BELIEVE!

Merry Christmas to all and here's
 to a year we can all believe in!
May all your dreams of sweet success
 come true!

Warmest wishes,
Laura

Concept Sketches

Helping a friend with her picture book.
Rough prelim sketches....

Queen Isabella & Jester Todd

Queen Isabella & Jester Todd
in pastels and colored pencil on
Ampersand's white Pastelbord.

Fluffim Mouse

Illustrated in pastels on Ampersand's Pastelbord sand colored surface. No story attached to Fluffim, yet.

Myrtle & Moe

Pastel illustration of my characters Myrtle, the cat,
and Moe, the pug. I find that naming my characters
 in an illustration breathes life into them even before
 a story is ever written.

You can find Myrtle & Moe on tote bags and mugs
at my store on Zazzle.

http://www.zazzle.com/laurajholman*

Pastels

I love working in pastels lately. Especially the quality I'm getting on the clay-colored and sand-colored Pastelbords by Ampersand.

Cold

Your cry is heard
So loud and clear.
Kindness glides off your back
Like water on a duck's feathers.
Your heart is cold
Living in a void
Between life and death.

Broken Soul

Sad man, old man
Rainy day in the dark
Looking out to a light bright world
As you sit in a black empty one.
Rain is falling past your window
Like the tears from your broken soul.

What People Like

Posting my illustrations and paintings on a Facebook gallery page brought me insight into what people gravitate to as far as art. The more color, the better. The stranger, the better. And if it's thought provoking, or pulls the viewer in, then that's the ultimate. It's not about whether you can truly draw. It's about expressing yourself in a way people are disturbed by or captured by. Paintings or drawings done with real photographs are popping up everywhere. While the technique is always incredible, I have a hard time with this kind of art. The words "Don't trace!" from my high school teacher resonated loud and clear so I have never thought to project something to paint. I've always strived to be perfect in my art, but as I have 'aged' like fine wine (or cheese?), I've come to appreciate the true artist with a vision of unique expression. There is a fine line though, of what is good and what one considers just plain dreadful. But as I have told all of my students (when I taught elementary school art), your art is always beautiful because it's coming from you. So maybe indeed, there is no such thing as 'bad art.' It's just about creating art that people can't live without!

Ray Lane's Website

I'm working on singer/songwriter Ray Lane's website. This is the opening page inspired by his music. The illustration is done with sharpie markers. Every medium seems to inspire a different style of art for me. This is done with all line, no shadowing of any kind. The bottom of the art represents the darkness and pain with fire, while the top is the cooling relief of hope with a dousing of water. In the middle is the heart shaped hole (the name of a song on the album-drawn before I heard the song or knew the title) of a woman's skeletal pelvis representing the source of pain and angst and the feelings of emptiness. The crux of the inspiration for the album (I always say out of everything negative, comes the positive). The art was scanned into Photoshop, where my son weaved his magic into it, making it pop on a black background. It has taken on a magical tapestry sort of feel. Almost like beadwork. The music is haunting, yet lifts the spirit to the path of hope. No, it's not a religious album. But if you have ever felt the lows of a relationship, you will feel a kindred spirit with Ray, and then he will take you down a better path. Gee... maybe I should write PR! lol!!!

Old Dog, New Tricks

I

This has only taken me HOURS to figure this out (posting a pic), but it does prove you can teach an old dog new tricks, and fend off brain related atrophy at the same time. I think I may need a day or two to recover.....

Sherbet

I've come tip-toeing in, not wanting to be seen or noticed. Doesn't everyone have a life? Who has the time or inclination to read blogs all day? Granted, some are informative, others not. Some inspirational, most not. I don't want to drone on about eating breakfast or drinking the latest coffee fix. I want to be a bright spot in your day. A place to come and look at art. Uplifting, thought-provoking, or moving. Or maybe you just won't like something. Art is subjective, and that's why there's so much of it. Just like music. They are both all around us constantly, punctuating our memories as we travel through life. My newest experimentation is pastels. Always loved the look. And now, when I blend the colors on Ampersand's Pastelbord, I'm reminded of the juicy colors of sherbet.