ABOUT

Hi, I’m Lauren Contalonis!

I started drawing from as young as I can remember. My Mom is a retired elementary art school teacher which had a huge impact on me early in life. Between her and the rest of my family, I’ve always been encouraged to create art.

In my freshman year of high school, I worked as a caricature artist at the theme park Cedar Point in Ohio and I worked a second summer there as a freshman in college. Between those stints I worked as a freelance artist creating illustrations for board games, billboards, fundraiser T-shirts, and assorted live caricature events.

In college I focused on entrepreneurship and management info systems and since graduating I’ve worked as a desktop publisher for a large research company. There I’ve learned how to create artwork digitally and how to work efficiently. Click the LinkedIn icon in the header to see more of my background.

Recently I’ve been studying concepts taught in art school from various sources: published books, some of my favorite artists with online courses, and free YouTube videos. I’m grateful to have the time and resources to figure out what kind of art I enjoy doing without needing to turn it into my sole source of income. Currently that entails a preference for traditional art since I’m online all day for work. I also enjoy spending time on my pieces as opposed to racing through illustrations like oftentimes happens when you are a caricature artist. I don’t want to obsess over the final piece; I want to cherish the process as well.

Thanks for stopping by!