EMAIL: johnallen@johnallencaricatures.com
PHONE: (317) 698-8687

My name is John Allen, and I’ve been drawing ever since I could hold a crayon/pencil. My earliest memories were of sitting in the grocery cart while my mother did her shopping. She would carry a pencil and paper in her purse, and had them to me in order to keep me occupied.

It was a little while later that I discovered comic books, and that was all she wrote! My formal art training began while in grade school, where my work was displayed in various local art festivals, most notably, the Indianapolis 500 Art Festival. I learned to work in a variety of mediums, including: graphite, acrylic paints and pastels. I continued my studies throughout high school as a member of the GWHS Art Club.

As a kid, I dreamed of becoming a comic book artist and living my life in total bliss. That wasn’t quite how things turned out. After high school graduation, I attended Indiana University at Indianapolis (formerly IUPUI), and shifted my focus to becoming an attorney, all but completely abandoning my artistic ambitions.

Well, I abandoned becoming an attorney also, as it simply wasn’t my passion. I dropped out of university and worked aimlessly for decades. I got married, raised a family and returned to college. It was during my second time as a university student, I pursued writing. My creativity took another form, but would not be silenced. As I was taking my writing courses, I also took several classes at the John Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis (also on the campus of Indiana University at Indianapolis).

I did well in my writing and art classes, published some books and continued to produce artwork. But shortly thereafter, I went through some difficult times, where it appeared as if I was going to have to give up on my dreams yet again. Issues in my personal life, deep-seated fear and self-doubt plagued me once more. A painful divorce and loneliness stifled my creativity, and I fell into a hard slump. However, art refused to give up on me.

After my divorce, I needed to focus my energy and emotions positively. So, I created a home-based art studio where I began working as a commissioned fine artist and freelance illustrator/graphic designer. As fate would have it, I was introduced to caricatures as a challenging way of expanding my artistic skills. I tried it out in the studio and worked some local events to develop my skills and style.

Fast forward to the present. I’ve since remarried, I’m a proud grandfather (affectionately known as G-Pop) and I’m continuing to build my art and writing business. I still create fine art and freelance as an illustrator (as well as write novels and short stories). I’ve rebranded my business and showcase ALL of my creativity through John F. Allen Media, LLC. 

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