"Page by Paige" Character Sneak Peek!

SIDEWALK ART SALE!
This Saturday August 1st I'll be taking part in a 30 block long sidewalk art sale along Fifth Avenue in Park Slope from noon to 8pm! I'll be selling drawings at recession-special prices, so come by if you're in the neighborhood. I'll be selling art in front of the two Blue Ribbon restaurants on 5th Ave and 1st along with other lovely artists like Jen Ferguson. (Oh, and for the kids there will be a chalk art extravaganza around Washington Park 3-6pm) More info is on BID's website here.

And now here is a SNEAK PEEK at the characters from my graphic novel Page by Paige! Since I'll be drawing this out over the next year, it'll be interesting to see how the characters evolve. Each character was based on a couple different people, but some of their personalities have taken unexpected turns. This first panel shows my 16-year-old-alter-ego Paige with the Virginia-rooted characters: her parents and Diana. Diana is on the phone because in the book she is the friend left behind in Virginia when Paige and her family move to NYC. (Click on image to see full view)

This panel shows Paige with the friends she makes in NYC: Gabe (the writer), Longo (the cartoonist), and Jules (the songwriter). I'll be introducing you to these characters in more depth in the coming months, as I get to know them better myself!


And MARK YOUR CALENDARS...
A month from now I will be holding a week long ART SHOW at HICHRISTINA with Diana Arge and Bishop203! Each night of the week we'll be doing different fun events (Comics! Puppets! Battlestar! Finger painting! Naked people!) so stay tuned for more info. **August 25-30th


Currently Reading: The Man in the Ceiling by Jules Feiffer

Gardener comic/ Daily Cross Hatch

As an artist, I am experiencing a strange transition. I'm now so busy with my graphic novel and other amazing creative projects that I don't have enough time to make my weekly batch of art-therapeutic-drawings that I've come to rely on in the past 7 years. But I NEED that outlet to keep me emotionally healthy, I can feel myself struggling without it. (I admit that the whole "victim of my own success" lament has crossed my mind...)

So I decided to draw a comic about this struggle to find balance. I used a gardening metaphor, which is ironic because I don't have anything close to a green thumb. But perhaps you can relate to it.

NOTE: Only half of each 2-panel section shows in the feed here, so you MUST click on it to see the whole thing! Sorry. But if you wanna see it easier, just READ IT ON MY MYSPACE BLOG INSTEAD.














In other news...
My comic about the No Pants subway ride is featured on the Daily Cross Hatch! Please check it out and comment here: The Daily Cross Hatch


Currently Listening: Keren Ann...Not Going Anywhere

Set for the Carnivale of Ascension

Here are pictures from the set that Adam and I designed for the Carnivale of Ascension. We covered all the walls of a large LES loft with vinyl and fabric...then we painted and sculpted a creepy forest over top of it. (Please click on image to see full size)




We hung strands of lights behind the hills of our landscape, they looked magical in the candlelight.

We had lots of assistance, thank you everyone!


And here are some pictures from the actual event, which went on over three nights last week. There were stilt walkers, designer cocktails, roast suckling pig with wings, vampire singers, body painting, dancing, and lots of beautiful people...








Adam and Cleo, who dreamed up this event...

Oh, and here's a shot of me! I helped out each night...which included being a human dessert tray!


More pictures are on Facebook.

Currently Listening: The Kills...Midnight Boom

Website Update/ Carnivale of Ascension

My out-of-date website had finally been properly updated in case you'd like to check it out! (I mean, the pictures were from over 4 YEARS ago!) There are lots of new links and galleries and such to explore...whoislauralee.com. Just watch out if you enter the galleries...there are almost 1000 artworks in there so it's easy to get lost.

And if you're in New York I'd like to invite you to an event next week that I've been helping create the elaborate set for...

The Carnivale of Ascension Extravagant Bacchanal is a private masked dinner party featuring a three-course meal (includes whole roasted animals and vegetarian delights alike), unlimited drinks (courtesy of Makers Mark Bourbon and Sauza Hornitos Tequila), and live performances (Darling Cait, Pearl Lin, Patrick Cleandenim, Topaz Chanteuse, Lady Circus, and The Red Bastard).

I have been helping Adam transform an East Village loft into a surreal forest that will be the bridge between life and death. $50 per person. Tuesday July 14th and Wednesday July 15th. It just got picked up by UrbanDaddy.com (an upscale event promotion list) so if you'd like to come you should RSVP soon because it'll probably sell out: RSVP@Designsbyadamaleksander.com

Book Update: So I have finished writing and editing my script for Page by Paige. ("Finished" meaning that I tweak it much less than before.) I have pulled together my two-dimensional cast of characters and I'm now drawing out the thumbnails which I'll base the full size pages on. ("Thumbnail" meaning the thumbnail of an ogre: 2.75 x 4 inches to be precise) You have been updated!

Curently Listening: Nouvelle Vague...Band A Part