Does a Painting Say 'Ding' When it's Done?

I've been painting this straight (kind of realistic) and have let this artwork sit for a couple of days.

My Mom and Dad's dog is in the background, with our Penelope dog in the foreground. The treat has not yet been visually revealed to them yet the scent has their complete attention.

These two are mature lady dachshunds who excel in the doggie-art of sleeping, cuddling and eating.  Now the promise of food is all there is.

Now I'm back at it, painting away on The Treat. Here is the work in progress:

The Treat (Work in Progress) by Laura Hoffman

This will evolve, this is just how the painting looks right now.

My ever present question remains: When do you know this is done? When to stop "dipping the brush?"

Here is the sketch:

Clean Pencil Sketch for The Treat by Laura Hoffman

OK, back to it....

My New Postcard!!

I am very excited!

I just received my printed postcards for the upcoming summer Society of Childrens Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference. Sometimes, I get nervous when sending artwork out for print.

This time, I am pleasantly surprised - these look great! I used Overnight Prints.

Dust Bunnies is part of the Idiom Series. I have plenty of these guys under my bed and in corners and do my best to capture them before they multiply.

Dust Bunnies has won several awards, including a Certificate of Merit from the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles (SILA West) and an Honorable Mention for the 2013 OC Fair Visual Arts. I will be back at the OC Fair for Judge's Night this Thursday, July 25.

I got artwork accepted in the OC Fair!

I just dropped off artwork to the OC Fair! This year's Fair is on from July 12 - August 11 in Costa Mesa. This year, the competition's tighter now that the competition is open to all of California.
The artwork that got in is called "Dust Bunnies" - a part of the Idiom Series.

Congratulations to my fellow artists and photography students for getting work into this tough juried competition!  I can't wait to see everyone's work hanging on the walls at the OC Fair. See you there!

Illustration Friday

Selected pages from Penny the Rude Penguin, published in 2012.

Page 10: Peter forgives Penny

I submitted page 10 from Penny the Rude Penguin, published in 2012. Next, my publisher will be animating Penny and her offended friends. This page shows the repentant Penny getting rescued by her longtime friend, Peter - who ultimately forgives her for being such a mean girl.

Illustration Friday

SILA Illustration 51 opening night at Gallery Nucleus!

My painting of Penelope in was accepted along with other amazing artists into The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles’ Illustration West 51, which will be showing at Gallery Nucleus starting this evening at 7:00.

Come join me for refreshments and check out of some of the artwork from the show and the Awards Ceremony which will take place at 8:00 pm.
External Link: SILA Illustration 51 opening night at Gallery Nucleus
Location: Gallery Nucleus
210 East Main Street, CA, 91801

Artwork at the OC Fair!

For years, I have been encouraging - and even insisting - that my students should enter their best work in the Orange County Fair. After going to the OC Fair this year, I am thrilled to find over 60 of my students' work is hanging in the photography area in the Visual Arts building. Many have earned medals.

So then, I decided to submit some of my artwork to this juried exhibition. The cool thing is that millions of people file through the exhibits and see the work. It's not easy to get in. Only about 1 in 5 photography submissions make it past the jurors, while 2 in 5 fine art submissions make it in.

So here is my work that made it in:

Fat Cat  and Racing Dachshunds

It's a trip to hang out and overhear what people say while passing by the artwork. This happened accidentally; I happened to be grabbing for my camera and watched people react. Some folks took pictures with little smart phones, and most smiled and laughed - which made my day. One guy said, Oh, I love wienies!! I'd totally buy this if it wasn't $600.00!"

Prints are available through my web site, though - with the watermark removed:

http://www.laurahoffmanart.com.

That's me in front of my artwork at the OC Fair

Ted looking at the art.

After spending hours at the Visual Arts galleries - there is so much to see - we headed over to my next favorite fair hang-out (besides the wine bar - recommend!), the livestock area. Living in Orange County, you rarely get a chance to get up close and personal to beasties, unless you get to the fairs. I love animals, drawing and painting animals, telling stories about animals, and photographing animals.

So this was one of the things that bothered me at the OC Fair - they had these guys right next to the bacon stands.  Even chocolate-covered bacon. I won't tell them.

Get to the OC Fair, if only to see the artwork. OK, the food is amazing also and most of it is sinfully fattening - but you'll wear it off. The rides are a blast also. So are the concerts - and don't miss the wine bar, seriously.