This post is going to be me talking to myself about getting on a schedule. It’s pretty much just for my own benefit, but I’m letting you in on my internal conversation ...

I have four ongoing projects right now. 

1. 100 Day Project I have already written a lot about this, but I am drawing an animal every day for 100 days. I post these drawings to my Facebook and Instagram (@laurakatherin) accounts , so make sure you are following!

2. Bug Coloring Book I've also written a bit about this.  For over a year I've been having this as a goal, and it's GOING to happen.  Even if I only sell two copies, I want to get this printed. 

3. Art Licensing If you don't know, art licensing involves renting out your images to manufacturers who then create products (pillows, plates, journals, anything really) using that image and you get royalties. I think my work would do well with licensing, I just need to know how to go about it. So I'm taking an e-course from Laura C. George to learn the biz -- the lingo, how to pitch to manufacturers, how to negotiate a contract. I'm excited about this!

4. Children's Book One of my good friends has written a children's book and asked me to illustrate it.  I only have a few sketches so far, but this is also something I've never done so I'm excited to learn as I go.

So that's kind of a lot. I'm trying to work a little bit on each project each week, but that doesn't always happen. It all depends on nap-length and my motivation. Lately I’m least motivated about the coloring book, because I think I’m now on the editing/formatting part, which I’m more intimidated by.

I'm thinking of making a weekly schedule, one I can loosely stick to and that will hopefully make me feel more structured. I do love structure, which I know is not very artist-like of me. Here’s what I’m thinking...

• ​I work on the 100 Day Project every day, so that is already set up, and Mondays I like to leave open since Ryan has Mondays off.
• Tuesday: Art Licensing (work on the e-course and/or any to-dos that brings up)
• Wednesday: Blog/Website
• Thursday: Bug Coloring Book
• Friday: Children’s Book

So that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll work on said project on that day. Just that if I do end up having time to devote to my art business, that is how I will focus my efforts.

You can see already I’m off schedule because its Thursday and I’m blogging.... that’s because yesterday was a crap nap for Ransom and I still want to get a post in this week.

So that is a loose schedule. I’m talking to myself here, because I know my tendencies. I don’t want to introduce any new guilt into my life for not sticking to my made up schedule. But it is nice to have goals and structure.

Alright, I’ve gotten to the end of this blog post and Ransom is still napping... (knock on wood). Let see what else can get done!

I’m trucking along on this 100 day project. Today is day nine (only 91 to go!). I picked up an animal book in the children’s section of the library for inspiration.

I love progress pics. You can never get it back — how it looked before. I often forget to take them with these quick drawings.

My own baby bear is fighting off a yucky cold and is being pretty cuddly and pathetic today.

I think I’m done drawing bugs for my coloring book — for the moment at least (I’ve said this before). Now I need to focus on editing my bug drawings and formatting my coloring book. I plan on self-publishing through CreateSpace. My goal is to get it all done this year, and who knows, perhaps start working on a new one.

I’ve been feeling pretty energized with my art lately. Making these little commitments — blogging every week and drawing an animal everyday — have helped. I have a couple of other projects I’m working on as well, but that’s enough updates for one blog post.

Is there any particular animal you’d like to see me draw in the next 91 days?

I have loads of inspiration on the bottom shelf of our living room bookshelf. That’s where Ransom’s picture books live. For instance, the reason I drew the crocodile ...

Excited to see where this challenge takes me!

One thing I've struggled with since being a mom (and really, this was a struggle before as well) is making time to create a priority.  Typically I'd always put my home responsibilities -- the dishes, the laundry, the dog hair -- on top, and if I happened to have extra time, I'd draw. This rarely ever happened, of course

I was talking with another new-mom-friend about this.  She had the opposite problem -- she'd prioritize her personal projects and housework would never get done.  We then had the idea that if we set a timer for ten minutes and focused on whatever task it was we were putting off (whether drawing or doing the dishes), we could get so much done.  You don't have to worry about completing the task, just focus on it exclusively for ten minutes.

I've been doing that with my drawing the last few weeks. Ransom is taking just one nap now, and so I have a precious 1.5-2.5 hours of quiet time to get things done.  I used to just dive into cleaning the kitchen after putting him down, but now most days I try to ignore the dishes and the clutter, sit down at my kitchen table (I do have to at least wipe that down), set the timer on my phone and draw for ten minutes.

I've been amazed at how much more I have drawn by doing this! Such as ..

Today with my 10 minutes I've started sketching out my next bug: a beetle. More on that later.

And guys, last week I said I wanted to post on this blog once a week, and here I am the very next week, doing what I said.  Bam!

I’ve decided to resurrect my blog. 

Many of you may know that I began a Patreon page at the beginning of the year.  With Patreon, people sign up to be supporters and pay small amounts on a monthly basis in return for rewards.  For instance, for $3 a patron would get a printable coloring sheet every month, and for $12 I would mail you three greeting cards each month (as well as a coloring sheet).

My Patreon page has had slow growth since it started in January.  And by slow growth I mean no growth from the original 4 wonderful, lovely people who signed up (one of whom was my husband whom I told to sign up so I can see what it looked like from a patron's point of view).  

So, I’ve decided to call it quits.  It was an experiment.  Calling it an experiment makes me feel better for ending it.

I did like having the spot (my Patreon page) to write more extensive updates and share even more process videos/pictures than on my Instagram and Facebook.  That got me thinking that I might like to resurrect this blog.  

Death brings new life.

Blogging in some form or fashion has been apart of my life back since i had a Xanga in 2005.  Oh, actually before that I had an anonymous “online diary” even in middle school/high school... That’s before I even knew the word "blog"! Crazy. It was on diaryland.com (which is still around, I just found out!).

So yeah, I think this space on my website could be nice.  Now that I’m not the in throws of first-year-motherhood (second year is still hard, but my head is above water at least) perhaps I’ll even update it consistently. My goal will be once a week, but we shall see...

I considered not even sharing that I failed at Patreon.  It’s not very professional to go around pointing out how I tried something that didn’t work.  But then I decided that for that reason, I should share it.  

This blog is not a marketing tool (i started thinking of it in that way in the past which is why I think I lost interest.)  This is a space for me to share the thoughts/processes regarding my art-making and anything else that feels pertinent at the time.  I will have zero expectations regarding comments/likes/traffic.  

Join me if you like -- you can subscribe to get updates over there on the side bar (or perhaps on the bottom of the page if you're using a phone?).  Or don't join me.  Whatevs.

(I've posted this below quote a handful of times in the past, but it's helpful for me to see it again)

I've lately been trying to be a little more organized with my art-business-tasks now that I'm almost 9 months into this being-a-mom-thing.

I've started to create a few weekly/monthly goals for myself.  Most of them are easily attainable, but also are things I sometimes just don't make the time for. Here  you can see my fancy, sophisticated chart of what art-business-y things I hope to accomplish regularly.

(I have no connection with Jake's Catering and have no idea where that pad of paper came from, it just happened to be within arms reach at the time).  Most of these goals just have to do with keeping things fresh -- making sure I'm consistently posting new art to my various shops, adding new (or renewing expired) listings to my Etsy shop, and staying on the look out for ways to show my art to real-life flesh and blood humans (i.e. at art markets and such).  And then you see at the bottom there, I hope to publish one blog post a month.

So here I am!  Hello July!

Pre-baby I published a blog every other week or so.  Post-baby it's been about once every three months, so you see I'm hoping to land somewhere in the middle of that.

I'm starting to find a little more time for actual art making too.  I keep my sketchbook handy so I can draw when Ransom is playing independently, even if it's just for a few minutes (which he is able to do more now that he is crawling, though I also have to run and make sure he doesn't eat the dog food every once an awhile).

(He also likes to try and play with my art supplies, so I have to be vigilant and make sure he doesn't choke on any marker lids.)  I also squeeze in time for drawing during naps and after bedtime.

I'm currently working on a caterpillar ...

And if you're interested, you can head over to my Etsy shop to download my newest bug coloring sheet -- a grasshopper.

Ok, I'll see you in August!

In my last post I announced my participation in the 100 Day Project.  Well, I have since quit said project.  It's a delicate thing to know when to push yourself, and when to step back.  I was feeling uninspired by drawing-what-I-saw everyday. I only have so much time to spend creating art, and so decided to focus on what actually excited me.

Currently, I'm digging loose, fun patterns, like these flowers . . .

and my series of bugs. 

This moth is now coloring sheet worthy, I think.   I'm not super excited about the moon, but am not sure what to do about it ... 

I'm thinking my next bug will be ants. I've been seeing them daily in my kitchen, so I may as well honor their hard work.

The little dude (who is 8 months old now!!) has been giving me awesome naps the last few days.  Hopefully this is his new rhythm and I will get lots of art accomplished this week!

Lastly, if you're around Portland this Saturday, you should stop by Multnomah Village Saturday night to and say hi to me and my art. We'll be at ....

Last year I really enjoyed participating in the 100 Day Project, so I've decided to dive in again.

Last year I drew a new pattern everyday for 100 days, and this year I am drawing what I see.  I figured that theme was flexible and challenging enough. 

My life is a little more complicated this time around -- thanks to a certain 6 month-old-cutie-pie. I'm 18 days in (still have to do my drawing today sometime), and everyday I think about throwing in the towel.

But then I somehow manage to get it done.

I'm trying to find the balance in challenging myself, while also having grace for myself.

I also don't want to neglect my bug project too much. 

 I hope to gain confidence in drawing-what-I-see, and to make art-making a priority. 

But my bigger priority is this guy, so we'll see what happens..

 I am no longer going to apologize for not updating my blog consistently.  I hang out with a three-month old (!) all day and so .... that's all I need to say about that. But since I have a moment right now, I'll update you on two projects I'm working on.

The first is a personal project--a series of sketches of Ransom's Favorite Things (Ransom being the aforementioned three-month-old.  He's currently chilling/wiggling in his bouncer next to me.) These are just little drawings in my sketchbook, honoring the things that make Ransom smile.  I have two so far.  Here they are followed by evidence that they are indeed his favorite things.

As he grows, I know his favorite things will grow and change as well,  so who knows what I'll be sketching next.

Another project I'm working on is a bug coloring book.  People are always encouraging me to put out a coloring book, and I think 2017 is the year to do it.  So I'm slowly starting to develop the pages.  I'm creating the drawings, scanning them when they are coloring-sheet worthy -- and then adding more to the drawing so it can become a finished piece of art.  So far I've finished my praying mantis ...

Next I'm embarking upon a dragonfly. 

Let me know in the comments if there is a particular bug you'd like to see featured in the book

 It will be many months before I'm ready to actually get the book printed (and I'll have to figure out how to do that ... ), but -- never fear -- until then I'll make the coloring pages available for instant download in my Etsy shop. Stay tuned for that.

Until then ...

It's been two months since I've posted!  My life has gotten shaken up a bit since then, because of this little guy.

Since little Ransom William has gotten here (almost five weeks ago), I've barely had time to open my sketchbook, let alone update my blog.  Sometimes he graces me with a long nap, though, so here I am.

Right now, the two times I am able to create are while he is napping or eating. One of the things I love about drawing is just how accessible it is--it's relatively easy to put my sketchbook and pens within arms reach while nursing.  That's how I drew this charming little pattern yesterday.  Things that belong in the sky ...

And this skunk was drawn during two long naps.

Hopefully he'll someday get to the point where he'll let me draw while he's awake. Right now he usually demands to be in my arms.  Which sounds cute, and I know I should be cherishing these times --and often I do -- but I also sometimes just want a break. 

I'm thankful I have a good partner in this.