The Reviews of "Page by Paige"

Now that "Page by Paige" has been out for a month (wow!), I thought I'd share the REVIEWS so far! Overall people have been very positive and encouraging, which as a first-time author makes me feel unbelievably grateful. So....THANK YOU!


“Gulledge's b&w illustrations are simple but well-suited to their subject matter; the work as a whole is a good-natured, optimistic portrait of a young woman evolving toward adulthood.”
--PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY

"A sweet coming-of-age graphic novel about an artistic introvert. Paige’s sketches are soft and expressive, and Gulledge does an admirable job of providing insight into Paige’s musings, creating a very intimate ambiance for this well-fleshed-out character. The artist masterfully commands her piece, creating a cohesive and fluid work that cascade smoothly along. Teens are sure to relate to this wallflower who blooms—gloriously"
--KIRKUS BOOK REVIEWS

“Gulledge’s literal depictions of metaphors are quite beautiful, and the story is eminently relatable.”
--PASTE MAGAZINE

“Page by page, ahem, we are treated to inventive layouts and designs as we get insightful glimpses into Paige’s conscious mind....Gulledge is an honest artist, laying out her fears and dreams out for all of us to examine...This comes highly recommend to people seeking something fresh and different.”
--COMIC MIX

“I immediately wanted to find people around me to share the images. I can't wait to start giving this out as gifts or sharing it with teens that I know.  Page by Paige is a wonderful debut by Gulledge and I certainly look forward to future work from her. “
--KID LIT FRENZY

“ The themes Gulledge tackles in the flowing text and the revealing illustrations are complex and mature. So while many teens will definitely relate to Paige's feelings of isolation, older readers will also find something to love about this imaginative tale.”
--RT BBOOK REVIEWS

“The story is warm, charming and full of sugary sweetness, inspiration, trust and caring of friends, a budding relationship and tons of feel good moments... Gulledge (is) not afraid to take the readers on a visual stroll that is engaging and distracting at the same time, much like an amusement park...Not only for young readers and one I am sure will easily make it onto my personal “best of” list of 2011.”
--BURNT WEINERS

“A funny, charming and very touching coming of age story. I loved Paige and I hope she has more of her story to tell.”
--GREEN BEAN TEEN QUEEN

“This was a fun, quick read with enough depth to make me go back and re-read it again.”
--MRS. P’s BOOK REVIEWS

“It’s astounding...This is a book that could only be done as a comic, and it makes full use of the medium.”
--COMICS WORTH READING

“Anyone who's ever felt like a fish out of water, anyone who's ever felt like they don't measure up, anyone who's ever felt alone will relate to Paige. She is so fully realized, with all of her teenage highs and lows, it makes you want to cheer when she ultimately works up the courage to share her art with the world.”
--READING EVERYWHERE

“I am a 30 year old, white male who enjoys metal music and mixed martial arts. Why the disclosure? Because I simply loved this book...I am honestly blown away with how much I enjoyed the artwork in the book, spending a lot of time staring at the same page, picking out all the little details.”
--AMAZON customer review: John

“I would rate this book five stars: I loved it.”
— SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL teen review: Madison (Age 12)

“ Her character seemed well developed and real, and the supporting characters also have very vibrant personalities.”
— SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL teen review: Katie (Age 16)

“If I could go back in time I would hand this book to my 16 year old self. Who would I become? Most definitely an Agent of Whimsy!!”
--GOODREADS review: Wendy

“The artwork is quite wonderful, and makes the book feel like you are reading a journal/sketchbook instead of a graphic novel written by an adult.”
--GOODREADS review: Matthew

“Laura Lee Gulledge is truly a talented artist....Just shows how important teaching kids how to express themselves is, because it can save them from bottling things up inside of them.”
--GOODREADS review: Kellee

“ This is an awesome graphic novel that I would recommend as a way to get those who draw to read.”
--GOODREADS review: Lori

“ Though the tale is written from a teenage female perspective, I still find myself (30-something male) able to relate to her trials and tribulations...Gulledge's work here flows like a song. “
--GOODREADS review: Kent

“I loved how Paige slowly coaxes herself out of her shell. Great themes of friendship and finding your own place in the world.”
--GOODREADS review: Kelly

“I loved how Paige's artistic explorations were reflected in the changing styles of the art in the book--inked and non-inked, panels and no panels, markery and watercolory--but they all fit together as the work of one artist's personality.
--GOODREADS review: Tessa

“Many interesting elements here, but most profoundly expressed are the insecurities of a creative, introspective young teenager, who is willing to face her fears and grow into the young, capable and honest artist she is meant to discover, becoming a friend to herself and to others along the way.”
--GOODREADS review: Teresa

“ Paige's head is filled with so many thoughts and doubts, in a way that I remember vividly from my own teen years, and the illustrations bring to life her emotions.”
--GOODREADS review: Joy

“DON'T MISS THIS ONE! Wait. I yelled that. Okay. Yes. I would yell this from the rooftops. You have kids that will absolutely love this!”
--GOODREADS review: Paul

New drawings!

Happy Memorial Day, everyone! Here are three new drawings for you to enjoy. (Click to see larger)

First drawing and a close-up:


This one is about the end of the plan. Giving up more and more control. Entering totally uncharted territory.

Second drawing and a close-up:


Whether it's put up by you or by me, sometimes there is a wall between us. Others might not be able to detect it, but we can see beneath the surface of each other.

Third drawing and a close-up:


More and more of my friends are having babies. My biological clock continues to tick away silent and unnoticed (thankfully), but I can't help but wonder what my future holds. Hence, Magic-8-Ball baby heads.

Currently Listening: French Horn Rebellion...The Infinite Music Of French Horn Rebellion

Next Week: Workshop @ WORD Books!

Next Saturday I'll be holding my last scheduled book event for a while...and it will be at the wonderful WORD Books in Greenpoint!


Saturday June 4th 4-5:00pm
WORD: 126 Franklin Street
Closest Subway: Greenpoint Avenue G Stop
RSVP on Facebook

What words come to mind when you look at yourself? Do you ever wish you could change who you are? In this workshop, I will help you “reprogram” your perceptions of yourself by creating a self portrait completely out of WORDS! You will work sheets of paper using a variety of drawing tools. No special artistic skills are necessary!


I will be raffling off a signed copy of my "Be a Revelationary" poster! And I'll have my original sketchbooks on hand for you to flip through.

Currently Reading: Lewis & Clark by Nick Bertozzi

Mirror Portraits @ BookCourt

This Sunday I held a signing and workshop at BookCourt here in Brooklyn! I talked about my artwork and invited folks to make mirror self portraits, which was an activity based on my introspective style of art-making portrayed in Page by Paige.


People drew what/who they saw when they looked in the mirror using china markers...


And here is a sampling of the finished ones! People drew themselves as a pirate, an artist, a princess, a baby, etc.




How about me? Well, I drew myself under construction...

Thank you everyone who braved the non-running-subway-schedule and came out on Sunday! And you folks at BookCourt for being supper supportive of the event. You can see more pics from this in my Flicker gallery.

Sculpture: Wall Street Bull for HBO

I usually freelance as a scenic painter, but last week I wrapped up my first big opportunity to do some large-scale sculpting!

Through Largent Studios I worked with anther freelancer David Kretschmer to make a sculpture for the launch party for the HBO film "Too Big to Fail."

We were basically replicating the famous Wall Street Bull, but making sure to change various details for legal reasons.

And here is our finished bull...ta-da!

It was sculpted with layers of tiger foam and aqua resin over chicken wire around a metal armature. Lots of sanding and carving and filling and building up.



When complete, I built up layers of different speckled shades of pewter with a final green iridescent finish to compliment the money-themed decor.

This was a really fun (yet physically tiring) project! And getting a chance to work more three-dimensionally was definitely a wonderful new challenge.

Currently Reading: Catching Fire (Book 2 of The Hunger Games)...by Suzanne Collins

New Paintings & Drawings

This painting is an abstracted pile of rocks inspired (and including) the Antoine de Saint-Exupery quote: "A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral." (Click images to see larger size)

Here's a close up...

This drawing is about....ALLERGIES! Drowning in an ocean of tissues, the kleenex boxes floating almost like buoys. I'm sure many of you out there can relate!

And here's a close up...

And this is a quick drawing I made at a neighborhood bar (The Emerson) a couple weeks ago, where I was killing time locked out of the apartment! Everything had gone wrong that day, so I thought I'd laugh at the absurdity of it rather than sulking. I forgot about it until I stumbled across it yesterday...

Finally, I drew another little cartoon on the wall of the apartment! This one is in the kitchen, and it's a tribute to the little mouse family that I feel guilty for having to exterminate. (Well, most have been caught in the traps left by the previous tennant...) So sorry, little mice!



Currently Reading: It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken...by Seth

Red Bull Circuit Board Murals

Last month I worked with Adam Aleksander Presents to create a live interactive art element for a Red Bull Creation event at 3rd Ward! (Sorry I'm so behind on my blogging!) You can see a cool write-up about this "Brooklyn Nerd Party" here.

Live painting...what to do? I proposed we have circuit-board themed collaborative murals for guests to add to, since the event had a technology/hacker/mechanical/innovation vibe. And this design wouldn't be intimidating for the non-artist, since you'd only need to create simple shapes and lines!

So I gathered lots of materials for each work station: Paint, hot glue guns, scrap wood, nails, hardware, metallic papers, paint pens, glitter, rope, red bull cans to cut up and manipulate, etc.

We actually had THREE murals, making it a competition! Guests were divided according to the color of their wrist band: Red, blue, or silver.

Here are the three finished murals! Each one was given the same materials but had totally different styles.


The crowd favorite was the third one here, because it had interactive and kinetic elements! It's not finished here, but you see it developed in the other pics below...



Special thanks to my lovely helpers Stacey Keating, Carly Todd, Chris Ams, Kendalle Fiasco, and Ray Keilman!

Currently Watching: Comic Book Confidential...documentary by Ron Mann

Workshop SUNDAY at BookCourt!

Come to BOOKCOURT this weekend where I will be signing copies of my debut YA graphic novel "Page by Paige," sharing fun freebies, bringing original sketchbooks for you to flip through, and leading a short workshop!

When: Sunday, May 22nd 11:00am - 2:00pm
Where: 163 Court Street (between Pacific & Dean) Brooklyn, NY 11201
Closest subways: Bergen St. FG, Hoyt-Schermerhorn ACG, MNRW2345 Court St./Borough Hall
Here's the Facebok Event.



Mirror Self Portraits Workshop:
Who do you REALLY see when you look in the mirror? Perhaps you have a secret identity, hide behind a mask, or imagine yourself living out your dreams?... In this workshop, Laura Lee helps you reveal you true self by drawing on ACTUAL MIRRORS with wax pencils. No special artistic skills are necessary!


This is a new lesson I've created and I can't wait to try it out! It should be a lot of fun, so if you were not able to make it to the recent launch party then I hope you can swing by on Sunday!

Currently Reading: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Recap: Brooklyn Comics & More

Last Saturday I was at Brooklyn Comics & More helping them celebrate FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! (It's a day each year when comic book stores nationwide give away a ton of free new comics)

I signed copies of Page by Paige and brought chalk to draw on the sidewalk...except it was raining most of the time I was there! So, sadly I only got to draw a little bit before I left. (Next time I'd be awesome to get more kids involved!)