Laura Hines Art and Illustration

Moving Time!

2012-02-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

I sadly bid adieu to Blogger (it's been months since my last post), but I will be beginning anew on Tumblr:

laurahines.tumblr.com

Please follow me on my new blog!

Gobble Gobble

2011-11-24T14:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends, in the states and overseas!!

I'm not usually one for mushy sentimentality during the holidays, but I would like to express how truly thankful I am for all my wonderful friends and family and their endless support and encouragement. I'm incredibly grateful that I'm able to whole-heartedly pursue my passions and develop into the artist I want to be. Thank you everyone, you are more than I could ever hope for!!

In return, I'd like to unveil two more fruits of my labor for your viewing pleasure :)

Enjoy your turkey/tofurky day!

"Prudence" - 11" x 14", Graphite Pencil on Fine Art Paper

"Grit" - 11" x 14", Graphite Pencil on Fine Art Paper

Spaghetti Jesus

2011-11-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

FINALLY!! A new post... I can't believe I haven't updated my blog since the end of the August!!

I'm still in San Francisco, but not for much longer. I'll be moving to Tucson, AZ, in mid-December, where I'll most likely be staying for the next year. It's about time to settle down in one place for a little while.

In the past couple of months I've been mainly doing my internship at Juxtapoz, gathering a lot of great promotional tips and such from my boss Hannah Stouffer, and working my ass off on new pieces for my group show in December up in Seattle.

Here is a sneak peek of what I'll be putting in the show:

"Pugilists"
11" x 14"
Graphite Pencil on Fine Art Paper

This piece is currently available as prints, laptop skins, t-shirts, and more at Søciety6.

So if you're in the Seattle area on December 8th, drop by Windermere Gallery in West Seattle during the annual West Seattle art walk for some amazing art and refreshments!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NATURE, ADORNED
West Seattle Art Walk, December 2011

A group exhibition featuring new work by:

Michelle Anderst - www.michelleanderst.com

Sharon Birzer - www.sharonbirzer.com

Laura Hines - www.lauralouisehines.com

OPENING RECEPTION
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8th
6-9 PM

Windermere Gallery
4526 California Ave. SW
Seattle, WA

Ongoing from December 8th - January 10th

Turning Tables

2011-08-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

I recently updated the look of my website. It should be easier to navigate it on multiple platforms, especially since it no longer works on flash.

I've been busy busy busy with daily blogging, researching different artists, and working on my own stuff. Next week I'll be helping Hannah to set up her table at Zine Fest here in San Francisco. Hopefully I can either get some postcards of my work printed or do a small zine of my own in the next week... we'll see!

A quick art update: here is a glimpse at the beginnings of my latest piece:

"Creating masterpieces since 20 years ago"

2011-08-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

I'm in SF now, soaking everything in and trying to ignore the more practical responsibilities of finding a new place to live. Hopefully my next move will not be nearly as hellish as the last one.

I started my internship with illustrator Hannah Stouffer for Juxtapoz magazine, and I am ecstatic about it! I'm helping with blogging for the Illustration and Erotica sections of the website, and I'll be doing more in the way of research and mini-interviews as time goes on. It's the best kind of busy work for a huge nerd like me, and the learning opportunities are endless. Being able to browse through reams of images all day long is like a visual massage with a happy ending. By the end of the day I am contentedly exhausted and very pleased with my lot in life.

More to come as the internship continues!

I've had a little time to start working on my next piece. These are a couple of sketches I've been working on, although at the moment my only means of uploading them is to use PhotoBooth.

Tripoli

2011-08-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving on Friday for San Francisco! I've been busy packing, but I've tried to keep up some creative work. This is my latest finished piece.

Cellular peptide cake, with mint frosting.

2011-08-07T23:17:00.000-07:00

Almost there...

"Ego" - Graphite Pencil

Terry Gilliam: Cut-Out Animation

2011-08-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

"Monty Python animator Terry Gilliam discussing his animation techniques on Bob Godfrey's Do-It-Yourself Animation Show in 1974."

This is a wonderful video of Terry Gilliam explaining his cut-out animation techniques used most famously in Monty Python. His insights into the process of art-making are simple and effective, and I think very true. I've always admired his tenacity and almost sheer single-mindedness to bring his visions to life (e.g. Brazil, Baron Von Munchausen, Lost in La Mancha). To me he embodies the pure will to create, and will always count amongst my favorite film directors. Not to mention he has a terribly wicked sense of humor.

Link taken from www.cartoonbrew.com.

"Godfrey's show... made animation accessible to the masses by taking the mystery out of the production process... In a day and age when more kids are interested in animating than ever before, it's a shame that TV shows (or Web series) that are fun and informative like this don't exist. The DIY advice that Gilliam gives in this episode is not only brilliant, but still as relevant today as back then."

"The whole point of animation to me is to tell a story, make a joke, express an idea. The technique itself doesn't really matter. Whatever works is the thing to use." - Terry Gilliam

Fricasee

2011-08-03T23:52:00.000-07:00

Great news! In the next week I'll be moving down to San Francisco to start an internship with Juxtapoz magazine!!!! I'm incredibly excited, and will share more once I get settled in the city.

I've been working on a new piece, so here's a shot of its progress (apologies for the poor quality).

Enjoy!

Mother, father, chinese dentist

2011-07-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

I just got my copy of Viction:ary's "Dark Inspirations: Grotesque Illustrations, Art, and Design".

I am freaking out; it's an amazing collection!! Wonderfully weird and morbid. I highly suggest it to anyone who appreciates the darker side of creativity (not to mention bones, breasts, and death).

It features a couple of my present favorite artists:

Zhou Fan:

Kris Kuski:

Akino Kondoh:

Famous Mortimer

2011-07-29T01:03:00.000-07:00

Exciting news to come! In the meantime...

... a sour looking chap with a cigar.

Make Way for Tomorrow

2011-07-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to exclaim "The dry spell is over"!

I've been working on learning more about the principles of graphic design and typography by endlessly watching lynda.com tutorials and documentaries. I must say my favorite so far has been a profile on graphic designer Margo Chase and her design firm. It always amazes me how much you can learn from just a short talk with an industry professional!

I'm also starting to work out some details for a larger book project of illustrations and stories. With my partner, Kainan, we're creating a new American mythology. It's going to be a fun project! Might as well make the best of our unoccupied hours.

Additionally, I'm working with my SVA classmates to create an online illustration collective. Right now I'm working on a draft of our mission statement and general philosophy.

I'm ALSO excited to have the opportunity to apply to one of my FAVORITE magazines as an intern in San Francisco! More on this at a later time :)

For content, here are a couple of recent doodles. Enjoy!

Eraserhead

2011-07-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

I'm in the full throes of an artist's block. Not even a lack of ideas, but an incapability to put anything to paper. It's been going on for a week and is truly depressing! My mind evidently needs some downtime to rest/absorb new stimuli. It probably doesn't help that I'm far from happy, being stuck and jobless in a podunk town in southern oregon. I need a "happiness buzz", as David Lynch puts it. All the more reason to relocate to a better, sunnier, larger place.

So no images to show for now. Hopefully my next post will show more productivity and general optimism.

George is getting upset

2011-07-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

Finally took some time to just be a little lazy and watch unlimited amounts of Star Trek TNG on Netflix (although admittedly I couldn't completely put down my work!) Back in the groove today and just finished another film poster piece, this time for "Breathless".

Careless Whisper

2011-07-06T22:42:00.000-07:00

Busy day - further updated the website (see it here!), applied to another job, and finished a quick illustration I started last night. Missing New York and all my illustrator friends terribly.

Hard Knocks

2011-07-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

Relaxation has become a foreign concept to me in the past few months. I can't seem to allow myself to decompress and rest my brain for a little while. I'm hitting the ground running, but it's a state of mind that has peculiar drawbacks, like losing steam and becoming discouraged when things aren't happening as quickly as my thoughts and ambition race forward at a million miles an hour.

The biggest concern is simply finding a JOB - I've been unemployed for almost a year, and not from a lack of trying. Since I don't have a four-year degree in art or illustration, staff illustrator jobs are out (although that doesn't keep me from applying!). Low level, entry positions have started to require ridiculous qualifications I don't have, like several years cashier experience to work at the grocery or a degree in ecology to monitor a trash facility (?!?!). It's hard to focus on other things when the job search is nothing less than abysmal.

But anyway, enough griping. Just keep on keepin' on!

I've posted my "Carp Twain" piece on Society6, so it's available as prints, laptop skins, or t-shirts.

I'm currently obsessed with a video from "Studio Killers", a cartoon band comprised of a (sort of) mysterious collective of international artists. The concept of animated bands like the Gorillaz is fascinating to me, and maybe there's a kernel of an idea for a future project.... Hmmm....

Busy bee

2011-07-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

It's been a productive 4th of July. I updated my website, updated my resumé, created a new cover letter, applied to two positions as an onsite staff illustrator, and have begun cleaning my studio and hanging new work on the walls. There definitely is not a lack of things to do! I also need to redesign my website, design and order new business cards, postcards and stickers (www.moo.com - check it!), not to mention getting to work on all the ideas I have for projects that have been swirling through my head.

I'm continuing to chew on the wealth of info crammed into my head in the last month. I might go over my notes soon and talk about some of the ideas and information I gleaned from the residency, just to put my thoughts in some sort of coherent order. I'm having trouble even typing this post - I think my head decided to boot out some rather essential vocab to make room for new concepts and images.

So for today, I just want to wish everyone in the US a happy 4th!

Back in business!

2011-07-03T23:57:00.000-07:00

I'm back home safe and sound after an intensive and amazing month at SVA! There's so much to tell, but I'm still in the process of digesting all the sights, sounds, info and experiences of the past few weeks.

First of all, I'd like to list all the incredible illustrators I met through the program that I can now count as dear friends:

Rona Binay
Katie Coulton
Oscar Cueto
Chris French
Ena Jurov
Kat Kelsay
Janet Landay
Jorge Mendez
Inge Nouws
Irene Pizzolante
Luisa Possas
Brad Robson
Robin Rosenthal
Barbara Rottiers
Lane Scarano
Arianna Usai
Doris Wettstein

I was very privileged to meet and work alongside all these amazing artists. Living amongst other creatives definitely sets the artistic fires ablaze, not to mention simply being in a city as vibrant and frenetic as New York City! I'm glad to be home, but I already miss these people and this city intensely.

In the next few days I'll try to slowly outline my thoughts and experiences, as well as share my work from the last month. For visual interest, I've included my first project from the summer residency as well as a photo of me in my studio space on the night of our final show! Enjoy :)

A quick word

2011-06-06T05:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the week's absence! Things have been moving quickly and I've been wrapped up in projects and ideas. Updates will come soon!

For content, here's a picture of two adorable llamas.

Au revoir les enfants! (je dramatise un peu trop, ehn?)

2011-05-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

Leaving for NYC later today! I'm extremely excited for the month of June. I'll be taking weekly classes in "painting and drawing for illustrators" with Gregory Crane, "sequential art" with Paul Hoppe, and studio visits/critiques with Viktor Koen, not to mention several lectures on the art/history/business of illustration from prominent players in the illustration field. Then there's also the gallery walks and artist studio visits... I can't wait to plunge into the thick of it! It will be a month of hard work and a raging caffeine addiction.

I will most definitely be blogging about my experiences at the SVA summer residency program as often as my schedule and energy will permit me.

For content, I was cleaning up my cluttered desktop and found some sketches I'd completely forgotten about.

Emotional Ectoplasm

2011-05-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

I've been browsing through an incredible database collection of mid 19th century daguerreotype photographs : www.daguerreobase.org. My mind is sizzling with images and ideas! Here are a few of my favorites that I've found so far. Enjoy!

Image Dump

2011-05-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

Frenzy

2011-05-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

My trip to NYC for SVA's Summer Residency in Illustration is fast approaching. I'm overwhelmed with equal parts excitement and intimidation. As a largely untrained artist and relative newbie to the illustration biz, the prospect of showing my work to accomplished artists, art directors, and publishers is both utterly awesome and terribly frightening. Luckily I seem to thrive on fear and trepidation, so I'm whipping my mentality into a "BRING IT ON" frenzy.

Since completing my last pieces for "The Birds" show at the Twilight Artist Collective in Seattle, I've been in a frustrating and revelatory period of incubation, developing ideas for future projects and generally probing into the artistic essence of my being (i.e. what the hell I'm doing with myself). I have some exciting concepts I'll be taking to SVA for feedback and critique, so I look forward to sharing these ideas as they grow and take shape. (My second post, "Faces", is related to one of these ideas, but that's for another time...)

For visual content, this is a design I submitted to Threadless for their "Threadless Loves Noir" design competition a couple months back. It took three days to complete from conception to final product, and was submitted a mere 30 minutes before submissions closed. Talk about a time crunch. It's definitely nothing flashy in a typical threadless tee way, but I'm proud of the concept and the sense of cinema and mystery it evokes.

NOTE: Sorry for the poor image quality, my post formatting won't let me make it any bigger. You can also see it here on my Threadless Profile page.

Destino

2011-05-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

This 1975 Salvador Dali etching of Don Quixote has

been hanging in my parent's house since I can remember.

It's not a rare print, but I count it as one of my favorite

works of art collected by my grandmother during her

extensive travels around the world.

In high school I borrowed a book from the local library on the art of classic Disney films, highlighting the work of many expatriate artists who brought their european sensibilities to the style and atmosphere of these films. (This isn't the same book, but from what I can tell it covers similar material). I discovered that at a certain point in time Walt Disney and Salvador Dali were discussing a collaboration on the story of Don Quixote, but the idea quickly fizzled. How regrettable for us that it did!

Luckily I FINALLY came upon a previous collaborative effort from 1948 called "Destino" that, although shelved until 2002, was finally completed in 2003. Certain elements in the 6 minute animation work better than others, but overall it is a truly lovely work of moving art, and it makes one wonder what could have been created had Dali and Disney been able to carry a project through to completion.

Hope you enjoy!

Faces

2011-05-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

Some sketches in preparation for my next project!

First Post, or Let's Get This Party Started

2011-05-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

I will be resuming my blogging activities to map my adventures, thoughts, and artistic progress in the months to come. Be sure to check back frequently for updates!

A little about me:

I'm 26, originally from Lebanon, OH, and have a degree in French from Earlham College in Richmond, IN. I lived in Grenoble, France for a year, and moved to Seattle, WA in 2007 to attend the Seattle Film Institute. I've been working seriously as an artist for the past year and a half, earning a certificate in Natural Science Illustration with the University of Washington, and working as a Bartels Science Illustration Intern for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. My work has been featured in group shows in Seattle, WA, and this summer I will be participating in the School of Visual Art's Summer Residency Program for Illustration and Visual Storytelling in NYC.

And now, a sloth: