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

Often, when working on your portfolio in the quiet of your own studio, and sending things out to potential clients in the hope of landing work, it can feel like you are scrabbling in the dark. Is this on trend? Is this what they are looking for? What could I do differently to make it catch someone’s eye? There’s no one there to answer those key questions for you. Enter the brilliant team of Margo Tantau and Lilla Rogers (above), who bring you both the view of the art agent (who lands the cool jobs for her artists) and the art director (who buys the art from those artists). Their combined experience of over five decades in the industry, and the placing of art on hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of products, is unparalleled. And today we are offering you the chance to see them in action for free!

Imagine taking your artwork and popping onto templates and getting your own licensed home decor line! We’re talking rugs, canvas art, aprons, dishes, vases, little sculptures, and more. Did you know there are secrets to make your pitch catch the eye of an art director? We’re chatting about it all this week and 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 FABRIC… Fabric can take so many forms. It can be printed, stitched, pieced, cut and sewn into so many things. It’s a great vehicle to show your artwork. It is very satisfying to see artwork come to life on fabric – anything from a tea towel to a sofa. It feels so important and so REAL when you see your artwork actually printed

Did you know that there are things you can add to your Home Decor pitch that make you stand out? You don’t just want to show your art on a pillow, but there are ‘finishing techniques’ you can add to a basic pillow to make it really special. Today we’ll show you… In our upcoming course ‘MATS: Creating Collections for Home Décor’, top art director Margo Tantau shares finishing techniques for each of the five most popular materials used for products in this market. These allow you to play with your product to make your presentation to the client even more exciting and marketable! We hope you’ll find them inspiring, and feel confident to try new and varied looks in your product pitches. That, in turn, will make your pitch more desirable and unique. Finishing techniques are different processes that can be done by the manufacturer’s factory to enhance the

Every day next week, we are going to share a few of our Home Décor Secrets on the MATS blog, along with a fun creative prompt. You don’t have to be signed up for the class to get involved. Anyone can join in and start to explore the fascinating (and lucrative) world of home décor! We hope you’ll find them inspiring, and feel confident to try new and varied looks in your product pitches. That, in turn, will make your pitch more desirable and unique. Be sure to tag your work #matshomedecor on Instagram so we can see it.   In class, we share a ton of insider secrets, to give you loads of design ideas for your arsenal. As a result, your art will flourish, you’ll sell more, and you’ll be having more fun! If you want to thrive in this market, be sure to sign up for Creating