My old studio...tear.

I'm having withdrawals from my old studio.  It was huge and I somehow filled it up and made huge messes.  Now that we are back in Chicago, I had to take a hit on space. Don't get me wrong, I love our new place and I'm so lucky to have a in home studio, but it's half the size.  It's hard to change your ways of working! I try to look at it as my chance to concentrate on the more important parts of my artwork and stay organized.  We will see....artists aren't really known to be well organized!

Here are a few pictures of my old studio space and soon I will reveal the new space!!  

Please don't forget to follow me on Instagram for new work and giveaways!!  I'm really trying to grow in this social world and any help I would greatly appreciate it!

Around my house...

I've had these photos for awhile and wanted to share!  My husband and I redid this house last year from head to toe!  No knocking down walls, but every surface, every wall, every floor, every counter top, every light fixture has been redone! Plus, a million other little things.  I didn't get a good photo of the kitchen, but we have white cabinets with the slate tile-love it. Also, here is a peek into my studio where all the magic happens and it's not usually that clean!

What I'm working on...

Happy Friday!  I wanted to share a few new patterns with you as I start new collections.  These are some of my favorites to start, but will soon have more.  What do you think?  What are some other patterns you're loving these days?

See more of my artwork and patterns here and here!!

 Pineapples, Pagoda & Zebra

updates...

Got all my new work professionally photographed and working on getting it up!  Thanks Allison!!  More details soon!  Have a great day!

New patterns, some thoughts & lots of photos

Hi there!

I wanted to share a few things I've been working on!  Some of these are from my sketchbook or patterns from Illustrator and Photoshop.  I've been getting into more a hand-drawn style by using watercolors and then manipulating them in Photoshop.  I have to say, I love the outcome.  I'm not sure what I'll be doing with the bike or parrots yet, but something will pop into my head.

 

Also, wanted to share some thoughts about what to do next.  I am not attending Surtex this year and kinda sad about it.  But, I have so much on my plate and I really want to concentrate on the clients I have and honing in on my artwork.  With that said, I have been painting, drawing and creating like a mad woman up in my studio for the past few months.  And after, oh 3 years of just making whatever...I finally have a consistent look and feel that I can't wait to share with you.  I've been giving sneak peaks (mostly on Instagram) and I'm toying with the idea of creating a little one-stop shop of artwork online.  I have such a variety of stuff, from illustrations for the nursery to original abstract paintings, to bright watercolors, framed patterns, abstract prints....can you believe I have more!  I need to do something with them!  Etsy is a great starting point, but people still don't buy from there that often.  I also need your help finding home, gift, and boutique stores both online and local to you that I can contact.  Leave a comment with your favorite store or send me an email here-laura@lauradrodesigns.com  

I will keep you updated on what I plan to do...decisions decisions!