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Category:Featured
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#5: Is this you? (The established artist looking for a change)

Lilla here. To give you a glimpse of who Inner Circle might be perfect for, I’ve dreamed up a few imaginary creatives—fictional artists who I can absolutely imagine thriving in this small group mentoring intensive. But of course, this is just a springboard: I know you’ll bring your own personality, quirks, and creative spark to the table, and I can’t wait to help you shape your career into something truly extraordinary. I hope these examples give you some ideas about how this powerful opportunity could be the perfect next step for you! If you missed my earlier emails, catch up here: #1 The illustrator who needs a guide to help them shine #2 The fired up activist who’s ready to make a difference #3 The potential picture book artist who’s dreaming big #4 The illustrator who wants to make a living from their art #5 The established artist looking for


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#4: Is this you? (The illustrator who wants to make a living from their art)

Lilla here. I’ve been dreaming up a few imaginary creatives who would be a perfect fit for Inner Circle, my new small group mentoring intensive—and I’ve been sharing them with you over the past few days. Consider this a little inspiration for how this transformative experience could help you! If you missed my earlier emails, catch up here: #1 The illustrator who needs a guide to help them shine #2 The fired up activist who’s ready to make a difference #3 The potential picture book artist who’s dreaming big #4 The dreamy illustrator who wants to make money from their art You join Inner Circle because you love painting florals, but you’re unsure whether to use watercolor, gouache, or digital. You’re open to experimenting, but you also want to refine your skills and make your paintings truly beautiful. Plus, you’re not sure how to monetize them. We explore gorgeous greeting


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#3: Is this you? (The picture book artist who’s dreaming big)

Lilla here. Right now I’m sharing some imaginary creatives I dreamed up—people I can totally picture thriving in my new small group mentoring intensive, Inner Circle. Of course, this is just a mental exercise and none of them will describe you exactly: I can’t wait to delve into your amazing art and that kooky mind of yours to bring out the magic – but I hope that this gives you a taste of how I’m envisaging the fantastic work my Inner Circle mentees and I will be doing together. (Read about #1 The illustrator who needs a guide to help them shine here and #2 The fired up activist who’s ready to make a difference here.) #3 The potential picture book artist who’s dreaming big You’re excited about Inner Circle because all you really want to do is illustrate picture books, but you’re unsure of the next steps. You show


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⏰ LAST CHANCE for Character Bootcamp 2025!

Hurry HURRY – it’s your LAST CHANCE to take a deep dive into the rewarding world of creating characters! Registration for Bootcamp Special: Character Play closes TODAY! Art by Make Art That Sells student Heather Manning. Create gorgeous art for children’s books with brilliant picture book art director Zoë Tucker, then turn it into a toy or game with creative director and smash-hit game creator Riley. HURRY, last chance to sign up – join the class now! Hurry HURRY – registration for Bootcamp Special: Character Play closes TODAY, and this course won’t run again until 2026! If you want to get something from a children’s book art director and picture book author and an art agent, creative director and toy creator every Monday for three months that will bring you joy, give you something positive to focus on, and help you create great portfolio art designed to get you work


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#2: Is this you? (The activist ready to make a difference)

Lilla here. Over the next few days I’m sharing some imaginary creatives who I dreamed up who I can imagine working with in my new small group mentoring intensive, Inner Circle. Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list – I can’t wait to see the quirks and magic you bring to the table and how we can work together to transform your career into something amazing. But I hope that this will give you some ideas of how this incredible opportunity can help you. (You can read about my first imaginary artist, the illustrator who just needs a little boost, on the blog here.) #2 The fired up activist who’s ready to make a difference You’ve joined Inner Circle because you want to create art with a political point of view. You want your work to convey peace and compassion. I love this idea. Art has power. We look at mid-century


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Replay of Live with Lilla, Zoe and Riley! Character Bootcamp is here!

Did you miss the fab FREE live Zoom event with all your Bootcamp Special: Character Play teachers?  Watch below! If you missed the live Zoom (or just want to watch it again!), catch the replay below – it’s perfect to listen to as you doodle or sketch. Enjoy! Create some gorgeous eye-catching art for your illustration portfolio while learning just how easy it can be to create winning characters in Bootcamp Special: Character Play!


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#1: Is this you? (The illustrator who just needs a little boost)

Lilla here. I’m so incredibly excited about my latest project—Inner Circle small group mentoring. It’s a chance for me to do what I love most: closely mentor a small group of artists and help them reach the next level. So many artists crave individual guidance, and with my decades of experience as an agent and teacher, I know exactly how to help people make their work more true to themselves, more gorgeous, and more lucrative. That’s what lights me up. This morning, as I sipped my espresso, this happened: a number of imaginary artists came to mind—six examples of the kinds of creatives I envision in my mentoring intensive—along with case studies describing how I would guide each of them to reach their full magical potential. I wanted to share them with you one by one – so here goes. Is this you? #1 The illustrator who needs a guide


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Get your play on! Bootcamp Special 2025 starts TODAY!

Hurry HURRY – Bootcamp Special: Character Play, starts TODAY! Join brilliant children’s book art director and author, Zoë Tucker, and art agent, creative director and smash-hit toy creator, Riley Wilkinson, and get ready to give your creative career a huge boost! ✨ Are you ready to tap into that huge, quirky imagination of yours and learn how to create unique characters? ✨ Do you want to see your gorgeous art on toys, games, books and more? ✨ Do you want to dream up kooky new characters – and get paid for it? Then you won’t want to miss out on Bootcamp Special: Character Play! Don’t miss the fab FREE live Zoom event with all your Bootcamp Special: Character Play teachers TODAY at 12 noon EDT – get your questions answered plus you could win a FREE place in class! Here are your teachers: top art agent and illustrator Lilla (left),


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See incredible student art on toys and games!

We’re so excited that Bootcamp Special: Character Play starts THIS MONDAY, April 7th! Over the past couple of blogs and newsletters, we hope you’ve seen how simple and enjoyable it can be to create cute and quirky characters that you can license for children’s books and toys and games – two of the biggest and most lucrative art markets for illustrators – as well as tons of other markets, like partyware, home décor, apparel for both adults and children, bags, journals, packaging, and more. In Bootcamp Special: Character Play, you’ll create two gorgeous pieces of art for your portfolio every month for three months, like these by Make Art That Sells student Lisa Blakeborough. Sign up now! Now it’s time to build on what you’ve learned and start creating a powerful portfolio that will help you land work in these amazing art markets! Sign up for the class now! In


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The plates have eyes Get Part 2 of your FREE assignment!

Lilla here. Today I’m sharing Part 2 of the FREE #MATSprep illustration assignment I created for you to get you warmed up for Bootcamp Special: Character Play. Today you’re going to find out exactly how easy it is to create winning characters for some of the hottest art markets right now. Children’s books and toys and games are both huge markets for illustrators – but you could also license your characters for products like gift, stationery, partyware, apparel, fabric, greeting cards and more. (One of our students recently landed a gig illustrating children’s food packaging after taking Bootcamp Special: Character Play – read more here.) What’s more, this course really is for all levels – and it’s just £99 (2approx. $126)! Win a free place in class! First I need to remind you to join me and my brilliant Bootcamp Special teachers, Zoë and Riley, in a FREE live Zoom