My 365 Project - ACEO Sketch cards for Charity

For every day of 2012, I will be drawing one ACEO sketch card. Every single one will be for sale - ALL proceeds to be donated to charity at the end of 2012.

My charity of choice is a local foundation called Alternatives to Violence, who is currently raising money to build a safehouse. This safehouse will provide a secure shelter to women and children who have recently escaped physical and sexual abuse.

With the safehouse, 312 individuals every year will receive crisis intervention, counseling, safety planning, advocacy and shelter.

Together, through art, we can help make a difference.

The Plan:

♥My cards will range from $5 to $11 depending on subject and detail. 

♥Only my costs(Etsy, Paypal, Material fees) will be deducted and the rest will go to Alternatives to Violence(ATV) at the end of the year. 

♥I will share every card I create  - that means a new piece of art to see and share every day, through my DeviantArt, Facebook, Twitter, Etsy and Tumblr.

♥I will be drawing various subjects, including portraits from the casts of Supernatural, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Sherlock, Star Wars & Firefly. Also musicians such as Michael Jackson, Tokio Hotel, Jared Leto, Lady Gaga and lots more. And whatever else I can think of!

-Send me requests, I will need lots of ideas!

♥At the end of each month, I will tally up how much we have raised and let you know which cards from that month are still available for you to purchase for charity.

My 365 project will be done in addition to all my usual art creations and commissions, so this is going to be a busy year! I’m looking forward to all there is to create and capture and inspire. I’m looking forward to the challenge and all I have to learn. But more than anything, I’m looking forward to helping families find a new beginning, find hope, and a future with new light.

Visit ATV and read about the safehouse project details at:  AlternativesToViolence.org

The New Year

The New Year is hours away and the new start means a lot of different things to a lot of people all over the world. We set goals and resolutions and take time to reflect on the past year. We aim to break bad habits and start some good ones.

Most years in the past, I look back over the past year and am disappointed with the list of things I didn’t get around to. This year, though? 2010 has been one of my best, most meaningful years to date. Especially compared to last year. In 2009 I lost my grandpa and my biggest artistic inspiration. My mother was without a job for 13 months. I took up a job in fast food at Arby’s, which sent me into an 8-month creative dry spell. It’s hard to dream when you’re dunking fries in grease all day

But to follow that with a year I am proud of? Is nothing less than a blessing from God. I started LainyArt in April relying solely on faith. To see where I am today, compared to the day I held my first prints in my hands, is more than I expected when I started out. And I know there’s only more to come!

For 2011, I’d like to take the time to set some actual goals for myself.

1. First, I need to get my license. Most people get those at 16, not 21. Though I do not expect to have a car available for me to drive, it’s one of those steps in life that (here in America) tell you you’re an adult. To be honest, I hate driving. But in the future, I’ll need to be able to run my own errands cross-town.

2. I want to finish my novel. I’ve been working on it off and on for about 4 years. Writing and re-writing and… I’m finally feeling it’s time to write the ending and head down the publishing road!

3. Expansion! I need to reach more people through LainyArt and I’ve been dreaming up ways to do that. I hope to have some funds to do some advertising this year. (local and internet!)

4. One of my goals from the very beginning was to get an original of my work accepted into a local gallery for display. I will likely start with coffee shops and work my way up. It’s just one of those things I have to do. A marker of some sort, in my mind.

5. And (since my town is a fan of them) I’d love to set up a booth in one of our craft shows! It’s a great way to meet people face to face and spread the word around. (That’s and it’s a great reason to go overboard with beads and scrabble pendant stocks! :P


I think that about covers it! These are the big things I missed this year, so here’s to the accomplishments to come in 2011 for all of us! Happy New Year!

The Life of a Starving Artist

<<"Magic" My latest Portrait

I’m obviously new to blogs but I suppose the best way to start is with a ‘hello’. I sign all my artwork with A.Ferguson, but you can call me Lainy.

I am what society considers a young ‘Starving Artist’. You’d think I would despise that particular title, especially in today’s wavering economy but it isn’t the title that matters or wages that go with it. It is the artist part that overshadows anything I might shy from.

I live to do what I love.

It is a dream within a confusing reality, but a dream I can never see myself let go. It defines who I am. When I forget, even the smallest piece of my heart is easily knit back into place with a careful line across a once blank canvas. Gift, talent, passion…I’ve never known a word to contain it…of course, creativity can never truly be boxed and neither can I.

After all, I am here to share it all with you. Hopes and dreams, tips and tricks, my latest work and projects. Tools of the trade and everything else that fills my fancy. And maybe a little of yours, too?