Brooke Lauer Illustrations

Frog Sculpture

2012-02-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

Musicians Lucy Allen and Marshall Goers have commissioned me to do a cd cover for their upcoming release. The tentative title is "You Won't See Tadpoles Covered In Fur". It is based on the song "Froggie Went a Courtin'" which they perform on the album, about the wedding of the frog to the mouse. Here you can see the frog sculpture in progress.

Mu? Cow

2011-10-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

Mu? T-shirt design on Threadless.com. Based on a doodle character by my brother in law, Sam Lauer. Wasn't accepted in the $10,000 design challenge, but received some good feedback. Maybe up for a rework at a later date.

Cluckopelli

2011-10-30T23:20:00.001-07:00

Cluckopelli T-shirt submission on Threadless.com. It didn't make it to print, but I will probably use Cluckopelli in a different design, as I really like the concept.

Logo for Firebird Pottery

2011-10-05T09:44:00.001-07:00

Firebird Pottery's Page on Facebook
Here is the new logo I created for Daniel's ceramic business. Feeling good about it.

This Old Porch Logo

2011-09-05T17:33:00.001-07:00

Click here to visit This Old Porch on WNCW

The logo I designed for John Fowler and Carol Rifkin's radio show on WNCW

It's the start of a beautiful thing....

2011-07-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

So this summer I've started barter painting. It started with painting a friend of the family's vegetable stand window in trade for some plumbing work in the bathroom. Now in the same shopping center I'm going to do windows for a hot dog stand and a liquor shop. In trade I get....dirt.
Yes I actually am trading for dirt. I've been wanting to do some landscaping under shade trees, around the rose bushes, and build some raised beds in the garden so I am bartering for top soil. Now you may be looking at the date of my post and thinking....okay...it says July, and she's in South Carolina where it's in the 90's everyday all summer. Fear not, for I do my painting backwards and from the inside! Not only does it keep the acrylic looking nice and out of the weather and away from tempted bystanders with keys, I also get to paint it all in the air conditioning, hooray!

Update

2010-08-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

Well we closed on the house at the beginning of March and moved in toward the end of June after our baby boy was born. Things have really been coming together and my studio is almost ready to go. Fixing up the house has taken up most of our time and creative energies, but it feels great to shape the space you live in. Soon we hope to add a piano and 6ft long aquarium and really make it exciting!

Now, I had entertained ideas of spending alot of time while my baby is sleeping doing art and such. Yes, go ahead those of you with children, have a good laugh. My own precious and ridiculously cute 2 month old monopolizes all my time. And when he actually sleeps I find myself more happy than I have ever been in my life about taking a shower or a nap.

But as things get more settled in, and the big projects finished up, I will be spending more time in my studio (at least while Dad is home). Because no one should go too long without the joyful play of creating!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-06T17:35:00.001-08:00

あけましておめでとう！

Looks like I have gotten away from regular posting since August.

To catch up I took a writing class at AnAuthorWorld in Greenville together with my mother, which was good fun and got me warmed up for the SCBWI Carolinas Fall Conference in Durham in September where I was so lucky to ride up and room with Lauren and had a lovely time. Not to mention bring home a head full of things to think about.

Before I had time to think about books anymore though, Daniel and I had to get his booth ready for Squealin' on the Square, the BBQ festival here in Laurens. He sold a few pieces of pottery, I played the banjo, and we both smelled enough BBQ smoke to last a lifetime.

Not too long after that I found out the great big news that we are expecting our first child! We are both very excited and decided to make some more serious living arrangements. We hope to close on our first home by the end of January and then push up our sleeves and do some DIY remodeling before baby comes in June or July.

The only downside of being pregnant now is not being able to get my hands in polymer clay as the plasticizers are said to be absorbed through the skin( and in the air when you bake it of course). So I miss making new characters in 3D. However, I have bought some books on watercolor and am gently coaxing myself into the idea of doing it. It's funny because watercolor is one of my favorite media to see in picture books, but the few times I've tried it, nothing really amazing happened, so I haven't been really motivated to try again. I'm hoping to change that though, by learning some technique before I give it a go this time.

Though to be honest, I am sure my near future is going to be occupied by packing boxes and setting up house. We have yet to pick out everything from paint and flooring samples, to a washer and dryer. While the scale of it sometimes seems a bit overwhelming, it is a PROJECT and I can be CREATIVE and that is very exciting! And I am looking forward to having a studio/office all of my own and Daniel will utilize the nicer shed building outside for his own pottery studio.

So HOORAY 2010!

Published in SCBWI Carolinas Summer Pen and Palette Magazine

2009-08-03T13:24:00.000-07:00

Published in SCBWI Bulletin July/August

2009-08-03T13:23:00.001-07:00

My pencil in print, or Yay Yay Published Sketches!

2009-07-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to have artwork in both the July/August SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators) Bulletin and the summer SCBWI Carolina's publication, The Pen and Palette. While it's only one little sketch in each one, seeing my work in print is very encouraging.

Recently I went to the Illustration Schmooze in Charlotte and met some other illustrators in my area. Everybody was really great and constructive and very encouraging. I hope everyone came away feeling as motivated as I did. When I ask whether I should go with 3-D photographed illustrations or drawings, most everyone answers "both". Which was something I wasn't really considering before. I thought "I have to do one or the other. I just don't have time to do both."

It was like I had walked to a place where the road T's. 3D on one hand and drawing in the other and since I couldn't decide which way to turn, I didn't go anywhere at all. But now I realize, they aren't roads at all, they are more like........socks. They are both comfortable, but today I may wear the blue polka dot ones and tomorrow the fuzzy pink striped ones (though this may tell you entirely too much about my fashion sense).

New Foxy Lady

2009-07-03T20:35:00.001-07:00

Cheeping Chickie

2009-03-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world chickie!

2009-03-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

Chicken Rearview

2009-03-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Mini Books

2009-03-06T12:43:00.001-08:00

New Books

2009-03-06T12:34:00.001-08:00

Memory Books

2009-03-06T12:33:00.001-08:00

Slightly revised head, pre-gravity mishap

2009-01-27T18:47:00.000-08:00

Which do you like?

2009-01-21T15:11:00.000-08:00

The Moustache movie from Coraline makers

2009-01-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

Character sketch - The Old Farmer

2009-01-09T09:07:00.000-08:00

Character sketch -The Pesky Hen

2009-01-08T15:30:00.001-08:00

Character sketch-the barber

2009-01-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

Chicken story progress since last wed.

2009-01-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

Since last post I have been making some good progress with this story. On Sunday I did 4 character sketches I was pretty happy with, and then another on Monday-Tuesday. You can see that one below. Today I scanned them in, and I tried adding some color in Photoshop. I really could use a paint program, but the Photoshop paint came out looking like markers, which seems okay. My favorite spots are the khaki pants and the onion.
I also did a reeeeealy rough dummy book today, so I can work on text and layout more tomorrow. Then I will get started on some more finished sketches. I thought I was going to do this all in polymer clay dolls, 3-D, but I started drawing in this cartoonish style and I really rather like it. I'm still not sure which would have a better effect, though. I don't want to lean toward drawing for lazy reasons. Tell me what you think.

The grocer-character sketch from chicken story

2009-01-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

Over Christmas Break....

2008-12-31T11:19:00.000-08:00

Last week over the Christmas break I took a little break from picture book work and made some sketchbook/journals. I made nine books measuring a little over 5 x 6.5 inches. I had found some old books at the library sale which I really liked the graphics of, which I decided to use in several of the books. You can see them below. I enjoyed making them, but I started to miss working on my 3-D characters, as my table is only big enough for one project at a time. I plan to sell these locally (in Laurens, SC). I have a place in mind, but I still need to inquire about it. I also made a sketchbook for my mother for Christmas, but the photo is on Daniel's camera, so I'll post it later.

That's not to say I haven't been writing lately. I got a story idea on Friday afternoon, and wrote some in the car on the way to see Despereux, (which I have to say was a let down after reading the book). I made up a rough dummy, just printer paper stapled together, which I have taken apart a few times and removed/rearranged pages in already. I also made a dummy up for my farmer and chicken story, which those of you who went to Elizabeth Dulemba's workshop at JCC may remember.

I thought, well if I have two stories going, when I get stuck on one, I'll work on the other.

Then last night, MAGIC happened. I was just letting my mind wander where it wanted to, and it happened to wander toward the preview for the movie Inkheart, a movie where a story comes to life just by reading it, and the readers, actually get caught in the story world. And I thought, THAT'S IT! My pencil is my magic wand! Bring my characters to life! And that is when it happened for me. I finally saw my chicken story materialize out of the cosmic muck of the universe. I saw the funny expressions on their faces, the cinematic framing, the dramatic poses, the humor I enjoy reading and watching that I had been searching for in my own writing until NOW!

Yes. I am a happy happy person.

Onward I say! To the storyboard!

Hand-Made Sketchbooks

2008-12-31T11:14:00.000-08:00

The First Sketchbook

2008-12-31T11:11:00.000-08:00

Shocked/dumbfounded Farmer

2008-12-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

Smiling Farmer

2008-12-06T11:45:00.000-08:00

smiling farmer side view

2008-12-06T11:32:00.000-08:00

Progress in December

2008-12-05T13:54:00.000-08:00

I once heard that December is the month a person is least likely to be creative in. I suppose because of the shorter days and wintry weather....or maybe it is the shopping and decorating for the holidays that takes so much time out of the schedule. However, I find I do the most creative work of the whole year in December! Hmm... it really doesn't surprise me that I am backwards from the norm. That seems to happen a good bit.

I have started working in polymer clay on the faces of the farmer from my story. I really really like the way it is working out. My only concern is that possibly my armature is too small for the big heads....but I can always build it again in any case.

I also found some fabrics at a local fabric store that I am excited about. At first I was looking at bright colors. I have almost always gravitated towards using them in my work. But this time I found some really subtle rather nostalgic colors that made me think about changing my color palette for this story. Maybe its because I spent alot of time in the fabric store in Japan and at the spa/inns taking in the more mature subtle nuances of color. Or maybe its because I have been looking at my husband's ceramic work lately.

So the big news is that after lots of prayer and discussion with my husband and family, I have decided to not continue teaching after the holidays in order to put both feet into illustration. It is a scary taking a leap of faith, but it seems even scarier thinking that at the current pace I won't get anywhere. Money may be tight, but it is just a material, and I can be creative with a small amount of any material.

Surprise Visitor

2008-11-16T18:12:00.000-08:00

The other day I had a surprise visitor. It was soooo cute! My husband was a bit horrified when I said I wanted to keep it. Unfortunately, it wasn't well (which is probably why it didn't put up a fight) and it only lived about 2 days. Poor little thing!

Status Update

2008-11-04T19:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog. I hope to start publishing a drawing, writing, or Illustration Friday sketch here once a week. I just learned about Illustration Friday while having a portfolio critique with Laurent Linn at the SCBWI Southern Breeze Fall Conference (Wik) in Birmingham.
Now I am full of inspiration and resolve to get my illustration career going!

First, I revised my webpage. Then I had some postcards printed with an image from my portfolio, which I am addressing and sending out to my favorite publishing houses. I am a little worried because my style is not the traditional watercolor, pen and ink type illustration. At least my current strongest work isn't. Being unusual, I'm not sure which publication houses will like it. But, I hope some art director or editor who is ready to try something new and fun will pick it up.

Meanwhile, I am ready to dig in to a project! I want to try building my next set of characters using plasticine clay to allow more expression in the face, and gauze wrap the armatures rather than paper clay, to give them more flexibility and movement. I was really super limited with my self imposed deadline of 4 weeks to finish the series of snow pictures (It was Frosty the Snowman with liberties taken which I did to share with my Jr. High students in Japan at the time. They had never heard the story). So I didn't get to work all of the backgrounds as much as I would like. I would love to give each background as much personality as the characters in the story. I am really inspired by the Japanese children's book series "Doko?" (Where?). The artist (Yamagata Akemi I think, I am not great at reading kanji in names) is inspired by Walter Wick, creator of the "Can You See What I See?" series and "I Spy". His art and process is just mind blowing and so exciting!! I feel like going to create something right now! But, I guess I better go to bed since I teach school tomorrow. Teaching is okay, but I'm so busy teaching the kids how to create art that I never get to make any of my own. Yes, I guess I am pouting. Well, there are only two more days until Friday and free time to create! Here's to looking at the bright side and voting! Happy Election Day!

Freedraw-Farmer Grandma

2008-09-19T12:46:00.001-07:00