Gone are the days when art school was the only place to learn how to make art and get into a professional art career. The Make Art That Sells online courses have helped thousands of artists build their careers from the comfort of their own homes and studios in all corners of the world. MATS: Creating Collections for Home Décor is a five-week online course which is perfectly paced to get you building a commercially-viable presentation showcasing concepts for an entire home décor collection. Class posts go live daily for five weeks, and during those five weeks you have the opportunity to be included in a live review* by Lilla Rogers and Margo Tantau, as well as asking any questions you like. The private online classroom is accessible 24/7 from anywhere in the world on your desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile, and you can check in at a time to

The course is packed full of resources you can’t get anywhere else, including: Finishing notes for manufacturing in metal, ceramics, fabric, glass and wood/mdf (this is what helps you speak the language of the art directors, and get your products manufactured how you want) A series of Art Director’s Cheat Sheets, giving you tips on how to make an art director love you, and what to avoid if you don’t want to turn them off A host of templates for each substrate so you can mock up your art on a wide variety of products (let that imagination run wild as you start to see the extensive possibilities for your work…) Top tips on marketing from Lilla Rogers, so you can get noticed and get in front of the people you want to sell your work to A series of pep talks from Lilla to help you grow and flourish

Each week in class we share an interview with someone who is rocking the home décor industry, and has valuable insight to share with you. This might be an art director who buys huge amounts of art for this market every year, sharing what they look for and where they look for it. Or it might be an artist who is flourishing in this area, sharing their tips for making pieces that fly off the shelves. It’s all hush-hush for now, but let’s just say we are talking about people like Land of Nod and Anthropologie favourite Molly Hatch… Ceramics by Molly Hatch   Feel like this is exactly what you need?  *** Want a piece of the $60 Billion Home Decor industry? What is home décor? It’s all the gorgeous and/or functional items in your house. It’s a booming market that needs tons of art, with over $60 billion

At the beginning of the course you will be provided with three cutting edge trend boards. These have been put together for you by art director Margo Tantau who knows exactly what is hot and what is not. You will choose one of these trend boards as your guide and inspiration for the entire course. Each week you will get a mini exercise to loosen you up, and then a full Assignment to help you develop a professional-level portfolio piece. Each Assignment will be inspired by the trend board you choose, to ensure that the work you produce is on trend or ahead of trend. After the full five weeks, you will end up with an outstanding, commercially-viable and very current presentation of a full home décor collection, featuring products made from the five most popular substrates of METAL, CERAMICS, FABRIC, GLASS and WOOD/MDF. Imagine a collection of your own

Each week in class top art director Margo Tantau provides in-depth video-based training into how to design for a specific material, popularly used in the lucrative home décor market. Across the course Margo gives you insights into METAL, CERAMICS, FABRIC, GLASS and WOOD/MDF. Not only are the video trainings packed with a ton of eye candy, Margo explains what makes certain pieces great, helps you understand the manufacturing process, and shares secrets which will help you build your own compelling collections. Take a look at what is on offer with this short video: [vimeo]https://vimeo.com/124456512[/vimeo] Each training video is accompanied by a series of finishing notes to help you develop product presentations which speak to art directors, and show your understanding of the manufacturing process. This will make your work stand out head and shoulders above that of other artists, and encourage buyers to buy more from you, because you will

When making art to pitch to an art director to get one’s very own home decor collection, most people think of plopping their art on pillows, lampshades, and something to hang on the wall. Did you know that there are tons of products you can show that will help you stand out? You can take a product like a ceramic plate, for example, and indicate a raised or embossed design? These extras are called ‘finishing techniques’ and all this week we have been sharing a peek at some of the finishing techniques showcased in our upcoming class ‘MATS: Creating Collections for Home Décor’ (which starts on Monday 7 August!). We are giving you daily prompts to get your creative juices flowing. Our last material is… WOOD/MDF. Wood is such a basic part of our every day, it’s something we almost forget about. Take a look around your house… what is

How would you like to have a top creative director tell you all about what she looks for in a top-notch home decor pitch? All this week Margo Tantau is sharing a peek at some of the finishing techniques showcased in our upcoming class ‘MATS: Creating Collections for Home Décor’, and giving you daily prompts to get your creative juices flowing. Next up is CERAMICS. This is another ancient element that comes from the earth. One of the main ceramic making centers in China is called Dehua. It’s a fascinating area to visit, tucked deep in the mountains. They’ve been making ceramics there, especially porcelain, for over 2,000 years. Every product is hand touched and handmade to some extent. Clay vessels are one of the earliest forms of decorative and functional art on record. There are myriad ways that you can express yourself with and take your art to ceramics.

Did you know that you can take your home decor product pitch from good to great by adding what’s called “Finishing Techniques”? All this week we are sharing a peek at some of the finishing techniques showcased in our upcoming class ‘MATS: Creating Collections for Home Décor’, and giving you daily prompts to start seeing more possibilities for your art. Next up is GLASS… Glass is always a little mystifying and daunting, because it seems fragile yet strong all at once. It is ethereal, beautiful, purposeful, and practical. And we need it! Glass can be the basis of some amazing Home Décor pieces. Lighting, is a major use of glass – think lamp bases, pendant lamps, glass or crystal baubles hanging from a chandelier. Think pressed glass – something that would come out of a mold, like glasses, plates, or perhaps some decorative artwork pieces or glass tiles. Think serving