I met Laura Naismith, of Silhouette Artwork, at Edinburgh Comic Con 2016. Laura is a bubbly Glaswegian with a great following: her monochrome silhouettes are sought after by tattoo artists and fans in equal measure, and you can see why. She does take commissions, so if you’re thinking of a new skin-piece you should really get in touch.
FB: How did your journey into art start?
LN: As a kid I travelled to the USA often and it’s a 7 hour flight there and back. So I used to draw before I got a GameBoy Colour. When I got older, I would draw to pass time or if I liked the look of a character I would try to draw them. I did art through high school and passed but failed in getting into art college. For a period of time I stopped drawing due to college commitments but in recent years I have found my love for drawing again.
FB: Your portfolio reveals a natural talent for drawing silhouettes. How and why did you choose this direction?
LN: I think in my head it’s much easier to vision how the drawing will work out and I am awful at colour anyway! It was a fluke that I started doing it, my sister was unwell and I wanted to draw her a picture as a get well present. I drew her a Big Daddy from Bioshock but it was done in a Silhouette style. My family and friends loved the style so I kept working on how to adapt it and soon it became my main style.
FB: I know that you have a passion for tattoos and that this passion influences some of the work you do. Can you tell us more about body art in your own work?
LN: I have no tattoos and the chances of me getting them are small due to a skin condition. I think tattoos are amazing, people who can get them are very fortunate and I base my work on a simple “if I could get a tattoo, what would I want it to look like”. I feel body art shows a passion and a story, I am always staring at tattoos because I love their designs and want to know why people got them! If I could get tattoos, trust me, I’d be covered!
FB: If you had no constraints of time or money, what project would you love to bring to life?
LN: I would love to create a piece of artwork that could be tattooed on someone from neck to toe, one massive image of maybe different characters or scenery. I thought of someone having all the Pokémon tattooed on them but that’s probably just me.
FB: People have been reacting very well to your work when they meet you at conventions. When was the first time you decided to get a dealer’s table and what did you expect would happen?
LN: My first stall was at Deecon 2015. It was a last minute booking that my partner persuaded me to do. I had only 5 drawing and 25 prints, no table cloth and 50 business cards. I had no idea what to expect, I wanted to hide under the table until it was over but as it turns out so many people were encouraging and loved what I did. People were excited to see what other drawings I would do and it kept me determined to keep going.
FB: What’s next for you?
LN: I have many more cons booked for 2016 including Manchester! I even have a plan to do a convention abroad! I am going to keep drawing but I have other creative plans that I am trying to complete within this year such as writing a novel. I have made a lot of friends over the last year and I hope to make more friends this year to come.
Visit Laura’s Etsy shop!
