If you frequent Vancouver's West End, you may have seen her stuff.
Chalk artist Elizabeth Cartagena has been busy crafting wonderful works in her neighbourhood since last October. The artist's accomplishments can be found on her Instagram page.
Whether it's an octopus enjoying breakfast or an adorable turtle, her colourful creations are bringing some joy and connection to the community.
Cartagena's drawings generally take between two and four hours to complete, depending on the size, level of detail, texture of the surface, and weather conditions.
"The wind is a challenge if you go to an area where it's not sheltered. You'll start drawing and you realize it's blowing away. So that really makes everything longer; you have to kind of really push it in," says Cartagena.
But not every piece is planned.
"So I'll stare at something from different angles, take a couple pictures. I might walk on and find something else that interests me more but generally I'm trying to figure out a shape that kind of pops up," explains the artist.
She's also cognizant of sticking to public property and if a piece needs to be removed, it only takes a bit of water.
So next time you're in the area, be on the lookout for her dazzling designs.
