Matthew LaFleur

I was born with a crayon in my hand and a goofiness in my soul. As a boy, I was inclined to draw battle zones between the minions of Pac-Man and the spiritual armies of Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde. That evolved into sketching intricate underground mazes with physics-bending tunnels that either lead to a cavern of treasure or the weirdest, most diabolical contraptions of death. I eventually discovered comic books, pen and ink, watercolor, and how to marry my hand-inked art with digital color. It’s a top-secret technique that would blow your mind.

I have been doing illustration for over 20 years. Some of my clients include The Wall Street Journal, The American Bar Association, Fused Muse Ensemble, ABV Chicago, ALT Imagery, W. W. Grainger, even a wedding invite or two. I have illustrated books for Sterling Publishing in the categories of whodunits, baseball trivia, and eight covers for a series of MENSA puzzle books.

My interest in homebrewing led me to illustrate many of my own labels for distributing to friends and perspective clients. I have also had the pleasure of doing bottle and can label artwork for many craft breweries in Chicago, including Arcade Brewery, Middle Brow Beer Co., Transient Artisan Ales, Sketchbook Brewing Co., Dryhop Brewers, the Illinois Craft Brewers’ Guild, Hop Butcher for the World, and North Shore Cider Co. It’s an amazing community of talented, taste-focused people Hell-bent on making fantastic beverages and sharing them.

The Toothless Fairy is my first children’s picture book. Written by Timothy Jordan, it is currently available for purchase on Amazon, and you can pick one up at your local bookstore. Contact me and I can hook you up with a signed copy.