I made the deadline!! Mermaid in a bottle.
SVSlearn.com contest submission for Mermay2019.
www.laurabalmaceda.com
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misslaurabalmacedaart/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/misslaurabalmacedaart

"Don't step on a crack, or the underworld attacks..."
A goggle search to research superstitions informed me that "Don't step on a crack" had once held the dark fear that demons would escape from the underworld if a crack was trod upon. And... Percy Jackson has been playing non-stop on audiobook over summer road trips...This is what I came up with...

@misslaurabalmacedaart
@laurasketchesart

This is the slowest of slowvembers for me. I played the viola in high school. (I was dismal at it..._)I daydreamed in Orchestra quite a lot. On the back of the sheet music for Vivaldi's Four Seasons, I sketched a cellist with a tree in each of the seasons sprouting out of the neck. The image has rattled around in my brain ever since.
For this piece, I wanted to explore some of the ideas I learned in the Light and Shadow class...and practice digital painting...which I'm still learning.
Slowvermber: Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Hopefully representing the power of music.

Hey y'all...I'm in for inktober this year.... (nail biting). But, in years past I've always become overwhelmed and burnt out. This year, I'm combining my desire to do some character design with the pressure of daily drawing. AND I loved @Braden-Hallett's idea of drawing through September so that I only need worry about inking each day. Also, I needed a theme: my art directing daughter (age 10) has been audiobooking through the first series of Percy Jackson. Which is the young adult stories for which I think my illustration style fits best. Speaking of style, I am also trying to channel my "influences" (read--I want my art to be exactly like) Wylie Beckert and Mucha. Here are some of my drawings....am I hitting my stated goals? Does it matter that I am disregarding the prompts completely? 

Snow angels... making tracks in the clouds.. I mean snow...
http://www.instagram.com/misslaurabalmaceda/

"Its bedtime...turn off the light!!!!" The conflict every night with my book-loving kiddo. Nightfall means the advent of imagination brought on by stories. My instagram: @misslaurabalmacedaart. It's my 11th hour entry....but, I made the deadline! (Thanks, leap year!) 

www.laurabalmaceda.com
@misslaurabalmacedaart
Eleventh hour entry... Cinderella (not the dress part of the story--although that would be really, really fun to draw, but the moment when the prince realizes he's just as excited to see the cinder girl as he is the princess).
Love this story....

@andersoncarman You picked some tricky fish!!! I was stumped with a solution for the combo of "rockabilly" from Tom Bancroft's official mermay list, and your fishy prompts....especially because a sturgeon looks so mean (great solution from you with your warrior merman!) - I considered sturgeon merman gangs (think west side story) for a minute then gave my rockabilly mer-chic a tatt. I seriously need some free time to paint all my sketches....

@misslaurabalmacedaart
https://www.instagram.com/misslaurabalmacedaart/

I am VERY 11th hour...again. But, here is my submission for "The Moment Before..." I have a fear of deep water--especially for the things that might rise from the deep. Acrylic on paper... open to critiques (although, it is probably too late for me to do revisions, still, I'd love to know where I can improve.) Kraken High-Five.!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misslaurabalmacedaart/
Facebook: @misslaurabalmacedaart

Hi all,
In a stroke of luck I created a piece that I posted on my social media site that has had requests for prints (enough that I have decided to sell prints)... Trouble is, I'm not certain of the best way to go about it. Esty? Venmo? Make a website (I have one through wordpress) and use Woocommerce?
Assuming I have had the piece professionally photographed and have found a decent printshop to produce archival quality prints, what pitfalls should I look out for? Shipping problems? Packaging problem?
Any advice would be appreciated!
(just in case you are curious... I uploaded the piece for printing...)
Regards,
Laura

I'm a subscriber who didn't receive an email...but certainly would have wanted to join???

Best of best of luck! Either way, please share your experience. (hoping it's positive-we could use some positive news!)

"Its bedtime...turn off the light!!!!" The conflict every night with my book-loving kiddo. Nightfall means the advent of imagination brought on by stories. My instagram: @misslaurabalmacedaart. It's my 11th hour entry....but, I made the deadline! (Thanks, leap year!) 

congratulations! (and, of course you care about reviews... well deserved accolades)

Allrighty, SVSers,
I am doing the scary thing and entering my work to be critique at my local SCBWI illustration conference to be held in a few weeks. I decided to re-work one of my assignments from the interactive book covers class taught by @Lee-White and Jamie Zollars last summer (please do it again! or a class live, interactive class on developing a solid portfolio). I am looking for last minute critiques on my final.... AND just to prove class works... I'm posting my first attempt. If nothing else comes of this, I'm really proud of the improvement I can see.... Thanks, Svs instructors and forum critiquers!!
First attempt:

New Final for submission:

I hate it when I arrive so late to the party....I also want a more dynamic pose and a story surrounding this character.....

Hey all, I am attempting the improving my design and composition skills via thumbnails BEFORE I start to do a bunch of drawing...(which is usually what I want to do). I am looking for feed back on the thumbnail below. The concept is to show imagination at work in the night. My inspiration is my little girl who sneaks reading Harry Potter at night until she gets to a scary spot, then has to be comforted. I really like line work and my hope is to be able to add line work characters of the "scary imagination" in the black spaces of the design. Do ya'll think that will work? Thanks in advance!

Snow angels... making tracks in the clouds.. I mean snow...
http://www.instagram.com/misslaurabalmaceda/

I would take another look at the way color is used in your dream portfolio. The majority of them are split complimentary and using color to push a focal point.... perhaps find a way to find that in your work? (which is lovely!) This is an exercise I am working on-so, hat's off to you!

I might (emphasis on "might") have time to finish up a piece for January's prompt. I spent some time thinking about tracks in the snow...snow angels...angels... I'm looking for critiques for my composition and line art before tightening up my values and making color studies...
Thank you all in advance...
Snow Angels WIP