I first met Laura Lee in the winter of 2008. She had only been in New York for little less than a year and was ready to make her mark. I had seen a zine she had published and was impressed with how she used metaphors to get her ideas across. She began to post her drawings to her blog www. whoislauralee.blogspot.com. I found them all very intimate, tender and honest. I knew that there was a graphic novel in her but to be sure I sent editor extraordinaire Maggie Lehrman a link to Laura Lee's blog. Next thing ya know ( 8 months later ) Laura is working on her first Graphic Novel Page by Paige!
About the book
Paige has just moved to New York with her family, and she's having trouble adjusting to the big city. In the pages of her sketchbook, she tries out different identities, including the ultra-secret one: ARTIST. As she makes friends and explores the city, she starts to bring her secret identity out into the open, which can be great (new, fabulous friends and possible boyfriend) and terrifying (fights with mom and vulnerabilities exposed). Laura Lee crafts stories with images that are thought-provoking, funny, and emotionally resonant. This is not your ironic, precocious, detached Juno-type teenager—this is the real deal, honest and unflinching.
Laura Lee and Maggie working at my deskHere are some teaser panels from
Laura Lee's first graphic novel!
Rule # 1 Remove excuses! Buy a sketchbook and draw a few pages each week.
Rule #2 Draw what you know. If you feel it or see it DRAW IT!
Rule #3 Shh . . . quiet . . .listen to what's going on in your head.
Laura Lee is almost done. All that is left is wrapping up the digital shading part of the process, and tackling the lettering. How yeah and the cover. Yikes! Better get on that.
Who is Laura Lee Gulledge?
"Laura Lee is a cartoonist, illustrator, and all around cool chic. Lee’s imagery and sentiments have been called ‘tender, silly, serious, touching and fun all at the same time.’" —Juxtapoz
Laura Lee, is scenic painter (most notably for Macy's famous holiday windows), muralist, street artist, and glitter technician. She has a Master's degree in Art Education and has taught in both Virginia and Africa. She is currently finishing up writing and drawing her first graphic novel called Page by Paige which will be released in Spring 2011 by Amulet Books. Visit her at www. whoislauralee.blogspot.com