I promise there is new work!

Whoooooa, summer has gone by so fast, mainly because the 6 week RISD Pre-College program takes over my life (in a good way). I haven't really shared anything lately, but I promise new work exists! In the last few weeks I've done some fun holiday stationary for Paper Culture, as well as a children's editorial about Genghis Khan (insert Kirk's famous "KHHHHAAAAAN!!") for ASK Magazine and a book cover for girls in the YA market.

The truth is, a lot of stuff I just can't show because it hasn't been printed yet. The sneak preview above is all you're gonna get for now, but I promise I will post things as they become available.

In other news, Williams-Sonoma bought five illustrations from me that may be used for spatulas this Halloween season (I say "may" because those companies buy tons of work and just throw it in their "art vault". They may use one of my illos this year, all of them, or none of them. Not sure). I'm hoping at least one got printed this season, because using something that you've illustrated is an awesome feeling.

Spread the Word

Looks like we're getting close to summer. I finished a job for Williams Sonoma and will be working on a book cover soon. This year I will also be teaching Illustration at RISD Pre-College, which I'm very excited about. This will be my fifth year- and I've loved teaching Design Foundations- but to teach the subject that I actually...you know, make a living with will be exciting. Plus it's just nice to have a change.

Surtex was great this year, and I left with a lot of inspiration and new ideas. There should be several things to post in the next few months!

Summer, Oh Summer...

July is almost here and a lot has happened. I visited my family in Texas for three weeks, started teaching RISD pre-college, and found out I will be teaching "Image Design" in the RISD illustration Department this Fall. The summer is starting off with a joyous bang.

Take a Hike!

Welcome to Friday! It's snowy and grey, but I'm hoping to get started on a new piece I'm very excited about. In other news, I will be be one of two guest faculty members presenting at the RISD Pre-College Open House. It's March 6th and I'll get to show off all the great work my past students have done.

Etsy Kid Contest Entry

The Tiny Artist, originally uploaded by lauren minco.

So this my entry for the Etsy Kid Contest. I've always liked this one for its angle and the colors. It was the image I used for my second promotional mailer, too (about a year ago).

Week 4 of teaching RISD pre-college and my troops are starting to show some stress. Every semester I usually try a new assignment, this year's being a T-shirt design. I figured it would be a fun, open assignment where they could go crazy and do anything they loved, but I was surprised how many lackluster projects I got. Is it because all those all-nighters are catching up? Was the project too open and therefore overwhelming? I am very optimistic that this coming week will be better, however. In the meantime, I have 6 paintings breathing down my neck and those mailers to finish (let's not forget I have to update my 100+ client list. UGH).

Rock n' Roll

Rock n' Roll, originally uploaded by lauren minco.

Hello everyone! The Pre-College Roller coaster is on its third week and I'm happy with where my students are. I am trying to balance long term with short term goals, plus all the little annoying things life throws at you (grocery shopping, laundry...). I have been taking a class that will allow me to update my website's appearance soon (hooray!), and before I know it I'll have 8 paintings that will be bugging me for a show in the Fall (not hooray). New promotional pieces are being executed, but they have to take a back seat at times.

Summer Madness

Whoa! Who knew that the summer months were going to hit me so hard. RISD Pre-College has begun and so far my students seem pretty much on the ball. I'm behind on my promotional materials and now have to debate whether a 10 day vacation in August should mean I should delay the whole deal until I get back (no use putting out mailers and then having to turn down jobs a week later). 

In other news, I've recently found myself featured in all these blogs! Who knew??

Design is Mine

Elephatine

Croq Blog

Pretty Little Things

Paper Crave

Eggnmeiyo

Kiddlebug

By Lilsis

We Love Etsy.com

Birdie Says Products

Sunday Sampler

The CraftGossip Blog

Quin Knits a Twisted yarn

Hullabaloo

Thanks everyone!

New Work (not to be confused with New York)

Alright! So the 1st one was a commission for a wedding portrait I did based off of the original "Happy Couple" on my website (I like to say this one is the remix). The second one is for the a show I have 8/8/88. They were going with an eight ball theme, so all the pieces had to be on 8" circles. I've never used my acryla gouache on canvas before (especially so tiny! Oye!) but I'm pleased with the way it came out.

Monday I start teaching again for RISD Pre-college and am really excited about that. I also have 3 painting that I need to finish (oh wait, make that four) hopefully by next Friday. Yikes.

Oh yes, and my trip was good. I won a kazoo as an award for "Relative Who Traveled the Most Distance" and was able to see a lot of California that I haven't seen before. Sometimes I wish Rhode Island had such glorious beaches!