Post by Shan on Jun 22, 2007 22:36:17 GMT
Laura Diehl
Laura Diehl was born in Norman, Oklahoma in 1983 and grew up within skipping distance of Oklahoma University and McKinley Elementary. For her this was a time of magic and exploration: Tolkien, hedge forts, rolley polley wars, gingerbread-man hunts, dew fairies, and dinning room walls covered with crayon drawings.
When she was nine her family moved “back” to Virginia, where most of her relatives have been for two hundred years. She first fell in love with digital art in 1998, when she got her first digital art tablet and PC. Throughout high-school she was constantly dividing her time between academics, art, and reading. By her junior year she was convinced that she wanted to be an Illustrator.
In May 2006, she graduated from James Madison University with a BFA in Painting, mainly because her college did not offer a degree in Illustration. She now has far too many oil paintings and life-drawings in storage and a knee-jerk reaction to the word “Modern.” Her favorite classes were: Illustration (all of them), Creative Writing, and Evolutionary Systems (Chaos Theory). The best thing about her many Painting classes was that her professors finally left her alone and gave up on the deeper meaning of her illustrations.
Though Laura has only been a full-time illustrator for a little over a year, she already has quite an extensive resume of published works. A few clients she has worked with recently include: Science-Fiction Book Club, Continuum New York, Dragon Moon Press, Zumaya Publications, and Luna Brillante. She has also created numerous book covers for self-publishing authors and is in the process of writing and illustrating a number of children’s fantasy picture books.
Laura’s work has been described as vibrant, whimsical, and believable. An entire shelf of her bookcase is devoted to her extensive collection of children’s books illustrated by The Brothers Hildebrandt, whom she considers her greatest influence. As a Freelance Illustrator she specializes in the genres of Fantasy, Science-Fiction, and Children’s Illustration, mainly because she enjoys the challenge of brining the fantastic to life through her images.
She now lives in a small town in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where she can enjoy verdant valley nature right through her window. When she’s not illustrating, she likes to devour the public library, watch Miyazaki films, bake ultimate-double chocolate cookies, and play old-school RPGs.
Assorted Likes and Influences:
Illustrators: Keith Parkinson, Michael Whelan, Todd Lockwood, Donato Giancola, John Howe, Chris Van Allsburg, Barbara Berger, Mary Grandpre, Graeme Base
Music: Casey Stratton, Savage Garden, Within Temptation, Sarah McLachlan, Enigma, Era, Sarah Brightman, They Might Be Giants, Tori Amos, Gregorian Masters of Chant, Lisbeth Scott, Yasunori Mitsuda, Nobuo Uematsu, Vertical Horizon, David Hodges, Third Day, Se7en, Amanda Marshall, Vanilla Ninja, The Calling, Shawn Colvin, Paula Cole
Games: Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Secret of Mana, Ico, Kingdom Hearts, Vagrant Story, Earthbound, Tetris Attack, 1080 Snowboarding
Authors: Dan Simmons, Terry Goodkind, Douglas Adams, Julian May, Philip Pullman, Tad Williams, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Frank Herbert, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Madeleine L'Engle, Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey, Tamora Pierce, Andre Norton, Grace Llewellyn
Movies: The Snowman, Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle, Grave of the Fireflies, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Harry Potter, Phantom of the Opera, Surf Ninjas, Monty Python, Ted and Bill’s Excellent Adventure, Goodburger, The Stupids
Visit Laura's website at:
Laura Diehl
Laura Diehl was born in Norman, Oklahoma in 1983 and grew up within skipping distance of Oklahoma University and McKinley Elementary. For her this was a time of magic and exploration: Tolkien, hedge forts, rolley polley wars, gingerbread-man hunts, dew fairies, and dinning room walls covered with crayon drawings.
When she was nine her family moved “back” to Virginia, where most of her relatives have been for two hundred years. She first fell in love with digital art in 1998, when she got her first digital art tablet and PC. Throughout high-school she was constantly dividing her time between academics, art, and reading. By her junior year she was convinced that she wanted to be an Illustrator.
In May 2006, she graduated from James Madison University with a BFA in Painting, mainly because her college did not offer a degree in Illustration. She now has far too many oil paintings and life-drawings in storage and a knee-jerk reaction to the word “Modern.” Her favorite classes were: Illustration (all of them), Creative Writing, and Evolutionary Systems (Chaos Theory). The best thing about her many Painting classes was that her professors finally left her alone and gave up on the deeper meaning of her illustrations.
Though Laura has only been a full-time illustrator for a little over a year, she already has quite an extensive resume of published works. A few clients she has worked with recently include: Science-Fiction Book Club, Continuum New York, Dragon Moon Press, Zumaya Publications, and Luna Brillante. She has also created numerous book covers for self-publishing authors and is in the process of writing and illustrating a number of children’s fantasy picture books.
Laura’s work has been described as vibrant, whimsical, and believable. An entire shelf of her bookcase is devoted to her extensive collection of children’s books illustrated by The Brothers Hildebrandt, whom she considers her greatest influence. As a Freelance Illustrator she specializes in the genres of Fantasy, Science-Fiction, and Children’s Illustration, mainly because she enjoys the challenge of brining the fantastic to life through her images.
She now lives in a small town in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where she can enjoy verdant valley nature right through her window. When she’s not illustrating, she likes to devour the public library, watch Miyazaki films, bake ultimate-double chocolate cookies, and play old-school RPGs.
Assorted Likes and Influences:
Illustrators: Keith Parkinson, Michael Whelan, Todd Lockwood, Donato Giancola, John Howe, Chris Van Allsburg, Barbara Berger, Mary Grandpre, Graeme Base
Music: Casey Stratton, Savage Garden, Within Temptation, Sarah McLachlan, Enigma, Era, Sarah Brightman, They Might Be Giants, Tori Amos, Gregorian Masters of Chant, Lisbeth Scott, Yasunori Mitsuda, Nobuo Uematsu, Vertical Horizon, David Hodges, Third Day, Se7en, Amanda Marshall, Vanilla Ninja, The Calling, Shawn Colvin, Paula Cole
Games: Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Secret of Mana, Ico, Kingdom Hearts, Vagrant Story, Earthbound, Tetris Attack, 1080 Snowboarding
Authors: Dan Simmons, Terry Goodkind, Douglas Adams, Julian May, Philip Pullman, Tad Williams, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Frank Herbert, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Madeleine L'Engle, Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey, Tamora Pierce, Andre Norton, Grace Llewellyn
Movies: The Snowman, Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle, Grave of the Fireflies, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Harry Potter, Phantom of the Opera, Surf Ninjas, Monty Python, Ted and Bill’s Excellent Adventure, Goodburger, The Stupids
Visit Laura's website at:
Laura Diehl
