Mara Cespon is a New York-based live illustrator. Originally from the Philippines, she moved to the United States in 2002. Since then, she earned an Associate’s degree in Graphic Design at Rockland Community College (2009), a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration (2013), and an MFA in Illustration (2020) at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

She was trained in Fashion Illustration at FIT. She has created live sketches during events for clients such as Tiffany & Co., Google, Dolce & Gabbana, Montblanc, Kate Spade, and MaxMara. Her specialty is watercolor but she can also create oversized acrylic paintings and digital sketches. She was featured at the W Hotel in Times Square and the Society of Illustrators. Mara was commissioned by Winsor and Newton to create works for the Colour Your City campaign. 

This live illustrator loves seeing people’s reactions the most especially when they get their portraits sketched in real-time. It’s a mix of curiosity and delight, a reflection of what she tries to get on paper with vibrant watercolors or simple black wash in a matter of minutes. Through her illustrationss, she hopes she can inspire a chain of good vibes and maybe even bring a bit of an enchanting spark in those quick moments.