Lauren Close

Telling stories one sketch at a time


artist, painter and illustrator


Meet The Artist

Howdy!I’m Lauren (or Corey) a digital and traditional artist and an aspiring animator! I specialize in character design and paintingWhen I create my art, I often look to other artists I know, or animated films for inspiration. I love admiring the artistry of each creation and it motivates me to continue my work as an artist.I think art is one of the most impactful and meaningful things we can make. I don’t think there’s such a thing as being born with talent, but being born with a passion. I believe anyone can learn to create and love art, all it takes is the right mindset and love for the work.


Becoming an artist

I’ve always been “right-brained”, even as a kid I remember drawing and creating small stories in random notebooks and the corners of my homework. But my passion really took off in 2017, in 5th grade. With my exposure to the internet growing with my age, I was able to explore new forms of art styles and discover artists that inspired me.I started digital art in 6th grade, sneaking on the school computers to explore more. But with comes adolescence, comes confidence issues. I started to lose confidence in my abilities, and began questioning if I should draw at all. But every time I attempted to pick up a new hobby or leave my art behind, I always found myself imagining my characters while listening to music, or doodling on anything I could find. It seemed like no matter what, I was always creating, whether I liked it or not.My mother enrolled me into art classes around 7th grade. I remember not wanting to go because it didn't seem like my style or anything that I was interested in learning. But I went anyway, and after a year of curriculum and expanding my mediums other than pencil and printer paper, I was able to choose what I wanted to learn. For a few years I stuck to Impressionism, staring at social media and attempting to recreate what others had done, just with my own character designs. It was only until 11th grade, I knew that if I wanted to animate, I had to expand my skills beyond referenced sketches. So I began studying anatomy, spending hours on each body part over and over, and eventually line of action, then composition. This art class helped me grow from making simple impressions to art that I take high pride in.My passion for art and animation has changed me as a person and how I view the world. I never started off with natural talent or immediate success, but countless hours of practice, thousands of papers and hundreds old drawings to show for what I do. I believe passion is what drives us to create and succeed in what we love. Talent is not given, it is earned.


Characters


sketches


paintings


extra

This photography was for my photography 1 final, taken in 2024, senior year. The collection of photographs was an exercise with colors to portray different emotions and ideas. Not all of them have meaning, but were more for artistic practice and expression. I used little finger lights to make the desired color and lighting