Lauren Martin Joins Oskar illustration

New York based illustrator and designer Lauren Martin has joined Oskar Illustration. Almost exactly a year ago Lauren and her band Frankie Cosmos were gearing up for a tour of Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Then Covid happened, the tour got cancelled, and so did every other gig they had planned for 2020. Lauren turned to drawing as a way to pass the time and to deal with the emotions of losing not only her income but a big part of who she was.

“I started drawing PSAs (public service announcements) and images with inspiring and encouraging text as a way to support my friends and followers. The pandemic pushed me to make art that had emotion and for the first time in my life I was making art that was vulnerable. Through that openness and vulnerability I was able to attract an audience of people that were interested in what I had to say. And through that audience I started to get commercial and editorial opportunities. When we cancelled our tours I really felt a sense of doom, but through my art I was able to turn that sense of doom into hope, connection and self-expression.”

Lauren finds humour and inspiration in nature and the mundane; in her world flowers have faces, pieces of fruit have legs, and every inanimate object has a personality. Despite only starting to work professionally last year she has already picked up commercial and editorial commissions from the likes of Mulberry, Slack, Bloomberg, The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.

“Lauren’s work somehow feels nostalgic yet really modern at the same time. Charming, sometimes cheeky and always unique” commented Oskar Illustration founder Oli Roberts.

You can view more of Lauren’s work below and on the Oskar Illustration website.