Wait For It....

At last, my final painting told me: 'Ding!' It's done. I asked my friends on Facebook for suggestions on the title - the working title was The Treat.

Wait for it. Mixed Media Painting By Laura Hoffman

So far, my best friend, Jean Pasco, suggested my favorite so far, which is Wait For It....
which is exactly what these two ladies are doing. The gold is in hand, and it's all about IT, the goal, the treat.

I am getting ready to show new work over the weekend at the annual summer SCBWI conference that begins tomorrow! This painting will be part of the Penelope series.

Lately, being surrounded by wiener dogs (dachshunds) has really affected my choice of subject matter. We paint what we see, what we think about and what we love. This series will end up being part of a book - a work in progress coming to you soon.

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

My Muse: Penny the Dachshund

Three summers ago, we rescued a 7 year old dachshund named Penny. Though I have grown up with dachshunds, as an adult I've always had cats - and love cats.

When Penny came into our lives, everything changed. We bonded immediately. She has us wrapped around her powerful little paws. Now she is our spoiled and indulged little friend, who charms everyone in her wake.

Being a hilarious little dog, she has inspired a new book project, starring herself!

Here, she is doing what she does best - going to bed after a long day of playing, sleeping, walking, romping, eating, sleeping more and getting petted. This might be the dust cover jacket.

 Originally, her co-star was going to be another dachshund - a puppy, but that has since changed.

Here are some sketches of Penny, the main character for the book project:

I'm working on capturing Penny from different views. She just turned 11 and moves a little slower now, so she keeps a pose long enough to draw her from life.

The paintings are drawn traditionally with graphite. I like the energy of the original drawn line  to show up under transparent washes of paint.  Over the next year, I hope to complete sketches (called a "dummy") for a 32 page picture book that features Penny as its star character.