Laura El is a digital illustrator known for narrative-driven line work that blends storytelling with delicate, nostalgic imagery. Born in Vilnius, Lithuania, and raised in part in Ireland, she lives and works in New York City, which she draws on as a constant source of inspiration. Her earliest drawings were made with a single, continuous line, a technique that still underlies her more layered, full-color work today.
El became a full-time artist in 2019 after leaving her job to pursue art as a career. Soon after, she launched her own commission business. She works digitally on an iPad using Procreate and Photoshop, building each piece from base linework through color and detail, a process she says can take 25,000 to 35,000 individual brush strokes. She has cited Pablo Picasso's single-line animal drawings, as well as Edward Hopper and Ernst Haas, as influences on her work. In early 2022 she began exploring NFTs, drawn less by the profile-picture trend than by the appreciation for art she found among collectors. That February she launched her first 1/1 series after concept sketches she posted online drew attention from collectors.
