Art Improviso

Still life with can

2012-01-22T21:38:00.000-05:00

Yes. I'm a sucker for packaging.

Balloon girl

2012-01-18T22:23:00.004-05:00

Is it just me, or does her balloon bear a striking resemblance to Baron Harkonnen?

*** © 2012 Laura Jean Kolb Marsh ***

Three wizards

2012-01-13T22:05:00.001-05:00

The three wizards of North Pole City

Art imitating art

2012-01-12T18:20:00.000-05:00

This is my cartoon rendition of In Their Own Words, which is a documentary about the September 11 terrorist attacks told from the perspective of the families of victims. And before you get all mad and nationalistic, remember: I didn't make the documentary; I just drew the cartoon.

An homage to Steinlen

2012-01-11T10:53:00.001-05:00

I have a lovely print of Steinlen's La tournée du Chat Noir avec Rodolphe Salis, which inspired the pencil drawing featured here. Steinlen was an artist of the Art Nouveau movement and a cat lover.

And I don't know if this is an homage so much as it is just a quick pencil sketch, but I like using words of French origin, and I especially like pronouncing them in an affected Frenchy accent. C'est ça!

The elephant wears goggles

2012-01-10T20:52:00.000-05:00

Steampunk elephant rider

Not knowing what to draw, Scott suggested I draw a Steampunk elephant rider, the produce of which is the featured cartoon. Steampunk clothing for ladies always puts me in mind of the garments one might wear in a Victorian whorehouse. This perspective reflects no moral judgment on Steampunk fashions, but it does manifest in the way I draw Steampunk women. What fun!

Red Riding Hood

2012-01-09T19:37:00.001-05:00

Running

A quickie

2012-01-08T22:32:00.001-05:00

I hope you got to do some of this over the weekend.

I love you, Black Francis.

2012-01-07T00:24:00.001-05:00

"i've kissed mermaids, rode the el nino
walked the sand with the crustaceans..."

- the pixies

A little known fact

2012-01-06T00:03:00.000-05:00

Yeah.

Wild horses

2012-01-05T09:14:00.001-05:00

Wild horses couldn't drag me away. Especially not these babies. They look like they're taking a break.

Dragon thrall

2012-01-04T07:14:00.002-05:00

"We're our own dragons as well as our own heroes, and we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves."

--Tom Robbins

Alien and the dragonfly

2012-01-03T06:34:00.000-05:00

The dragon and the herald

2012-01-02T15:55:00.002-05:00

The dragon and the herald began as two different doodles in a graph paper notebook. Thanks to the new GIMP skills I learned over my holiday, the graph paper lines are gone, and the dragon meets this would-be hero at last.

What happens next?

2012-01-01T14:53:00.001-05:00

Does the fairy escape? Or does the bird get a snack?

Halloween with the pagans: A true story

2011-10-28T18:42:00.010-04:00

Halloween is my most favorite day of the year.

I have worn many different costumes throughout the decades,
including, but not limited to:

A princess - 1976

Paul Stanley - 1979

Little Bo Peep - 1986

A witch - 1987

A hobo - 1989

A blue crayon - 1992

And...
A green fairy - 2000

***

I have missed Halloween only once...

Plagued with chicken pox, I stayed home and scratched.
I was five: a one-kid horror show.

***

Not too many years ago, I made the singular mistake of
hanging out with the local pagan society on Halloween.
They take themselves. Very. Seriously.

They wore black hooded garments and spoke in the affected manner ~~of people who have never actually been laid~~
~~of hard core role-playing geeks~~
...of...affected people.

Needless to say...

They did not appreciate my pirate costume.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Guarda la bella luna!

2011-10-07T22:30:00.000-04:00

Howl

"I don't know if there are men on the moon, but if there are they must be using the earth as their lunatic asylum."

-- George Bernard Shaw

The drake

2011-08-10T10:09:00.000-04:00

"Stop wearing that bunny suit!"

2011-08-04T21:02:00.003-04:00

This cartoon is based on a news article from August 2, 2011.

Litany against fear

2011-07-31T22:58:00.019-04:00

***Cartoon images copyright 2011 - Laura Marsh***
(Credit for The Litany goes to Frank Herbert, of course.)

IF: Obsession (aka The Cupcake Incident)

2011-07-31T22:01:00.021-04:00

No cupcakes were harmed in the making of this cartoon.

Rampant Dragon

2011-07-15T19:42:00.005-04:00

I like dragons. Today I watched a "documentary" about dragons. When it turned out to be creationist propaganda, I switched to Empire of the Ants (which was somewhat more believable.)

I love coffee

2011-06-14T20:18:00.005-04:00

Coffee: Black
(oil on canvas - 8" x 8")

***copyright 2011 Laura Marsh***

Coffee: Cream
(oil on canvas, 8"x 8")
***copyright 2011 Laura Marsh***

Three olives

2011-06-11T15:14:00.003-04:00

Martini with 3 olives
(oil on canvas - 8" x 8")
***copyright 2011 - Laura Marsh***

Shark attack!

2011-06-02T16:49:00.002-04:00

Sharky
(oil on canvas - 18" x 24")
***copyright 2011 Laura Marsh***

This is a recent oil painting of our cat, Sharky, the most dangerous cat in the universe. He really is!

Cartooning the Laura Marsh Way

2011-05-25T09:27:00.008-04:00

Because sometimes it's hard to talk about my feelings...

Still life with mermaid & sea stones

2011-04-24T11:50:00.005-04:00

(watercolor - 4"x6")
***2011 copyright - Laura Marsh***

Same mermaid pendant as before, but this time she is posed with some smooth sea stones.

Still life with mermaid

2011-04-23T11:09:00.004-04:00

(watercolor - 4"x6")

***2011 copyright - Laura Marsh***

This is a still life off a tiny mermaid pendant someone gave me. The background is a prettily patterned silk scarf.

How did she ever get through that meeting?

2011-04-22T22:17:00.008-04:00

Daydream
***2011 copyright - Laura Marsh***

I'm not saying anything; I'm just saying enjoy the doodle.

Doodle-licious

2011-02-11T08:35:00.000-05:00

Shaman

2011-02-09T07:00:00.003-05:00

Shaman
(pen & ink and watercolor - 4"x6")

***2011 copyright - Laura Marsh***

And why not?

2011-02-06T21:08:00.002-05:00

Art imitating art

2011-02-05T09:25:00.004-05:00

If I were to cartoon Ray Harryhausen's Medusa, a la Clash of the Titans, this is what would happen:

Starman

2011-02-04T09:56:00.005-05:00

Starman
(pen & ink and watercolor - 4"x6")

***2011 copyright - Laura Marsh***

I think this might be one of my Craft it Forward pieces. I just don't know which of my lucky 5 contestants would best appreciate it...Any thoughts?

Oh my darlin'

2011-01-31T10:32:00.002-05:00

Clementine
(oil on canvas - 3"x5")

***2011 copyright - Laura Marsh***

Positive Pit Bull: Happy

2011-01-30T20:26:00.008-05:00

Happy
(oil on canvas, 5"x7")

***2011 copyright - Laura Marsh***

"Happy" is one of two original oil paintings that I am donating to the Positive Pit Bull's "Lovers NOT Fighters" charity auction (February 20, 2011 @ the Busy Bee in downtown Raleigh). All proceeds will benefit The Positive Pit Bull, a non-profit organization dedicated to community education and positive training and socialization for pit bulls. For more information, seek out The Positive Pit Bull on facebook.

A cantina to call my own

2010-11-07T21:41:00.003-05:00

A Different Cantina

***2010 copyright - Laura Marsh***

This is Halloween

2010-11-07T21:31:00.006-05:00

My fabulous alien mask. Who'd' have thought I'd be mistaken for a cricket?

Purple Princess

2010-09-19T21:54:00.004-04:00

Purple Princess

Purple Princess was inspired by Mondy Lamb's Shelter Dogs photograph titled Xena.

Om Shri Gaṇeshāya Namah!

2010-09-17T16:51:00.006-04:00

Ganesha
(oil on canvas)

Of all the gods and goddesses that man claims, I think Ganesha is far & away the most awesome. First of all, he has the head of an elephant. What's not to love about that? Secondly, he is the Remover of Obstacles. He rides around on a rat: a metaphysical trip, for sure. And he is also the patron god of artists, which makes perfect sense. I mean, what artist suffering from artist's block hasn't secretly hoped, or overtly prayed, for someone--some god or muse-- to intervene & remove obstacles to creativity?

Ganesha was inspired by a photograph of a moss-covered statue. I found the photo online, but I don't know who snapped it. For what its worth, my thanks go out to the unknown artist.

Cat Dream

2010-09-13T22:36:00.005-04:00

Bethabara Gardens

2010-09-06T10:24:00.006-04:00

Poppies
***copyright 2010 Laura Marsh***

Moravian Shelter
***copyright 2010 Laura Marsh***

Swamp sunflowers

2010-08-20T20:25:00.003-04:00

Swamp Sunflowers

(oil on canvas)
***copyright - Laura Marsh 2010***

Flowers from our garden

2010-08-19T17:24:00.004-04:00

Black Eyed Susans

(oil on canvas)
***copyright - Laura Marsh 2010***

I finished painting Black Eyed Susans during an oil painting class I recently took. The focus of the class was painting on small canvases. It was quite liberating. More to come as the paint dries.

IF: Giant

2010-07-04T02:33:00.005-04:00

Giant Gerber Daisies

(oil on canvas)
***copyright - Laura Marsh 2010***

Just a Bit

2010-06-26T10:50:00.007-04:00

Lil Bit

(gouache on watercolor board)
***copyright - Laura Marsh 2010***

After much procrastination, I have finally created a digital image of Lil Bit, which means he is going home with his proud owner tonight. I'm looking forward to seeing him properly matted and framed.

The Truth

2010-05-06T18:14:00.005-04:00

Poor Sisyphus. I know how he feels.

2010-05-06T18:07:00.003-04:00

A Humble Meal

2010-03-24T11:39:00.006-04:00

A Humble Meal

gouache on watercolor paper
***copyright - Laura Marsh 2010***

Great Dane doofus

2010-03-14T15:33:00.004-04:00

Jones (gouache on watercolor board)

Jones is a one-eyed Great Dane. He is a doofus.

IF: Subterranean

2010-03-14T15:10:00.005-04:00

Mr. John Dirtfellow raises Helmet beetles deep in his subterranean ranch. For Mr. Dirtfellow, it is a thankless job, because the beetles are too tough to eat and yet too lackadaisical to make good pets.

IF: Perspective

2010-03-05T00:03:00.006-05:00

I've been busy. Really busy. Painting. For weeks. The experience has been challenging, exhausting, productive, beautiful. I'll post more paintings later, but for now, meet Josh.

Josh is gouache on watercolor board, approximately 5" x 10". Josh might have the honor of being entered in the Fur Ball art competition taking place in a few weeks, but I haven't made my final selections yet.

Wish me luck!

Special thanks to my cousin, Joycie. She generously scanned in all of my recent work, which was a tremendous help. She also cooked a delicious dinner (homemade vegetarian split pea soup and corn bread), oy vey! Thanks, Joycie, you're awesome.

***copyright - Laura Marsh 2010***

IF: Wilderness

2010-01-19T17:35:00.004-05:00

mixed media on Bristol board
***copyright - Laura Marsh 2010***

IF: Confined

2010-01-10T19:33:00.005-05:00

"With Cat confined outside, Mouse had the run of the place."

Cat & Mouse
watercolor on Bristol board
***copyright -2010 Laura Marsh***

Tea ceremony

2010-01-07T19:24:00.004-05:00

Tea ceremony
Mixed media
***copyright - 2010 Laura Marsh***

IF: Renewal

2010-01-05T19:33:00.007-05:00

Renewal
pen & ink
***copyright - 2010 Laura Marsh***

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T13:22:00.007-05:00

Before the butterfly

pen & ink & watercolor on Bristol board
***copyright - 2009 Laura Marsh***

IF: Pioneer

2009-12-29T22:43:00.004-05:00

Louis Pasteur, pioneer
pen & ink on Bristol board
***copyright 2009 - Laura Marsh***

Jeepster

2009-12-28T21:46:00.006-05:00

Jeepster
pen & ink on Bristol board
***copyright 2009 - Laura Marsh***

"You slide so good with bones so fair * You've got the universe reclining in your hair * 'Cos you're my babe, yes you're my love * Oh girl I'm just a jeepster for your love..." - T Rex

Lucky!

2009-12-27T19:36:00.007-05:00

Family tree
India ink on watercolor board
***copyright 2009 - Laura Marsh***

Some lucky people got Laura Marsh original artwork for Christmas this year!

A friend commissioned me to design a family tree for a loved one. I'm delighted by how it turned out. I regret that I didn't have this painting professionally scanned prior to giving it to its new owner. The digital image I made doesn't do it justice.

This next one was a gift to my pal, PG. She really liked it. Both creations were painted on cold pressed watercolor board (my favorite).

Up Dog
gouache on watercolor board
***copyright 2009 - Laura Marsh***

I'm going back to playing with my Strathmore artist trading cards now. I know those cards are primarily about packaging. After all, I have a paper cutter. I could have easily taken my paper of choice and cut down trading card-sized pages on my own, but buying a pack from Jerry's proved much more fun. Stay tuned...

Reality Fortune Cookie

2009-12-07T09:36:00.003-05:00

Fun with leftover paint

2009-12-02T21:22:00.005-05:00

Sun Horse
mixed media
***copyright - 2009 - Laura Marsh***

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

2009-11-17T21:21:00.006-05:00

Tree
acrylic on canvas
copyright - 2009 Laura Marsh

At long last, this gorgeous painting is in the hands of its proud owner, which is a good thing, because sometimes it's hard for me to part with my art. I am happy it is in its new home, and I'm equally glad the digital copy I made of it turned out so true-to-life so I can share it with you.

Sunday evening scratch

2009-11-08T22:34:00.005-05:00

Turkey

(colored pencil on paper)

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T16:48:00.004-04:00

A good cause

2009-08-30T18:13:00.009-04:00

Special thanks to Moochie whose napping prowess is second only to Kiwi's. Dream is a Laura Marsh original--acrylic on canvas--and I am donating it to this year's SPCA Fur Ball. The Fur Ball is a wonderful way to support the Wake County SPCA and all the animals they save. Please consider supporting your local SPCA.

I love new pens.

2009-08-08T01:33:00.005-04:00

IF: Modify

2009-08-04T22:38:00.005-04:00

Cartoons can help one modify one's mental health.

Cartoon Dudes Don't Have Eyelashes

2009-08-04T20:51:00.006-04:00

IF: Hollow

2009-07-12T17:53:00.003-04:00

Foul creatures! They drained Jonathan Harker hollow.

A vampire montage for the faithful

2009-07-12T15:08:00.003-04:00

"I am here to do your bidding, Master. I am Your slave..."
- Bram Stoker - Dracula

IF: Craving

2009-06-05T21:31:00.006-04:00

Late night visits to Cinderella's wig shop

didn't satisfy his secret craving.

IF: Adapt

2009-06-03T22:08:00.008-04:00

One learns to adapt quickly when one is on the lam.

I have to confess, I was inspired by pen+marker=magic (a much more talented magic marker artist). Marker is so not my strong suit, so in a way I, too, had to adapt.

IF: Contagious

2009-05-20T20:42:00.006-04:00

A little fun with pen & ink.

IF: Parade

2009-05-13T12:08:00.004-04:00

a strange parade
graphite wash on paper

Being coy

2009-04-18T09:35:00.006-04:00

ink & gouache

It seems as though one of the little fishies from the drawing from last week survived to swim another day. I'm glad the boy didn't make a Rainbow Roll out her.

Fishing from a bridge

2009-04-11T21:42:00.007-04:00

pastel & ink

After drawing Japanese-themed art all day, I had to have some sushi for dinner. It was delicious. The child fishing from the bridge may not be so lucky. Maybe that's why he looks perturbed.

IF: Fleeting

2009-04-11T15:58:00.007-04:00

pastel, ink, & gouache

IF: Poise

2009-04-01T15:38:00.004-04:00

Here is a sneak peek at the first of many illustrations for a new children's book that I am currently working on. This little bug is poised to run away as fast as he can after being discovered in the rug.

The Suspicious Barnyard Animal series

2009-03-28T17:50:00.005-04:00

Like so much of what I draw, I drew the Suspicious Barnyard Animal (SBA) series primarily for my amusement. I hope it will amuse you, too, and perhaps provide you with an opportunity to ask yourself some deep, philosophical questions about life and art.

Here are some sample questions, if you are having a hard time getting started:

What causes a barnyard animal to be suspicious?
How can I tell whether a barnyard animal is in a state of suspicion?
Is this series really a metaphor for something else?
Where did those mushrooms come from?
Why is food falling out of the sky?
When is Laura going to draw more SBAs?

#1 - Suspicious Pig

2009-03-28T17:40:00.005-04:00

#2 - Suspicious Sheep

2009-03-28T17:37:00.006-04:00

#3 - Suspicious Horse

2009-03-28T17:35:00.004-04:00

#4 - Suspicious Cow

2009-03-28T17:24:00.010-04:00

Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of the English

2009-03-25T14:14:00.001-04:00

So perhaps you know from her title that this picture represents Eleanor of Aquitaine after her marriage to Henry, Duke of the Normans. Henry went on to become Henry II, King of England, and Eleanor became queen.

Unfortunately for Eleanor, who was by all accounts a most powerful and politically shrewd woman, Henry viewed her freedom as a threat to his throne, and he imprisoned her for 15-or-so years. Seems she'd committed a wee bit of treason for supporting a revolt against him--a revolt led by her son, Richard.

After Henry's death, Richard became King Richard I, or Richard the Lionheart (you may remember him as the benevolent, imprisoned king from the Robin Hood stories). And like a good son, he freed his mummy from the clink.

Although she was no longer officially the queen, Eleanor ruled England while Richard was away on Crusade. She died in 1204. The picture I drew of her is pen & ink & colored pencil on paper.

Legendary Slacker

2009-03-23T22:39:00.002-04:00

Last week's IF, which I missed, was "legendary". The final product, which you see here, is from a sketch that I drew in plenty of time to post, but because I am a legend in my own right (in the realm of procrastination) I never got around to it.

There were many obstacles, real and imagined. I hated the way the drawing looked after I scanned it: The colors came out wrong; I couldn't make it look nice in GIMP; I didn't have a martini of my own. But today, after someone said, "WTF is up with your blog?!" I decided, WTF, indeed, and got motivated. (Thank you, MP.)

Unfortunately, I still hated the way the drawing looked. I decided to go on an artistic quest in the land of GIMP and make the old girl look good (or at least better, poor thing.) Many layers later, I discovered a filter feature called "old photo", which eliminated the problem with the colors. Then, I added a border and a coffee stain (another cool, if chaotic, filter feature).

The result is an illo that looks like a photograph of a bathing beauty (probably a once-famous model) with a drink, upon which a careless boyfriend (most likely Hugh Hefner) set a drink of his own.

Now it's legendary.

IF: Instinct

2009-02-25T13:12:00.001-05:00

Border Collies have a strong herding instinct. Here is a painting of one who is thinking about herding something in his backyard, probably a flock of birds or some of the cats he lives with.

(gouache and watercolor pencil on paper)

What did you do this weekend?

2009-02-22T19:51:00.002-05:00

I painted pictures of Moochie. Here is one of them (the other has been moved to IF: Instinct).

gouache and graphite on canvas board

The canvas board painting was an experiment, actually. I'd never painted on canvas board before, so I wasn't entirely sure how it would turn out. I think canvas board is mostly for thick paints, like oils and acrylics, but it took gouache and graphite like a champ. Canvas board is not ideal for thin paints, though, because the pattern of the canvas fabric shows through. In this case, however, I think it helps emphasize the cartoon-like quality of Moochie in the painting. It's nice when stuff works out.

The other painting was painted on my favorite type of paper: cold pressed watercolor board. It's a joy to paint on. Even the subject of the painting appears happy to have been painted on cold pressed watercolor board. Observe how pleased he looks: His calm countenance; the secretive smile. He's like the Mona Lisa, for Pete's sake!

It's time for a drink now.

IF: Celebrate

2009-02-15T22:14:00.001-05:00

more fun with graphite wash

I'm in love

2009-02-15T22:01:00.001-05:00

I bought a new graphite pencil last week. It's one of those ones you can use with water. I love it. This sleepy cat is graphite wash on a watercolor test strip.

IF: Flawed

2009-02-01T14:07:00.001-05:00

This is my somewhat flawed retelling of King Arthur's conception, inspired by the movie Excaliber. Naturally, the comic contains sex. So if you are uptight about that sort of thing, you should probably leave now. Enjoy the show.

IF: Climbing

2009-01-25T22:03:00.001-05:00

Today I watched Jean Cocteau's 1946 version of Beauty and the Beast. It is one of my favorite movies. Here is an image inspired by the film. It is of Belle, under the spell of the Beast's enchanted glove, climbing through the wall into her father's house.

Nice doggy

2009-01-23T23:46:00.001-05:00

Idol sketching

2009-01-21T10:14:00.002-05:00

Pachyderms on a pilgrimage

Madame Mina's Wagon of Supernatural Delights

2009-01-20T19:17:00.001-05:00

Anyone watch the Inauguration today? I doodled this during some/most/all of the televised festivities. It started as just her toes & now look at it.

Goofing off

2009-01-16T09:09:00.000-05:00

I've had the same thought for several weeks now.
The voice inside my head (the creative one) has been asking:
How cool would it be to have a blog devoted to extemporaneous art?

And the answer is: pretty dag-gone cool.

Here's a true story:

I used to know an artist whose work I still admire from afar. One day she showed me a sketch of a beautiful woman who unfortunately had a messy, squiggling line scratched through her form. I told the artist how much I liked her drawing, and that it was too bad the body was obscured by the errant marks (I assumed that someone had carelessly scribbled on the creation). But the artist told me that if it hadn't been for the scribble, the drawing wouldn't exist. The beautiful woman was born out of the scrawl.

It took me a while to fully appreciate the sentiment. It's part of the reason I've decided to listen to the creative voice and start this project already. We'll see how it goes.