Featured Artist Leann Webb

Artist Leann Webb

1. What are your goals? At the moment my primary goal is to become established as a professional illustrator. In the past I’ve done my artwork mostly on the side but now I’m ready to concentrate on making it my life’s work. I’ve been told many times that the best blessings come from doing what you love for a living. I’m ready for those blessings.

2. What are you working on now? The past few months have had me busy working on painting projects for my church. But now that the holidays are over I’m working to achieve my goal of making a living from my artwork. I’m busy submitting my work to childrens’ book publishers, ad agencies, and anyone else I can think who would need an illustrator. Along with that I’ve started working on a series of drawings of my cartoon snail, Snevel at the upcoming Olympic games. (He’s trying out for the snowboarding team)

3. What is your greatest inspiration? At the risk of sounding pretentious I’d say that day to day life is my greatest inspiration. My body of work is pretty eclectic in nature, including cartoons, portraits, landscape paintings, etc. I’ll see a spectacular sunrise or sunset and think “I’ve got to paint that” Or someone with an interesting face and I want so draw them. Sometimes looking through photos I’ll see a snapshot of a child in a perfect pose that captures my imagination. Then too, on long boring drives or sitting in a waiting room with nothing to much to think about I’ll let my mind drift off to where it will go. It nearly always comes back with something interesting. Many times during a conversation with friends someone will say or do something that will get the creative wheels to turning and a funny cartoon is born.

One thing I’ve learned is that inspiration is a lot like love. You can look for it and try to find it but it comes when it comes. It’s our responsibility to embrace it and make it our own. There’s nothing that will make my mind go totally blank like trying to come up with an idea.

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