Meet the Makers – Lauren’s Illustration & Fine Art

Can you introduce yourself and describe what you do?

I’m Lauren, a Sussex based illustrator and maker. I create fun cityscape artworks of places I love to visit including Brighton, London, Worthing, Shoreham, Chichester and New York. I’m detail obsessed and aim to celebrate and capture all the different elements of city life within each piece. There is always something new to discover with every viewing of my artworks.

Have you always wanted to be a maker?

I don’t think it was a conscious decision, I was always making things as a kid and it’s just always been part of my life.

What was the first thing you made as Lauren’s Illustration & Fine Art?

It all started with my New York ‘The Big Apple’ artwork. It started with artworks and developed into tea towels, coasters, cushions, mugs, makeup bags, pin badges, magnets, jewellery and so much more.

Any mishaps / funny moments along the way ?

We are always learning and I’m sure I’ll think of a more interesting one, but we did make a spelling mistake in one of our prints. We spelt ‘lanes’ wrong for the Brighton ‘lanes’. We had it spelt ‘laines’ which is actually only the spelling of ‘North Laine’, not the spelling of the other ‘lanes’. People love to point out ‘mistakes’ in my work or let me know if I’ve missed a landmark or something they think should be included.

How would you describe your aesthetic and how did you develop your style?

I would say my work is ‘maximalist’ and not for the feint hearted. It’s busy and developed through wanting to ‘fit everything in’.

Where does your inspiration come from?

My inspiration started in New York and comes from the cities/places themselves.

Who are your design heroes?

I love the work of so many but here’s two…

Lucy James (aka @wildwhiskersstudio) she paints the most beautiful animal prints and makes them into all kinds of products, some of which involve beautiful velvet fabrics.

Claire Montgomery (aka @justdaydreaming) she makes cute jewellery, prints and accessories. She runs the Fairy Tale Fair and also fits in graphic design. She is basically superwoman!

Can you describe your workspace? Where is it and what is in it?

I work in my home, I have a dedicated ‘studio’ room which is where I’m allowed to be a bit messy! My Mac takes pride of place but there’s always papers, paints, inks and general ‘creative clutter’ around.

Is there anything in your studio that you couldn’t live without?

My Mac

What is the best thing about being creative?

I think it’s always having an endless supply of ideas… Although this can also be a curse as there are too many to cope with sometimes.