Some Snippets from Dimplemeyer's Design

Just a few snippets from the some of the finished paintings of Dimplemeyer's Design. Just a few more paintings to complete! This project is finally approaching the end and I couldn't be more excited! After 2 years it will finally be a book!

The King and Queen mourn over Glassandra as she mourns over the loss of her Knight

Princess Glassandra

The Impenetrable Fortress at night

Glassandra's Perfume Bottle

Kobee Manatee on Facebook

Kobee Manatee now has his very own Facebook Page! "Like" his page to see what Kobee and his friends are up to and to learn more about what manatees think about all day long. I know I've always wanted to know!

Kobee Manatee is on Facebook!

The Importance of Community with Other Artists

I recently made a conscious decision to spend more time with other artists. Mostly because I found that I often become very lonely while working all day long on art without having anyone to talk to. It's also hard to look at your own art with fresh eyes when you are staring at it all day long. I need breaks, and I need people to talk with - for my own sanity.

So for the past few months I have been making sure I attend the monthly SCBWI meetings, I've had critique dates over Skype, and attended a few artists' group meetings over breakfast (which I hope will become a regular thing). These are all excellent ways for me to stay motivated in my work and to make sure I am setting goals (and meeting those goals) regularly. It's also been a great time to talk with other artists about the woes and worries of creating art. Every time I bring something up that is bringing me down or holding me back they always seem to know exactly what I am talking about, because they have been there at one time or another. These meetings have also given me great critique time. As I said, sometimes it is hard to really "see" what you are doing until you show someone else. They see it with fresh eyes and see what is working and what needs work. This is the thing I miss most about school. Now I must make a conscious effort to seek out critique time from people I know and trust.

Here are couple pictures from our last breakfast meeting.

So not only do I get to spend all this time with fun, talented artists, I also get to meet new artists!

Meet my new art friends:

Gemma Magdaluyo

Lora Lingl

Lauren Mendez

and of course, Annie Ruygt, my good friend from college!

GIVEAWAY Winner

First thing this morning I made a random selection (with the help of a random name selector online) and we now have our GIVEAWAY winner!

***Congratulations to Kristina Franklin!!***

You will receive:
  - The ORIGINAL and SIGNED graphite drawing I did for the Vulture Verses "Spider Shuttle" (4x6).
  - Your very own Official Spider Shuttle
  - A Vulture Verses book mark

Thank you to everyone who participated in the GIVEAWAY. I will try to do these more often, with bigger and better prizes!

Book Sighting!

Last weekend I was in Pleasanton, CA for a wedding and was browsing a local bookshop (the children's section of course). My sister-in-law asked if my book was there and I said, "Nah, I highly doubt it. It's not in very many shops." ..... I guess I was wrong! AND it's facing out. Couldn't ask for more! I introduced myself tot he shop owner who does some work for Chronicle as well as his wife. Apparently Diane Lang will be having a book signing at Towne Center Books in Pleasanton sometime next month.

GIVEAWAY! 500 Facebook Likes!

Today my Facebook page reached 500 likes! Hurray!

First of all, thank you all for your support and encouragement. You all give me motivation and inspiration to keep creating art and I thank you so much for that. I have spent more and more time posting on my Facebook page and less and less on my blog - which I suppose isn't necessarily a good or bad thing, as long as I am active on some form of social media, right?

So to celebrate these 500 likes and to say thank you, I am having my first giveaway!

I am giving away:
  - The ORIGINAL and SIGNED graphite drawing I did for the Vulture Verses "Spider Shuttle" (4x6).
  - Your very own Official Spider Shuttle
  - A Vulture Verses book mark

One Lucky winner will receive all 3 of these giveaways!

There are several ways to enter:

   - Leave a comment under this post telling me what your favorite commonly unloved animal is.
   - Send me a tweet, @LaurenGallegos, telling me what your favorite commonly unloved animal is.
   - If you haven't already, "like" my Facebook page.
   - Leave a comment on my Facebook Giveaway post telling me what your favorite commonly unloved animal is.
   - NEW WAY TO ENTER! Find my pin on Pinterest and repin it! You are automatically entered!

If you do all of these things, you will get one entry each - that's up to 5 entries!!

The giveaway will be open until the end of the month, March 31st (midnight, Pacific Standard Time). I will randomly draw one winner from a hat and will announce the winner on April 1st!

I can only accept entries from US or Canada for shipping reasons.

Thank you again for visiting my blog and good luck!! 

Dimplemeyer's Design Interiors

Here are 2 more finished pieces from Dimplemeyer's Design. 6 more paintings to finish and it can go to print! This project has taken much, MUCH longer than expected, but I will see it through to the end and it will be something I am proud of! I am in the midst of working on this project and one other, which both should be done around May. Then on to another project that was postponed and my own book dummy!