Drawn On
Lewis Rossignol draws artwork and a following
Lewis Rossignol joined Instagram for a platform to share his artwork—mixed-media drawings with frenetic yet thoughtful compositions. After graduating from the Maine College of Art in 2017 with a degree in illustration and a goal of becoming a full-time artist, Rossignol knew that he had to start building an audience. “I gave myself a six-month period,” he says. If he wasn’t able to make a livable income by then, Rossignol would find a different career path. Within a year and a half of building his online presence, he had reached over 50,000 Instagram followers (he currently sits at a cool 120,000 followers @lewisrossignol).
As he grew his online audience, Rossignol caught the eye of a few celebrities. In August 2018 hip-hop artist Tyler the Creator reached out to Rossignol, asking if Rossignol could create a portrait of him. Rossignol didn’t know that Tyler had a plan for the commissioned portrait: “He didn’t tell me it was going to be an album cover. I don’t even think he knew it was going to be,” Rossignol says. But three days before Tyler’s newest album, Igor, was announced, Tyler asked Rossignol if he could use the portrait as a second cover. Soon after, Drew Taggart of the Chainsmokers (and Freeport native) commissioned a large piece of artwork from Rossignol for his home in Los Angeles. Beyond his celebrity clients, Rossignol has sold his work to 80 different countries and every state in the United States.
Rossignol works on personal projects more than commissioned works, thanks in part to his supportive online followers, but he has also self-published several books of his artwork. His first book, Discarded, depicts art he made from flea market finds. His second book is called Remedial Sketches. “It’s called Remedial Sketches because I have Tourette’s syndrome, so when I draw, it’s like a remedy,” Rossignol says. “It helps the tics and things go away and subside.” His third book, Top Drawer, was published in October and is made up of his best works, compiled and broken into sections, such as portraits and landscapes. When asked if he has advice for aspiring artists, Rossignol says, “There are no gatekeepers anymore, so just put your work out there and stick with it. Things will happen if your work is good.”