About Me
A short bio about Elaine Lee's life as an artist. (Aside from her artistic pursuits, she is also a plant enthusiast 🌱, passionate food plater 🍳, avid animal stalker 🐈🐩, and a Jesus lover 💕.)
Elaine's love for drawing dates back to her childhood when she was a wee little child. Her kindergarten teacher complimented her renditions of Sailor Moon, and from then on, she decided she would be an artist. It was that simple… But as she grew up, she was advised to pursue a more practical career, so she ultimately chose the design field and set illustration aside.
Fast forward—Elaine graduated from college and worked for a few years in fashion design in NYC. During this time, she discovered the purpose of her human life through her relationship with the Lord Jesus and felt compelled to give her future to Him. This led her to leave her career to attend Bible school with the goal of growing in knowledge and training her service to the Lord.
In 2018, Elaine finished her wonderful time at Bible school and found herself needing to reintegrate into the real world. She returned to NYC with just a small suitcase of clothes. She was unsure of her next steps, but she knew she was learning to be led by faith. Still, it was a very confusing transitional period. Feeling lost and with a surplus of free time, her brother encouraged her to share her artwork online. He also lent her some money to purchase a pen and a Moleskine journal... then voilà! Her journey of bullet journaling and sharing her art as Leeniale on Instagram began.
(My very first Instagram post—August 2018!)
"Leeniale" was a playful, if slightly confusing, pseudonym—Elaine spelled backward. Much like her handle, Elaine was still figuring things out in 2018. (In 2023, she rebranded to Dearelaineco so people could actually find her!)
Since sharing her art online, she’s been blown away by the love and support from the art and journaling community. Rediscovering her passion for painting and drawing led her to create Drawfull, a sketchbook brand cherished by artists around the world.
After leaving her 9-to-5 as a corporate textile designer and stepping away from freelance illustration, Elaine is now fully dedicated to teaching and designing sketchbooks—helping creatives everywhere bring their creativity to life. She’s deeply grateful to everyone who supports her journey and to the Lord for the opportunity to share it!
Sign up for her mailing list to be among the first to know about her upcoming
art classes and creative perks just for you!