We are so proud of our wonderful Make Art That Sells alumni and are pleased to showcase a series of gorgeous student work that was produced in our first session of Illustrating Children’s Books. Here is part 7 in the showcase series.
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Henna Ryynänen | Studio Spotnik
In the ICB class I worked with the Giant turnip story and week 4 was my favourite. I have to admit I enjoyed all the weeks but after week 3 I really got in to this and had a huge progress in my style and way of thinking.
How did the ‘Illustrating Children’s Book’ class help you grow?
The IBC class helped me to realise that there’s room for everyone in the art business. No matter if your style is very groovy, bold or really minimal you’ll have plenty of opportunities if you just keep trying and drawing daily. Art career is a process. Most importantly i found my joy again.
What did you discover about yourself?
I discovered that I can draw emotions really well and I really enjoy drawing with traditional styles. Before this course I was stuck with vector drawings. Week with Lilla opened my eyes completely and I had courage to test new ways of drawing.
How would you describe the course to a friend?
If you are seeking good guidance for the illustrating children’s books business this is the course for you. You’ll learn so much about the industry and there’s amazing Facebook group full of talented peers. be active, remember it’s not a competition it’s about you and your personal growth. Just have fun draw like maniac!
See more work here: Website | Instagram
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Week 2 emotions, I really enjoyed bringing the character to life, getting to know them better through facial expressions and gestures.
How did the ‘Illustrating Children’s Book’ class help you grow?
It really pushed me out of my comfort zone to develop a stronger sense of style and personality within my work. This then led to getting represented by Bright agency at the end of last year!
What did you discover about yourself?
That you are capable of more than you think, to not give and up and to keep drawing everyday!
How would you describe the course to a friend?
Amazing, fun, inspiring, challenging, encouraging, fast passed, with fantastic teachers and a great support network.
See more work here: Website | Blog
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My favourite assignment was the cover design from week 5. Though I did enjoy all the steps leading to it too! The cover was my favourite because by then I knew my character Ada Lovelace so well. I had developed my style further and I got to be creative with the concept, composition and typography. I had already solved the character, so I could just enjoy creating an appealing illustration and bringing the whole story of Ada into one image. It wasn’t easy though!
How did the ‘Illustrating Children’s Book’ class help you grow?
During the very intensive five weeks I had a chance to experiment, learn from others and develop my own “voice” as an illustrator. I got more confident in recognizing my style and my place in the vast world of children’s book illustration. There was also plenty of useful business info and insider tips.
What did you discover about yourself?
I discovered that I can work hard and really push myself when necessary. I did love the weekly deadlines to help me with that!
How would you describe the course to a friend?
“Illustrating Children’s Books” suits anyone who wants to be a children’s book illustrator, from beginner to professional. It has an incredible online community of students from around the world to support you and give positive feedback. Lilla and Zoe are a dream team; inspiring, demanding and fun! Be prepared to work hard to get the most out of the course.
See more work here: Website| Instagram
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This is My Ada character sheet. My favorite week was when we developed our characters. My Ada came alive for me that week, I had so much fun getting to know her and watching her emerge in different poses and expressions.
How did the ‘Illustrating Children’s Book’ class help you grow?
My illustration work took a leap forward during the course “Illustrating Children’s Books”. I learned what it takes to keep meeting deadlines and to make improvements on my first sketches. I am inspired and I now have a regular practice schedule. I know I have more to work on, other students gave me a level that I need to push myself toward. But I feel like I am on my way.
I also know that I have to keep finding joy in the work. MATS makes sure we incorporate joy along the way!
What did you discover about yourself?
I discovered that I love the work. It’s not easy, especially to begin. But once I have a project going I am happy and moving forward. Jobs haven’t come my way yet but I have a new direction and a purpose for myself. I am more realistic about what it will take for me to create my best work. Lilla and Zoe provide the support that I need to keep working and developing.
How would you describe the course to a friend?
If you want encouragement and inspiration for becoming a Children’s Book illustrator this is a wonderful step to take in your career.
See more work here: Website
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This is my spread for the text: “Ada was born in London, on a cold, bright, December day, in 1815. Things were a little different back then, and if you looked out the window on that snowy day it might have looked a lot like this. (They lived in a beautiful smart part of town, and there were no cars on the street, just horse and carriages going by.)”
The “Environments” week was my favourite week because this was the week I started to find a style that I loved. It was also the week we got to start to put everything together which was very exciting.
How did the ‘Illustrating Children’s Book’ class help you grow?
I learnt a lot about creating characters and telling stories. This is a fairly new arena for me and the amount of information and tips gained was incredible. Even a bit overwhelming at times, but it has pushed me to try new things and become a better illustrator over all, I think. I have started thinking about characters and expressions in all my work since the course and I can see how it can add that extra something special to any artwork – something I never paid much attention to before. I feel my characters still need a lot of work, but I now have a good understanding of what I am aiming for.
What did you discover about yourself?
I loved the challenge of learning something new and I loved being part of a creative community. I have been freelancing / working alone for a while and it is has been a really refreshing and rewarding experience to be part of such an awe-inspiring community. More than anything I have realised that I want to be better (aka really good) at what I do and how much I still can learn and grow… which is really exciting. The course also helped me to believe in my abilities and to “be myself with a vengeance” as Lilla puts it. This is so valuable and to be reminded constantly is priceless.
How would you describe the course to a friend?
This course is amazing. It genuinely delivers as promised and is worth every penny. You will learn industry insights, illustration tips and exactly what is needed to confidently create a pitch you can send off to publishers. It is very intense and I would seriously recommend clearing your schedule before you do it, to make the most out of it. I regretted not having enough time to spend on the assignments, but that said, you can always revisit the assignments afterwards. The general standard of work is incredible and extremely inspiring, and Zoe and Lilla are so kind and encouraging and just choc full of knowledge. This is probably one of the most useful and inspiring course/workshop I have ever done.
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Week 3: Poses for The Owl and the Pussycat. Week three was my favorite week as I felt the “Poses” assignment is what I can do best among all of the assignments from the class. I love drawing and doodling all sorts of characters in various movement with readable facial and body expressions. It was still a very challenging week, but the media and assembly approach I took that week turned out to be best in terms of work flow.
How did the ‘Illustrating Children’s Book’ class help you grow?
Too many ways to count. Primarily, it helped me understand what the children’s book industry is looking for in terms of characters, how they are conveyed to be highly readable emotionally and otherwise, how the interactions and/or body language between characters is of vital importance, telling the story in a way that not only captivates but makes sense to the reader, and use of color. It really helped to receive an abundance of tangible information about the industry, the anatomy of books, tutorials in drawing approaches and other practical industry advice. Last but not least, it’s OK to be less literal in depicting a scene/image as long as the emotion and story are clearly conveyed, and all styles from representational to a naive, non representational style can be effective.
What did you discover about yourself?
I can create emotion in my work and keep my overall style/voice, and experiment with media at the same time to develop stronger work.
How would you describe the course to a friend?
Highly informative, lots concrete information. A very supportive environment. An intensive, challenging schedule, but provides enough time to absorb the information and to grow as an artist. Both Lilla and Zoe shared a great deal of practical information, and kind encouragement and support to the entire class.
See more work here: Website | Instagram | Facebook
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In five weeks, you’ll create a brilliant children’s book pitch to help you land your dream children’s book gig. You’ll get over 20 videos, weekly assignments, live weekly video reviews, interviews with publishers and illustrators and more. Co-taught by top art agent Lilla Rogers and highly-respected children’s book art director Zoe Tucker.
Spaces are limited! Don’t miss out. REGISTER HERE
