Lauren Tobia

As a child

I was born in Bristol and have been there longer than Concord. When I was small I would always ask for felt pens and paper for Christmas. For a short while we lived on a boat in Cornwall and my bed was in the wheel house. I could look out for miles over a huge and exciting estuary full of seabirds, interesting worms, a few scary swans and a goat that did not like me much. Although I spent much of my childhood in the city, I still got to roam a lot as a child and spent a lot of time looking at things under stones.To this day I would much prefer to draw a picture of something than write about it.

As an adult

I spent many years working as an intensive care nurse in Bristol but when my children grew up I thought it was time for me to follow my dream. I went to the University of West England (U.W.E) and joined their amazing illustration course where I had the chance to learn, experiment and have a lot of fun.I live in a tiny house in south Bristol with my husband and our two unruly Jack Russell rescue dogs. When I am not drawing I am at my allotment. I have a little table and a patch of lawn where I can sit and drink tea when I should be weeding.

As an artist

I draw all the time and never go anywhere without my sketchbook. I feel uncomfortable without it. I mostly draw in pencil for speed and flexibility. I get much of my inspiration from the people and places around me. I draw my family continuously and objects that I come across, from teapots to crisp packets. I love to draw animals and use them to imply human emotion and body language. Although I enjoy painting with watercolour, I work in my sketchbook most of the time and use a computer to arrange and add colour and textures to the images, which I find gives me freedom to play and experiment.

Things you didn't know about Lauren Tobia

1. I am happily Dyslexic
2. My dogs names are Poppy and Tilly.
3. I can't drive a car.
4. I have two daughters who are very clever and wonderful (they will probably tell me off about this).
5. On sunny days hot air balloons drift past my window.
6. I really like cake.
7. My favorite sandwich as a child was sausage and marmalade.
8. I almost always wear odd socks.
9. One of my favorite books as a child was a dog's medical dictionary.
10. I used to have a cat that liked to be hovered.