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Illustrator & Designer
 
Blog
Gathering Inspiration While Traveling
Gathering Inspiration While Traveling
My Summer 2019 Favorites
My Summer 2019 Favorites
How to Cultivate a Unique Illustration Style
How to Cultivate a Unique Illustration Style
Tricks for Creating Beautiful Artwork Photography
Tricks for Creating Beautiful Artwork Photography
My Favorite Illustration Tools
My Favorite Illustration Tools
5 Non-Fiction Books That Changed My Life
5 Non-Fiction Books That Changed My Life
How to Ship Etsy Orders from Your House
How to Ship Etsy Orders from Your House
10 Happiness Habits for Creatives
10 Happiness Habits for Creatives
How to Run a Better Business
How to Run a Better Business
Embracing Imperfect Illustrations
Embracing Imperfect Illustrations
 

Welcome! I’m Nicole, freelance designer & Illustrator.

I live and work out of my home in the Chicago suburbs. I’m a self-taught artist, and have learned everything I know through my lifelong obsession with creating. I balance my time between client work, and creating helpful content for my fellow creatives.

I earned my Bachelor's degree in communications from Miami University in Ohio. I then studied Art Direction at the Chicago Portfolio School. I left my corporate graphic design job in 2015 to start my own business out of my first home on bustling Lane Avenue in Columbus, Ohio.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with:

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What’s New

 
 

I recently won Editor’s Pick in the Minted Dream Big Nursery Wall Challenge. Click the image above to check it out!

 
 

You can purchase this new print in my shop. It’s sure to spark some serious dance parties!

 
 

Purchase this wedding suite stock photo on my creative market shop.

 

Where Makers Make

Follow along as I interview my fellow artists and tour their beautiful studios.

 

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Find me on Instagram

The greatest show 🎪 Some mini paintings from my sketchbook ✍️#barnumandbailey #ringlingbros
A ghostly garden party 👻 From my sketchbook last week. I tried out some new techniques on this one - mainly a watercolor wash background.
If NYC had a color palette 🚖 Inspired by my recent trip 😊
I’m excited to announce that I won Editor’s Pick in the @minted Dream Big Nursery Wall challenge! You can check out my mural titled “A Painter’s Reverie” by clicking the link in my profile. I actually created this mural from a discarded paint palette I was using to illustrate 🎨 *Photos copyright of Minted* #minted #mintedchallenge #gouache #wallmural #nurseryart #nurserydecor #nursery #wallart
I spent a lot of time in my sketchbook today doing crowd studies. It’s amazing how much a distant crowd can look like rainbow sprinkles 😂🌈
I love how sushi restaurants have the chefs on display in matching uniforms making rolls. I saw a very dramatic version of this in Portland, Maine. Each chef had a spotlight shining on them. I immediately went back to our hotel room and painted this in my sketchbook 🍣
New in the shop today 🛳
My latest project - creating a large illustration of Navy Pier. Hoping to wrap this up today 🕺
All the good colors 😊 Hope you all have the best weekend🥂
Sharing some highlights from our trip to Portland, Maine last week! One of my favorite spots was the art museum. They had a newer building attached to this beautiful old house, which made walking through the museum such a cool experience! We go to the art museum in every city we visit, and this was one of my all-time favorites.
It’s my first day back in the office after our trip to Maine last week🦞 One of my favorite things about our trip was watching the colorful boats go by, and reading the names on the ships. Each boat had its own unique personality. Here are two of my favorites in my sketchbook 👩‍✈️
Rupert is helping me pack for our trip to Maine next week🦞 If you are curious about what illustration supplies I bring with me on vacations, check out my story! Hope you all have an awesome long weekend 🥂
Is it terrible that I’m already working on Christmas art prints?! I blame @Etsy for sending out the holiday trend report 10 days ago 🎅 #winterinnewyork #christmasinnyc #christmas2019
Today, the second edition of my Illustrious ebook is for sale in my shop! 🥳 It will be $3 off through the end of the day to celebrate launch day! I have so much to say on the topic of cultivating a unique illustration style. Creating work that’s never been seen before can feel impossible at times, but it’s not. I truly believe having a unique style is the difference between good illustrators and great illustrators. It is the secret ingredient that will take your work to the next level, and help you find peace in your creative process. I owe all of my growth as an illustrator to the methods in this book. It contains 65 pages of insights, worksheets, and sketchbook exercises. Link to purchase is in my bio 💃
Dancing my way into the weekend 💃
 

Education

Miami University

B.S. ARTS AND SCIENCES, STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
Graduated May 2009

 

Chicago Portfolio School

CERTIFICATE, ART DIRECTION
Graduated October 2010

Awards

2013 Wendy’s People’s Choice Award
2015 Wendy’s People’s Choice Award
2019 Minted Dream Big Nursery Mural Challenge 2019 Minted Deck Your Desk Challenge

Mentions

Contact

Email: nicole@onlaneave.com
Phone: 847 431 9015
Address: Chicago, IL

Contact Me