As you may have noticed, the covers for my stories have had a different look recently. That´s because they are the work of a different artist.
One of my goals of this site is to find fun and fresh ways to link images with words, and to help ignite your erotic imagination.
I loved the sketches and drawings that Jamie Natalo provided for the first 10 stories on my site (you can learn more about her and her work right here). If you haven´t already, go back and enjoy them again. Aren´t they beautiful and fascinating? Isn´t Jamie´s eye and style engaging and sensual?
Beginning with my story LAST NIGHT ON EARTH, illustrator and artist Lauren Rae will be collaborating with me on creating the next 10 covers for Christian Pan Erotica.
I say "collaborating" purposefully. Lauren suggested that I provide her with a prompt for each image that she creates. Sometimes I just give her the title of a story, or maybe a one-sentence synopsis. She then quickly sketches some of her own ideas, and then we begin a conversation about the image. I may offer some suggestions or feedback, but ultimately I encourage her to be satisfied with the final image that we land on. And, since some of my stories are in various stages of development, her images and our discussions inspire me, too, in terms of where these stories can go.
It´s been a really fun sort of collaboration. Very cool.
Below is a brief interview we did earlier this month. The illustrations below are hers, of course, and you can check out much more of her portfolio by going to Lauren´s website. You can also follow her on Instagram.
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Christian Pan: How did you get into doing visual art? Did you study this in school?
Lauren Rae: Like most artists, I started as a child and was thankful enough to have a family that wanted me to keep doing art. I got to go to Savannah College of Art and Design for illustration.
CP: How would you describe your artistic vocabulary? What kind of art do you like to make? Are there specific influences on your work?
LR: I love mid-century illustrators. The golden age, Mad Men era. Bob Peak, Al Parker, etc. they did it best in my eyes.
CP: How has the pandemic of the past year impacted your artistic life?
LR: The pandemic impacted my art in a way that I don't know if I'd ever be able to do without that happening. It gave me the chance to do art full time, pursue my illustrative dreams, and then gave me the chance to wander into tattooing which I've grown to love just as much if not more.
CP: I heard that you were studying to become a tattoo artist! Tell me more about that.
LR: I was advised by some when I was younger that I should go into tattooing, but I had my heart set on Rockstar Games as a 2D cover illustrator on their AD team, (highly specific, I know, but when it came to my career, ((I thought)), I knew exactly what I wanted and planned my trajectory around 15 years old).
During the pandemic I finally got through the final interviews for that position after a decade of preparation but was then told they had chosen someone else before me. I recouped and rethought where I could go next, (at least until they called me back when they had another open position!). Then tattooing came to mind. It just made sense. I love micro portraits, fine-line, black and grey work. I started practicing, studying, and I'm really loving it! Tattooing is impactful and lifelong. And the opportunities to meet and connect with so many people as a tattoo artist is much more exciting than my original shy self was fearful of.
CP: Any upcoming projects of yours you want to tell us about ?
LR: No upcoming projects, unless you or the reader has one for me, hahaha!