Next up in the It's Nice That Grads 2014 is illustrator Lauren Humphrey!

Our penultimate It’s Nice That Graduate of 2014 is Falmouth Illustration grad Lauren Humphrey, whose style is fun and playful and brilliantly authentic without sacrificing her message. It’s not often that you find a creative fresh out of university who so effortlessly aligns meaning with a recognisable and accessible aesthetic, but Lauren does so effortlessly, combining a style she has firmly established with the brief she’s set. She’s one to watch out for! Find her in a swanky studio, or potentially restoring an old boat, before you even know what’s happening.

Why or who or what made you go to art school?

I’ve never thought about it before, but I guess it would be my mum. She always draws patterns and doodles on the back of scraps of paper and I think she’s pretty good. I found myself copying her and I started drawing from a young age. My mum never got the chance to go to art school, so I feel really privileged to be able to study something I enjoy.

Tell us about your best project…

My Dream Alphabet book has been the most rewarding project to date. I have always been interested in dreams, probably because mine are so strange, and I wanted to find out what they could mean. This project also led me on to making some short animated GIFs that were based on how objects and people sometimes morph together in dreams. I hadn’t made any real animations before and found that it was quite enjoyable. Since making these I have been planning to develop my animation skills further.

Tell us about your worst…

My worst project was probably when I was trying to make a comic that was drawn only in coloured pencil. I enjoyed it until the lump on my drawing finger started to get big and I realised how heavy handed I was. I think that the pain in my hand caused me to get fed up with that project quickly, but it also forced me to find other ways to use pencil in my work.

If you could show one person your portfolio, who would it be and why?

I would love to show my work to Henri Matisse, I find his use of shape and colour really inspirational. I think it would be interesting to hear his thoughts on the development of digital artwork. 

What was the best moment of your three years at uni (extra curricular included)?

There were so many great times at uni; from living in sunny Falmouth and making great friends, to visiting Barcelona in second year. Sadly I think that the day I handed in my dissertation was one of the best, as I had been dreading it for a long time. It was such a relief and I managed to get a decent grade! 

A lot is changing – would you recommend art school to someone who is considering going?

Definitely, I loved university. I think that living and being around other artists on a daily basis is so important. I learnt a lot from my friends, and university gave me the opportunity to meet my good pals in Fold Collaborative! I like to make sure that the environment I work in is enjoyable too, so going to Falmouth university where the campus was hidden between beautiful gardens was much nicer than when i was at home in Fleet.

Finally, if your dreams come true, where will you be in a year’s time?

If my dreams came true I would be living as a freelance illustrator in London, sharing a swanky studio with some good friends. One thing that I have always wanted to do is to paint and decorate an old boat/van/shop/building. To have done that as well would be awesome!  

Supported by Represent

We are very pleased that The It’s Nice That Graduates 2014 will once again be supported by Represent Recruitment. The graphic design recruitment specialists have developed a peerless reputation working with designers of all levels and matching them up with the right positions in some of the top agencies around. Represent’s support has helped us grow the Graduate scheme over recent years and we are thrilled they have partnered with us again in 2014.

www.represent.uk.com