Learn how to get paid for illustrating children’s books!

  Our hugely popular online course, Illustrating Children’s Books, starts May 20th

mymatsprep daily art DAY5 V2 Make Art That Sells #MYMATSPREP: Jitna in your scene (Day 5)

#MYMATSPREP: Jitna in your scene (Day 5)

Oh, man, you are a whole bunch of brilliant artists! You delight me with your imagination, sensitivity, talent. Are you enjoying yourself? Play. Visit Instagram and search the hashtag #mymatsprep to see the vast array of terrific art being created this week for the MATS Prep. You know, a few years ago we came up with the idea of a free mini series as preparation for our courses. We figured that it would be a way for the students to get geared up for class and also to get a taste for what my teaching style is like, to see if it’s a good fit. We have been wowed with the response to our MATS Preps, and I thoroughly enjoy writing them. I hope you’ve found them helpful. So today, for our last day of Prep, you’re going to live the life of a children’s book illustrator. It’s about placing a

MatejaL Studio Make Art That Sells Alumni success 'spotlight' interview with Mateja Lukezic

Alumni success ‘spotlight’ interview with Mateja Lukezic

We are so proud of our Make Art That Sells Alumni, and we are pleased to feature a series of spotlight interviews showcasing their successes and artwork. We’ve asked them to share how the MATS courses have helped them learn and grow. You can see more Alumni Success stories here *** Today, we have an interview with Mateja Lukezic from Mima illustration​ who has taken our Illustrating Children’s Books class. Tell us a little about how you got started in art and design I was working for seven years as a graphic designer in a big company. When I came back to work after the birth of my second child I felt something was missing. I couldn’t be creative in the way I wanted. I decided to leave my job, which was not an easy decision and go to college. I obtained a degree for Scenography and Animation. I was invited to make illustrations

nikki upsher photo Make Art That Sells Alumni success 'spotlight' interview with Nikki Upsher

Alumni success ‘spotlight’ interview with Nikki Upsher

We are so proud of our Make Art That Sells Alumni, and we are pleased to feature a series of spotlight interviews showcasing their successes and artwork. We’ve asked them to share how the MATS courses have helped them learn and grow. You can see more Alumni Success stories here *** Today, we have an interview with Nikki Upsher Design, who has taken MATS A, MATS B, Creating Collections for Home Decor and Illustrating Children’s Books. Nikki was also a finalist in our 2015 Global Talent Search. Tell us a little about how you got started in art and design I did a degree in fashion design and graduated in 1988….i worked in the fashion industry for 20 years. I retrained 10 years ago in graphic design and worked as a greeting card designer for 5 years for a big UK company and left to freelance in Nov 2014. Lilla always says

mymatsprep daily art DAY4 V2 Make Art That Sells #MYMATSPREP: Scene Magic (Day 4)

#MYMATSPREP: Scene Magic (Day 4)

Wow, what fantastic worlds you created yesterday. I dig your wacky minds. By the way, if you’ve just joined us, you can start any time. Visit Instagram and search the hashtag #mymatsprep to see the vast array of terrific art being created this week for the MATS Prep. Today, I’m going to teach you three giant tricks to create depth (distance) in your artwork. –If you draw something on the top of your page, it looks like it’s far away. For example, if you draw a little house toward the top of your page, it looks like it’s in the distance. That’s because our understanding of distance in art is that the higher up the page, the farther away. And then, by making stuff smaller, it enhances the illusion of distance. The converse is true: things at the bottom of the page are close to the viewer. You can enhance

profile pic alexandra thompson Make Art That Sells Alumni success 'spotlight' interview with Alexandra Thompson

Alumni success ‘spotlight’ interview with Alexandra Thompson

We are so proud of our Make Art That Sells Alumni, and we are pleased to feature a series of spotlight interviews showcasing their successes and artwork. We’ve asked them to share how the MATS courses have helped them learn and grow. You can see more Alumni Success stories here *** Today, we have an interview with Alexandra Thompson, who has taken Bootcamp and Illustrating Children’s Books. Tell us a little about how you got started in art and design Art has always been a huge part of my life. I’ve been drawing since I can remember and my family always encouraged me to pursue the arts. When I was small I used to get up early before anyone was awake and pop in Disney VHS movies. I would hit pause and draw the characters from the shaky screen. I’d always dreamed of creating picture books, but I ended up getting

Lisa Larsen Portrait Lg Make Art That Sells Alumni success 'spotlight' interview with Lisa Larsen

Alumni success ‘spotlight’ interview with Lisa Larsen

We are so proud of our Make Art That Sells Alumni, and we are pleased to feature a series of spotlight interviews showcasing their successes and artwork. We’ve asked them to share how the MATS courses have helped them learn and grow. You can see more Alumni Success stories here *** Today, we have an interview with Lisa Larsen, who has taken Bootcamp, Mats-A and the Global Talent Search How did you get started in art and design? Art is something that has always been part of my life. I started painting as a child and throughout my life as an adult I have taken many art education courses, participated in several art shows, founded a couple of art rubber stamp and greeting card companies, and so on. However, I truly started my career as an artist and designer after I retired from 25 years of working in high tech. I decided

mymatsprep daily art DAY3 V2 Make Art That Sells #MYMATSPREP: Setting flip (Day 3)

#MYMATSPREP: Setting flip (Day 3)

  I’m going to make you flip out today! Children are so in touch with their imagination. They live in fantasy land a great deal of the time. Children will love your imaginative world. I’m eager today to help you make some magic. Take the drawing you did of the view out of your bedroom window from yesterday (or if you didn’t do it yet, no worries; you can dive right in today). Now, flip the proportions of things. For example: Make huge buildings tiny. Make little insects huge. If the people were big, make them small. If they were small (like you’re looking down at the from the top floor of a building), then draw them huge. You get the idea. It’s going to be crazy! Little people and huge plants. Draw it, and show us. I cannot wait to enjoy what you’ve done! You’ll be creating some more

Profile image A.TEMPEST Make Art That Sells Alumni success 'spotlight' interview with Annabel Tempest

Alumni success ‘spotlight’ interview with Annabel Tempest

We are so proud of our Make Art That Sells Alumni, and we are pleased to feature a series of spotlight interviews showcasing their successes and artwork. We’ve asked them to share how the MATS courses have helped them learn and grow. You can see more Alumni Success stories here *** Today, we have an interview with Annabel Tempest, who has taken ALL of our MATS courses –  Four Years of Bootcamp 2014-2107, MATS A and B several times, Creating Collections for Home Decor and entered the Global Talent Search two years in a row. Annabel is celebrating many successes and particularly the three children’s books she illustrated! Tell us a little about how you got started in art and design Ever since I was a little girl my favourite thing has been drawing, cutting, sticking, colouring in, making and doing. So I suppose I started then! I feel so lucky that my

mymatsprep daily art DAY2 V2 Make Art That Sells #MYMATSPREP: Setting (Day 2)

#MYMATSPREP: Setting (Day 2)

We are pretending all week that you have just been commissioned to illustrate a children’s book. Yesterday, you played around with drawing a character called “Jitna”. Now, you’re going to play with the setting. The environment, or setting, is one of the most exciting parts of a children’s book. Why? Illustrators love settings because it’s their opportunity to create an imaginative world that adds to the text. What’s the view out of your window? All photos by Lilla Rogers For today, you’re going to make a setting exploration drawing. Go to your bedroom window and draw what you see outside. (If you don’t have a window in your bedroom, you can choose another window.) Do your visual research. Look up at the sky, look down below, look for people, cars, trees, things on the sidewalk, things in the distance. I can’t wait to see what you see! What’s the view

Newsletter header SEPT 2017 650x600 Make Art That Sells Why I created a children’s book course for you.

Why I created a children’s book course for you.

Why a children’s book course? For one thing, sales of children’s books are booming. Revenue from children’s books sales ballooned to $1.7 billion in 2015, according to the Association of American Publishers. Even in this digital age, consumers want the high-touch experience of an actual book. Art directors are on the lookout for artists! We know that artists love illustrating children’s books. Why? Because it’s magical to sink into a project for months, creating their own signature characters and imaginary world. There was also a growing demand from students who loved the week on Children’s Books in MATS A. Zoe and I have each enjoyed great success in this area and were excited to develop a course together. Both of us regularly work with artists and we they understand how to get the best out of creative people. Together we will give you everything you need to you get work