So does ‘Make Art That Sells’ actually work? Do artists who take the class actually sell more art? Well yes, they do. We asked class participants for examples of their successes since taking the course, and were staggered by the response, bearing in mind that some people only took the course 4-5 months ago. Students have since secured licensing deals in the gift, editorial, baby apparel, bolt fabric, wall art, greetings, home décor, paper and fashion markets, many have won competitions and a number have been signed for representation.

It’s also really important to say that people join Make Art That Sells (MATS) at different stages of their creative journey. Some are nearly ready to seek out work, others less so. For many people the greatest breakthrough is a new level of confidence in their work, a fresh love of creating, or a deep feeling of connection with others in the community. Success looks different for everyone. The licensing deals, competition wins and studio signings are the easy things to measure. The impact it makes on people’s lives – on the way they see themselves as artists, and the way the see their work – is perhaps the thing that we are most proud of.

Here is a selection of class participants who have a lot to celebrate since taking Make Art That Sells. If you want this for YOUR art career, join us for the next class which begins on Monday 31 March!

Victoria Johnson

“Initially I wasn’t sure whether I shouldn’t have been just adding to my portfolio, rather than taking time out to follow a course. Little did I know how much MATS would influence my ability to produce a good portfolio. I feel so much better equipped to tackle the challenges ahead and achieve my goals – armed with a massively bumped up level of motivation and a far more profound knowledge of this business – and myself as a part of it.

I really sensed a warmth of spirit and generosity towards us students from Lilla. I’ve been used to working in very competitive environments where your concept of abundance was almost completely absent and the emphasis was on one-up-manship in order to grab the largest piece of a very limited pie! I’ve the loved the nurturing, sharing aspect of this course and will do everything possible to pay it forward with a similar attitude to my peers!”

Causes for celebration since MATS:

– Signed contract to work with leading US card manufacturer and created test collection of 12 designs

– Sold numerous designs to another leading US card manufacturer, one of which was based on a combination of two MATS Part A projects

– Commissioned to work on 8 piece collection and a concept design for another leading US card retailer.

– Won Editor’s Pick in Minted/West Elm Together Again competition with a design based on my Bromeliad project from MATS Part A

– Will be in the upcoming issue #21 of UPPERCASE magazine’s Surface Pattern Design Guide (also based on work from MATS Part A)

– Commissioned to work on key concepts by leading UK stationery retailer.

– Featured on Print and Pattern Blog 5 times since taking MATS Part A

See more of Victoria’s work on her website here.

Este MacLeod

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Work licensed for giclee prints by large British department store chain John Lewis

– Work licensed to Paperchase for their fine art card range

See more of Este’s work on her website here.

Jennifer Wambach

“I wasn’t sure MATS was for me, but every day I see my work improving exponentially and good things are starting to happen. I’m convinced it was worth the investment… and then some! The most valuable thing I learned in the course was how incredibly important it is to have fun. I never made the connection before, but looking back, the projects I loved working on so much that I’d forget to eat were always the ones that won contests and sold the best, so it’s absolutely true!

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Secured a licensing deal with KekaCase

– Three top 10 places in Spoonflower’s Fabric of the Week contests

See more of Jennifer’s work on her website here.

***

Emma Trithart

“Make Art That Sells helped motivate me to keep making personal work outside of my comfort zone.”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Got signed for representation by Lemonade Illustration Agency

See more of Emma’s work on her website here.

Anne Bollman

“The most important thing I have learned so far in MATS is that creativity cannot be used up and that the more I use my creativity the better I get! In Lilla Rogers’ words, “Talent is not finite!””

Causes for celebration since MATS:

– Secured my first licensing deal with Oopsy Daisy

– Won the Print & Pattern Scholarship for The Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design

– Featured on Print & Pattern

– Will be in the upcoming issue #21 of UPPERCASE magazine’s Surface Pattern Design Guide

See more of Anne’s work on her website here.

Barbara Chotiner

“MATS has given me the courage to fully explore the creativity inside me. It has pushed me further than I have gone before, and with all the new work I am creating I feel very excited at what is to come in the future. I am using materials in combinations I had never explored before and the influence of MATS can be seen in much of my graphic design work as well.”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Two new illustration commissions

– Wall art featured in the Surface Pattern Design feature in the upcoming issue of Uppercase

See more of Barbara’s work on her website here.

Gaia Cornwall

“I learned so much from MATS, but the biggies for me were: “People buy your joy” and to find those people submit, submit, submit!– it’s a numbers game!“

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– A print of my mixed media piece, Elk on The Ridge, was selected to be sold by West Elm in collaboration with Minted

See more of Gaia’s work on her website here.

Kathrin Legg

“I have learnt so much in MATS A and Bootcamp, particularly how to dissect a brief into small manageable parts by having fun with the minis and then focusing on the big assignment. I also learnt lots of hot tips on color and icons and to never shy away from a new challenge, no matter how scary it may seem at first!”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

See more of Kathrin’s work on her website here.

Patty Rybolt

“I have grown so much through MATS A, MATS B and Bootcamp.”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Won a Spoonflower contest for fabric design

See more of Patty’s work on her website here.

Emma Schonenberg

“When I enrolled in MATS Part A I had no idea what an eye opener I was going to be! Let alone all the amazing things I learned, receiving input from my MATS mates and Mama Lilla. It felt like family and the funny thing is, going into the class (the very fist week) I thought it was going to be difficult because nobody knows anybody (on the most part) and are from all over the globe… But that ART-LOVE-CONNECTION is what makes all that family magic come to life!”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Wall art licensed by a Brazilian company and debuted at the ABUP Show in Sao Paolo this month

See more of Emma’s work on her client’s website here or on her Facebook page.

Margot Miller

“My biggest takeaway from the MATS classes is the importance of recognizing we are all on our own creative path so to just keeping working towards goals, and keep doing it joyfully!”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Greeting card featuring ornament assignment from MATS Part B licensed to Calypso Cards

See more of Margot’s work on her website here.

Reika Hunt

“There are so many things that I’ve learned in MATS, but I think the most important for me is the inspiration and motivation to make art and enjoy making art, which was so hard for me before I took the course.”

Causes for celebration since MATS:

– Licensed work for fabric

– In the top 10 of a Spoonflower fabric design competition

See more of Reika’s work on her website here.

Lauren Minco

“The most important thing I’ve learned from MATS is that you should make art you love rather than trying to fit into a style that is not ‘you’.”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Runner up in the Print & Pattern Design Scholarship for The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design

See more of Lauren’s work on her website here.

Shannon Newlin

“What I learned the most was to find inspiration but take your own creative risks… I found a sense of relief and joy in this process.”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Will be in the upcoming issue #21 of UPPERCASE magazine’s Surface Pattern Design Guide

See more of Shannon’s work on her website here.

Linda Tordoff

“The most important things I learned in MATS were to just draw and have fun exploring a subject before you start thinking about the final design. Always go the extra mile with your designs, add one extra thing to turn it from good to great, and finally, check the design works thumbnail size.”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Now represented by Paper & Cloth Studio who contacted Linda after seeing her MATS Assignment Bootcamp cuckoo clock iPhone design

– My work will be shown at Surtex in May (with Paper & Cloth)

See more of Linda’s work on her website here.

Jan Avellana

“The most important thing I learned in MATS is to be you with a vengeance. Lilla and my MATS tribe of fellow artists have been

pivotal in helping me apply this one truth to my art because of their awesome support and encouragement!”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Featured on the front cover of the Surface Pattern Design Guide in upcoming issue #21 of UPPERCASE magazine

See more of Jan’s work on her website here.

Kathy Weller

“From MATS, what has stuck with me is integrating my analog sketching/painting directly into my finished digital work. For many years I’d just redraw everything digitally and end up feeling like the magic of the sketches was “sacrificed” by the digital medium. No more! Now, I use my analog art in the final work in very direct ways. The work has more depth, mood and atmosphere, and I am just so much happier with both the process and with the results!”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Secured a licensing deal with Oopsy Daisy for wall art

See more of Kathy’s work on her website here.

Brooke Witt

“Since enrolling in Lilla’s classes my portfolio and professionalism has grown exponentially. The most important thing I learned in MATS is icons! You can never have too many icons to work with. Thinking icons first has changed my entire way workflow and I’m a much better designer because of it.”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Secured licensing opportunities in the stationery and gift markets

– Receive fairly regular enquiries for commissions and a boost in website traffic directly from the MATS Bootcamp Gallery

See more of Brooke’s work on her website here.

Farida Zaman

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Got signed for representation by Studio Voltaire

– Have bags manufactured with Sunsand

See more of Farida’s work on her website here.

Rebecca Jones

“By far the biggest thing I learned from MATS was to just draw, draw and then draw some more, and not to start worrying about how the finished design will look until later. I found it so liberating to be able to draw and play without worrying!”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Licensing deal for holiday cards

See more of Rebecca’s work on her website here.

Stephanie Corfee

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Work licensed by Oopsy Daisy, DENY Designs, and PMI (gift, home décor and fashion)

– Three books with Walter Foster Publishing

See more of Stephanie’s work on her website here.

Deborah Velasquez

“The most important thing I learned in MATS is to “put yourself out there, someone will buy your joy”.”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Work licensed for wall art

– Have won seven awards

See more of Deborah’s work on her website here.

Mary Tanana

“MATS helped me to take my designs to the next level by teaching me to fully explore a theme or a trend in a few simple steps and to not get overwhelmed by the project itself. The caliber of designers and artists that make up each MATS class is second to none. I loved to learn from everyone around me and gain valuable insight and experience from this talented group.”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Licensed designer for digital textile fabric manufacturer Modern Yardage

See more of Mary’s work on her website here.

Lyndy Hants

“My greatest lesson from MATS? Be YOU with a vengeance!”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Wall art licensed to The Art Group

See more of Lyndy’s work on her website here.

Ashley Lotecki

“With Lilla’s direction and projects, as well as the support of the amazing community, I was able to strengthen my creative voice and begin sharing my work with others.”

Cause for celebration since MATS:

– Won the Spoonflower fashion themed fabric design contest (This was the first time Ashley had put any designs created under her own name out in the world, and she says this was “In no small part a result of my experience with MATS.”

See more of Ashley’s work on her website here.

Brooke Albrecht

“I’ve learned how to let my instincts and joy drive the work and the markets will become apparent. Some of my classmates have been of the highest caliber and I see the hard work and dedication it gets to be at the top, but I realize with perseverance and time I can get there.”

See more of Brooke’s work on her website here.