The Artwork of Caroline Noble
By Wendy Wright
Caroline Noble is a local illustrator whose work will make you smile. Although she is from southern Ontario and in Thunder Bay attending nursing school at Lakehead University, we will claim her as local. A few years ago, when she began university here, her artistic pursuits were a stress reliever and hobby. Cut to 2019, and she now contributes drawings to The Argus, LU’s newspaper, and has a robust business that started on Instagram, when people began messaging her out of the blue to commission drawings. Much of Noble’s work is based on commission, and includes a vast array of celebrations, portraits, wild animals and the ever-popular family pet—even a wine label. Recently her beautiful original prints for International Women’s Day were available.
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Noble began teaching herself just a few years ago, developing her talent in digital art, which is her medium of choice. Watching her work on the computer with colour, shape, and lines, it’s amazing to see how the pictures come to life and bounce off the screen. She explains how forgiving it is to be able to go back and change something so easily on the computer. Noble has always dabbled in art, using other styles and mediums as a hobby, such as ink or watercolours. Her family has an artistic background as well; her sister and grandparents are professional artists, though in very different art forms.
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Noble’s style is distinct and her sense of humour shines through her characters. One look at her Instagram and website and the overall uniqueness is evident. There is a menagerie of animals in off-beat poses and fashions—even a polar bear in a bathtub. Her human subjects are no less unmistakeable. “I like to capture the essence of people or things around me,” she says. “Things that make me laugh.” This is how she finds subjects on her own that may not have come through a commission. Spending time people-watching and remembering a moustache, a fabulous hat, or the oft-overlooked footwear can inspire a whole new character at her computer. These human aspects may even end up on a fox or an owl, maybe a platypus. Perhaps a human but probably not the one that originated the initial interest.
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Noble’s world of characters is pure pleasure—an escape, quirky, and fun. The future is bright and open for this young, talented artist. She would love to write a children’s book or comic. For now, please find her on Instagram at doodlercaro or her website at doodlercaro.com to see and purchase her illustrations.