a fantasy artist- most of my work from the last 5 years or so has been done in-house at a studio. Outside of that, my work ranges from pattern design to scientific illustration to plein air paintings, but often incorporates themes of nature (plants, skeletons, rocks, etc).

What mediums do you like to work in

When I’m not using digital tools, I love using watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil.

As an artist, are there any tools that you would perish if you left the house without them?

I’ve got a set of mechanical pencils that I’ve filled with red, blue, and HB lead that I’ve had since I was a teenager- as long as I’ve got those (and a surface to draw on), I’m set.

If you were an environmental storytelling skeleton, how do you think you'd be found?

Covered in ivy, holding a sword (cursed), definitely wearing some sort of magic pendant (also cursed).

What is the strangest/goofiest fact about yourself that you're comfortable sharing?

I have been in at least 100 sword fights. Still have all of my fingers!

What drew you to the imagery of Appalachia?

I grew up on the East Coast and would spend time in the George Washington National Forest every summer when I was young. I’ve always been a mountains guy, but Appalachia has a special place in my heart :) 

Can you talk a little about your design process? Where do you draw your inspiration from, and how do you workshop your design from draft to final?

I started by looking for plants I wanted to represent- There was no way for me to showcase the entirety of an extremely diverse set of ecosystems on a sock, so I chose the ones that I thought would look nice and/or were the most iconic (for anyone curious, the list is: Virginia pine, white oak, red oak, white ash, and American beech. Sorry if I left out your favorite tree!). From there, it was a matter of choosing a color scheme, arranging all of the elements, and making sure everything lined up correctly in the repeat.

Do you have a favorite feature of the sock design?

The cute lil stumpy acorn!

Ankle or crew socks?

I’m a crew sock convert ;)