Beauty Counter for Providence Monthly

Beauty Counter, originally uploaded by lauren minco.

Yikes, I haven't been around much! Thanks to AD Allison Cole for another whack at illustrating for Providence Monthly (it's so nice to see my artwork locally since it's sometimes published far far away from my stomping grounds). This time around it was for an article about shopping at department store cosmetic counters. I'm pretty happy with the with it turned out because:

a) I wanted to try a horizontal composition in a pulled out "scene" with an environment- this was a perfect opportunity.

b) Wanted to try this bluish palette!

c) I have done a lot of different markets so far, but beauty & fashion is something newish that I would like to try with my fun characters. My portfolio needed a piece like this if I ever want to get hired for those jobs in the future. Mexican wrestlers and beheaded girls don't scream COSMO, ya' know.

FYI, May 2nd is not only my birthday (the big 25 that brings in the Quarter Life Crisis I've been told-all the rage), but also the Spring RISD Alumni Sale. I'll be there ALL DAY for once, a rare sight since I'm usually teaching. If you're in Providence that day please swing by Benefit Street!

Das Wanderlust for Plan B magazine

My latest illustration was another for the UK's Plan B Magazine about the band Das Wanderlust. The article was going to focus on them "fighting the good fight" and remaining strong while being a small indie band in a scary corporate world. I concentrated on this phrase for two of the sketches, one that led to the final. As for the last one (a sort of deity or patron saint of indie bands), both the Art Director and I thought it was really cool but figured it was less appropriate for the article. Maybe next time!

New Notebooks!

For drawings, grocery lists, and history notes, I now have my new notebooks in the store! They have a 100 blank pages and measure 5.5'' wide x 8.5'' tall. Best of all, they're only $10.

 Today is BEAUTIFUL, and I'm planning to take a walk around the neighborhood before I have to chain myself to my desk and work on an illustration for Plan B magazine. I will post those sketches and the final soon.

Holy Birdhouse, Batman!

It seems like artists everywhere are painting SOMETHING in the name of creating a theme. Whether it was the painted cows that sprang up across the country or one NYC show that called for a series of small taxies to be painted, painting "things" is all the rage right now. So it's no surprise that the show "Home Tweet Home" in NY features custom painted birdhouses. I was surprised how cheap these suckers are to buy on craft sites, and some friends have mentioned that maybe I should put a couple up on Etsy. They make fun art objects I must say. Will mine sell at the show?? Have no idea, but I hope so! If not it will definitely be on Etsy to find a home (tweet home).

Minco/ alamode Collaboration

Minco/ alamode Collaboration, originally uploaded by lauren minco.

My friend Linda from alamode made these cute necklaces with my art in them! There are only a few, and hopefully in April they'll be in my shop (unless they sell before that time at an April 4th show). We have wanted to work on something for a while, but at first I was a little stumped with how to use the circle. At first it was just small icons, but in the end I think the faces worked out in a fun and clever way.

Myself on Avie Designs Blog

A little interview with me up on Avie Designs. Thanks again, Avis!

Guitar Bandit

Guitar Bandit, originally uploaded by lauren minco.

Guitar Bandit is a new original painting on my etsy store. I'm glad I had fun with him, because now I'm cramming for two different gallery shows- one in St. Louis and the other in New York. With my new teaching schedule, I realize that Thursday and Fridays have to be super productive from now on. Long ago are the days where I'd sit in front of the computer getting lost in the etsy forums or catching up with my favorite TV shows on Hulu. Of course, busy and making money is the preferred way to spend my time! It's just funny that the end of 2008 was so PAINFULLY quiet and 2009 is proving to be a very VERY busy year. Let's just hope it keeps going!

Penelope

Penelope, originally uploaded by lauren minco.

Had a small block of time this past Thursday, so I whipped out a 5"x7" painting. I think for the next RISD sale I would like to create some more complex pieces this size rather than just the ole' character-with-a-flat-color-background-thing. You can find Penelope in my etsy shop.

Providence weather is finally bouncing between the 30's and 40's rather than the 20's and 30's which is nice. I'm already thinking of future warm plans like going to Newport or just taking a nice walk without looking like the little brother from A Christmas Story (ya know..."wait up Ralphie, wait up guys!"). Sigh...

NEW PRINTS!

My new eco-friendly prints are now at my etsy shop (laurenminco.etsy.com). They were made by iolabs, who has done work for KidRobot, Tiny Showcase, and MOMA. The paper is also made out of bamboo fibers, which is more green than tree-based products. There are only 5 of each image: "Heartbreak" (below), "The Right to Bear Arms", and "oh Yeah". If anything feel free to stop by and visit!

Fat Cat

Fat Cat, originally uploaded by lauren minco.

The awesome UK culture mag Plan B contacted me recently to do an article for Icelandic band Storsveit Nix Noltes (Fat Cat), which takes traditional songs and warps them with their indie folk influence. Very fun image, and I enjoy the fact that Andrew, the Art Director, lets me just have fun with the imagery without being so direct.

Imago Fem show at West Side Arts gallery

Unfortunately I was not able to hit up opening night at West Side Arts in Providence. 3 paintings of mine were up, and joy oh joy, one even sold a couple of hours into the night. As you can see, it was packed! A good shot of my work is below.

(hmmmm...I want her purse.)

Tree Top Gang

Tree Top Gang, originally uploaded by lauren minco.

This paining I actually did right after I got back from my Christmas vacation, but soon enough I started having so many "real" projects start stacking up that I didn't get around to scanning it until yesterday. Just a fun group of friends, hopefully all with their own fun quirks.

I definitely got my wish when I asked for 2009 to be busy with artistic action. On top of all the shows and recent illustration assignments, I took on another editorial job for UK's Plan B Magazine again. I really like doing work for them because I get to make illustrations of bands and singers that I have never heard of. The one I'm working on now covers this Icelandic folk band that has some funky aspects to it. Sketches will be up next week.

Annnnnnd I'm happy to say that I visited ioLabs and ordered the new prints that will be in my Etsy shop soon. There will be 3 different ones, and I'm very excited about finally getting some high-end, professional prints done of my work. Not only that, but they are printed on an eco-friendly bamboo paper (the process is more green than making paper out of trees apparently). Awesome art AND eco-conscious? Man, you'll be super awesome if you own one of these. I mean, move over Bradgelina. :)

oh Yeah, OR Top Chef Finale!

oh Yeah, originally uploaded by lauren minco.

This is a painting for an upcoming show at Machines With Magnets Gallery in Pawtucket, RI. I might try to do one more, piece, but I'm not sure! There's so much to do...

WARNING!!! SPOILER ABOUT THE WINNER OF TOP CHEF SEASON 5!

On another note, I was super angry to see Casey sabotage Carla's chances of winning Top Chef season 5. No, Carla! She lost for a reason! So of course, the first dishes that were 100% Carla were well received by the judges, but anything that Casey touched fell flat (or bubbled if it was the souffle). I was hoping Carla would "hold onto the love child!", but in the end she was swayed by Casey and made some bad decisions.

Hosea was my second choice to win, mainly because I dislike Stefan. My friends and I agree that Stefan is uber talented, but we just didn't like him as much due to his cocky attitude (and it oddly mirrored Kenley's lasting negative presence on the most recent Project Runway. Bad attitudes just turn us off I guess). So in the end I tip off my hat to Hosea, but I hope Carla wins the $10,000 "Fan Favorite" prize.

In the words of Carla: "and he wants PEEEEAS!".

Future Products (give me your awesome opinion)

Even though my Etsy store has all originals right now, I have been inspired by other friends/artists to try making professional prints through iolabs here in Rhode Island. I was printing them myself in 2008, but after a while the operation was too much to fit into my daily life. Sooo, I am making a small run of a few prints and deciding which images should be used for journals! Yup, wonderful spiral bound notebooks will hopefully be in the shop soon as well.

I would love to get some opinions on which images you are attracted to- either as prints, journals, or both. This is just a sampling of imagery, and feel free to visit www.laurenminco.com if you would like to nominate one off my website! Thanks so much for the help everyone.

Sticker Preview, Mudpuppy Press

Hey ho everyone. Here is a sneak preview of my sticker book for Mudpuppy Press in New York. The book will contain about 40 stickers on 4 pages repeated twice, so 8 pages total. 

  I feel like a lot of artists talk about what it's like to work from home and have your studio nearby, but I thought I'd give praise to my mate who deals with living with an artist who has her studio smack dab in the middle of the apartment! He's more of a neat freak, too, so the fact that he was okay with small paintings and my scanner all over our office floor was appreciated. My laundry was drying on chairs for five days and we ate frozen pizzas quite a bit! So thank you, babe. I'm happy to say we had a home-cooked dinner last night and he's enjoying a much more relaxed girlfriend now that there are no more stickers to work on.

Providence Monthly

 I have been gone a loooooong time, but thankfully the stickers are done! I'm hoping to post a couple of them soon for a sneak preview. I've been told the sticker book will be at the gift shows in August and will be officially available January 2010. So, I definitely won't have them for a while, but I can be patient.

On another note, I'm doing a piece for Providence Monthly Magazine. It's a spot for mineral make up, and the AD was nice enough just to let me do pretty much whatever I wanted. I've been curious to try a more monochromatic sketchy look. The sketches are below- I think I'm leaning towards the one with just the brush and no container (less bulky).

Upcoming Events

Man, if 2008 proved to be sluggish, then 2009 is starting with a bang! I'm lucky to report a string of exciting events and happenings, including....

I am making a Princess Sticker Book for a NY based product company (I think I have to keep some details hush hush until it's out). I'm very excited to know that something I've made will be out  in stores (plus, who DOESN'T want to stick miniature versions of their art all over themselves?).

I have a few show appearances coming up...

FEBRUARY 15th, "Tunnel of Love", Genuine Artikle Gallery & Boutique in Ronkonkoma, NY

FEBRUARY 21st, "V-Day",  West Side Arts gallery in Providence, RI

MARCH 1st, Grand Re-opening of Cranky Yellow in St. Louis, MO (my art will be                  available permanently after the show in their new awesome space!)

In the meantime I will be making an appearance this Thursday on a licensing Panel for RISD's Art of Business lecture series. I'm happy to say some of my Arts in RI friends will be there to witness me in business-mode!

"Moonlighting" for Ed2010.com

Moonlighting, originally uploaded by lauren minco.

Here is my first completed job for ed2010.com (you can go there to see it on the homepage). The article was about writers freelancing while not getting caught by their day job. Fate had it that I was messing around with an illustration featuring a "mystery writer", so I pitched it to the AD and luckily she thought it was perfect!

I'm trying to use line sparingly and in different colors, much like some of my earlier work, and I'm playing around with textures and brushstroke like in the yellow background. My favorite part is the contrast between her hair and the black mask. This arrangement with ed2010.com is exciting because I'm hoping to use the opportunity to try some new things. Hopefully the next project will be assigned in the near future.

Happy 2009!

Hope everyone is looking forward to a brand spankin' new year! My clock still somewhat follows the school calendar since I'm a teacher, so I always feel like we're half way through even though it's obviously a new year.

Happy news- Ed2010.com has me now as their new staff illustrator. I'm already working on my first assignment! Also, I'm going to scan some lovely small original paintings that will be on my Etsy store by next week. Make sure to visit soon (link on the left sidebar).

RISD Holiday Sale 2008

Stylin' Cat Hat, originally uploaded by lauren minco.

I'm at my desk trying to whip up little paintings again for the BIG Holiday Sale December 13th at the convention center in Providence (Please come out!).

Got back from my Thanksgiving vacation...at Disney World!!! So much fun. I even went on that Mission:Space ride that simulates a rocket launch. Ugh, let's just say my group was happy that it was a short ride- any longer and we would have been sick. Houston we have a problem!