It's auction time for the art for the "We Imagine Peace" art collaborative. My piece, "Tolerance in Hopeful Yellow" is online right now and open for bids. Please click the link to see it, as well as the other wonderful pieces of art that are available. The proceeds go to a wonderful charity for children.

Click Auction to go to the site! Enjoy!

If you happen to live in the Los Angeles area or will be visiting in June, come by the WIP Festival and enjoy the incredible exhibit of art that has been created for this wonderful art collaboration. The themes of Tolerance, Humility, and Love among others will be represented in this exhibit of artists from all over the world that have come together to promote the conceptual elements of peace through art. I have two pieces in the exhibit and I'm looking forward to attending. The art will be auctioned off and the proceeds will benefit a charity. Hope to see you there! And make sure you meet Kira Rose and April Brosemann. They're the ones responsible for pulling this whole event together.

Designing with typefaces can really enhance your work, whether you're designing an ad, logo, or placing a beautiful font in a painting. It's all about treating type as you would a painting. Looking at type as art and not just as boring letters can really open your mind to expressing yourself in a different way. This link will inspire you to see the fun in typography. Notice that the one thing that makes all of these work is excellent kerning and line spacing. The type hangs together as a design unit because of the attention to these crucial basic elements that can either break or make your design with fonts. So be inspired and take a look at some Creative typography.

My second finished painting for the concept of Tolerance for the "We Imagine Peace" art collaborative on June 16th in Covina, CA. Both pieces of art are at the location now and I'm looking forward to the festival. This piece is 8" x 10" acrylic on canvas board.

Sometimes, certain animals come into my head and I'm just compelled to draw them. They usually are the unusual and have something unique about them. I love the look of Lemurs and their name refers to "ghost spirits" in a tribal language. They are actually owned as pets here in the U.S and their original habitat is Madagascar. This is my second Lemur painting I've created. The first one has sold. This 19" x 24" pastel painting is a complete vision in my mind. The only reference I used was a picture of a Lemur, and a plant indigenous to Madagascar to authenticate where the painting was set. From my RedBubble site I offer this description: A surreal pastel painting of Lemurs, a beautiful woman, and a child; one represents the Universe, the other, the Earth. They flow and balance together to create harmony, and to stress the dependency we have to one another and our environment. Original art by © Laura J. Holman.


This painting took me almost a year to complete. It sat staring at me from the easel, half finished, for months. Many times, I haven't a clue where a painting should go until I step back from it. Some take little time, while others seem to take forever. As with any creative endeavor, we can liken it to the process of giving birth.

I think that's the one thing all artists wrestle with... knowing when to stop and not overwork the art.
As I work on this latest colored pencil piece, I'm reminded of that. I have the hat details sketched in on the upper left ever so lightly, but when I look at the art, especially when viewed from afar, I'm loving the shape of the undefined, unfinished hat. I'll finish the ribbon around her neck, and finish out the braid along the trim of the hat, and then I'll be done. I think it's dramatic and strong this way.

My love of beautiful faces and fashion has inspired this art. I'm enjoying the rich colors of my new Polychromos and learning new colored pencil techniques from the "Colored Pencil Painting Bible" by Alyona Nickelsen. You can find it on DickBlick.com.

Ordering and then receiving art supplies from Blick.com is like reliving Christmas all throughout the year. My newest love is Faber - Castell's Polychromos. Color pencils that are oiled based instead of wax. Drawing / painting with them makes working with colored pencils exciting again. And the Stonehenge paper is the perfect surface for them. I'm having a ball. I created "Apple's Worm" with them purely from my imagination, even the apple. I've been meaning to do more teacher cards because the few that I've created on my card stores get an incredible amount of views. This one will be just in time to let your child's teacher know how much you've appreciated them this past school year that's quickly coming to a close.
I will scan this art tomorrow and size it to the card formats. In the meantime, here's a Droid shot to hold you over!

There was a customer request on one of my card stores to have a coloring book Easter card for a child. I wonder if kids really do color anymore. I'm sure many are coloring on iPads. Maybe one day, art supplies will go the way of books; completely on the computer, our hands never touching a paint brush, pastel, etc. ever again.

Here's to coloring books for however long they may exist!

Another addition to the Easter card line-up-  "The Easter Egg Tree." Already colored, all you have to do is pick the eggs or wait for them to fall off. I need to redo the eggs on the ground and photoshop them in. So grateful for PS... how did we ever live w/o it?

I'm a little behind the eight ball as far as Easter cards, but this one just came to mind, so I popped it out tonight. I have another one to do before I move onto something else. Scan and clean in PS tomorrow then onto my stores it goes-of course w/o the pencils and gouache tube!

Too large for the Twitter Exhibit, this watercolor stays home with me. Still small, though, by my usual standards but I'm sure I can put it to good use! Watercolor with a hint of pastel on the cheeks.

I think the 29 Faces Challenge was the perfect exercise for me to loosen up in time for a Twitter Art Exhibit in Norway. My first painting was too large because I happen to size off a larger postcard rather than a normal sized one that was determined for the exhibit. I'll post that one after this post. So I quickly got back to the drawing board and painted another one. I think this one is more suited for the event. A little more fine artsy... at least for me. I'll use the other one for a party invite on my card stores. This is done in watercolor, gouache, and watercolor pencils on Arches watercolor paper.

It's over, and what a month it was! A challenge that proved to be quite a commitment. I drew the last 6 drawings over the past two days sandwiched between so many other things. It's late, but I'm done. Just an hour and a half late! I hope you enjoyed following Ms. Face through the exciting month of our special 2012 Leap Year February. Please be sure to click on the 29 Faces link on the top right hand corner and visit all the other participating artists! Thanks again for following!

Time to unwind after "kitty hugs" and pop in a Billie Holiday CD. A last minute tribute to Black History month and to a talented woman who made the music world that much better. Super quick black pastel sketch on smooth white drawing paper.

Home at last and the first thing Ms. Face does is hug her precious kitty.

Arriving home to winds and cold weather. Chalk pastels are my choice to a quick illustration.

Finally Ms. Face gets the chance to go home after jet setting all over. Nothing like a little uninterrupted R & R on a long flight back to the States. Again with the chalk pastels. Home stretch.

One can't leave Brazil without a little bite to eat. What is Ms. Face eating? That's anyone's guess. Chalk pastels on smooth white drawing paper.

Finally, Ms. Face's skin can breathe! Brilliant chalk pastels on ultra smooth white drawing paper.

Swinging through Rio for Carnival after partying at the Madis Gras in Sydney and New Orleans. Ms. Face certainly gets around! Chalk pastels on ultra smooth white drawing paper.

Ms. Face continues the Mardi Gras partying. Now she's in New Orleans with a whole different look without any jet lag. Traveling by the net is a sure way to go! Watercolor, acrylics and gold paint on Arches watercolor paper.

With a click of the mouse, Ms. Face has been transported to Sydney where she's partaking in Mardi Gras festivities there with her bright orange boa and gold, purple and black face paint. A row of glue on beads completes the look. A short stay as she must get back to the States for the next party but she couldn't resist partying with her Aussie friends. Gold paint and pastels on white drawing paper. The paper buckled a bit because I used paint at the last minute... not planning to. The paper was not thick enough to hold the paint. I guess that's what happens when you work fast and spontaneously!