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bhldn Make Art That Sells #homedecsecrets Part 5: WOOD/MDF

#homedecsecrets Part 5: WOOD/MDF

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 16 May!). 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


mymatsprep1 Make Art That Sells Cool new free #mymatsprep series for you

Cool new free #mymatsprep series for you

It’s that time again! Get your hashtags ready as #mymatsprep is about to begin again! This time we are gearing up for our upcoming course ‘MATS: Creating Collections for Home Décor’. The daily #mymatsprep prompts are designed to warm up everyone registered for class, but anyone can join in. A brand new #mymatsprep series will be shared on the blog every day next week so mark your diary and keep your eyes out! Example of some finishing techniques used on metal – products from CBK And if you missed it, all this week we are running a fun series of #HomeDecSecrets (yes we’ve gone a little hashtag crazy). These daily blog posts give you insights into some of the fascinating finishing techniques used on home décor products. This will make you realise the expanse of possibilities available for your art in this market. You can find out more and join


Sneak peek of the Home Décor Classroom…

We loved following along in the Make Art That Sells #myMATSprep mini assignments across Instagram last week. These mini assignments by Lilla were to prepare you for the Home Décor class that starts TODAY! If you haven’t signed up for the Home Décor class, there’s still time. But hurry before it’s too late. Here is a sneak peek of the gorgeous classroom and all new trend boards you will have access to. Hope to see you in class. Sign up here to get full access to all of this incredible information and the classroom!


#mymatsprep Day 5: Textures

Next Monday we begin Make Art That Sells: Creating Collections for Home Décor, and I sure hope that you’re as excited as I am! What you’ve been doing for the Mini Prep has been to create awareness so that when you sit down to make your collection, you are a more savvy, unique designer. If you haven’t signed up already, get crackin’ here because it all begins on Monday. I’m really excited about today’s Mini Prep assignment. You’re going to create assets for your work in class. You’ll understand what I mean in a moment. Texture is a key feature of home décor products, as you have learned so far this week. Imagine that you’re designing products; let’s say you’re designing a tray for example. Is it made of wood? Distressed wood? Painted wood? Metal? Is it woven like a basket? See what I mean? It’s about surfaces. Textures. They make


#mymatsprep Day 4: Once I lived in a tree house.

Copy the sentences below into your journal and fill in the blanks. Feel free to illustrate your musings if you like. Once, I lived in a tree house because ______________________________________________. I furnished it with ____________________________________________________________. My tree house had a style you might call __________________________________________. My tree house looked like __________________________________________________. People would say this about me:_____________________________________________________. Why did I create this assignment for you? Because making art is about being a bit weird. Let your inner weird come out! (Want to know more about the importance of this? Check out my free video series on ‘Why what makes you weird makes your brand’ here. And think about furnishing a tree house with your products! Extra credit for drawing your tree house. I can’t wait to see what you do! Seriously, I’m falling a bit in love with you all. Lilla Xo Join the fun and show us your images


#mymatsprep Day 3: Your Collections

Ok, I love Mini Prep and what you’re all posting on Instagram. I have found, to my delight, that many of my Make Art That Sells students are wacky, loveable, and eccentric. They are collectors. Today, I want you to photograph any collections you may have. What, you don’t collect anything, you say? Even a bunch of your pencils constitutes a collection. Here are some of my dolls. Photo by Lilla Rogers A collection is a grouping of like objects. That can be very broad. Consider your collections of shoes, purses, flower bulbs, candles, pencil cups, journals, bottles of inks. What I’m going for here is to get you to home in on your own personal style and taste. Take a look at your collection and reflect upon the following: Is there a particular color that seems to run through all your objects in the collection? Is your collection earthy


#mymatsprep Day 2: Lamp Shades

So the course you’re preparing for, is about home décor. Your mission today is to take a photo of one of the home décor products: lamp shades. Find them in your house/apartment, in the subway, in shops, in cafés, in restaurants… I’ll go first. Here are lampshades from my studio. Photo by Lilla Rogers Photo by Lilla Rogers Helen Dardik for BlueQ “Home Décor” means things that people buy to put in their homes including… Things you put on tables that are functional like: -Lamps -Lampshades -Candles -Flower pots and vases -Candlesticks -Trays -Table linens Things that add beauty to your space like: -Rugs -Decorator pillows -Little sculptures Larger items that store things like: -Dressers -Shelving -Canisters And on and on and on… We’re just going to look at lamps and lampshades today so that this Mini gets you looking at one type of home décor product without being overwhelming.


#mymatsprep Day 1: Color Hunt

Are you ready for #MyMATSPep? Lilla has cooked up a very special series of creative prompts, starting TODAY! It’s free, and it will offer you five mini challenges over the course of this week. Be sure to check out the MATS blog every day January 18-22 for your free daily challenges. *** To prepare for the upcoming MATS: Creating Collections for Home Décor class, I want you to hunt down some color palettes—not by thinking about it but by simply taking some photos of what you see around you. So for this Mini Prep assignment, take photos of what you see on your desk or table. (You can cheat and not just use what’s on your desk or table. I’m just suggesting that to give you a starting point). Throw things together and see what kinds of colors that you juxtapose together. You may surprise yourself with some exciting palettes.


#myMATSprep round up & still time to sign up for MATS A and B

Wow, we had fun watching all that you did with the #myMATSprep mini assignments last week.  You guys rocked the assignments and you should be well warmed up for the MATS A or B that started yesterday. Don’t worry there is still time to squeeze into MATS A & B.  Sign up right now. These minis are a reflection of the way Lilla teaches through play, amusement and inspiration. Here is a mini roundup of the assignments.  Check out ALL of the coolness here on Instagram by searching with the #myMATSprep. *Instagram by @carolyngavin *Instagram by @coleewilkinson *Instagram by @cartitadesign *Instagram by @ankeweckmann *Instagram by @annembentley *Instagram by @heybeast12  Don’t miss out!  Sign up today for MATS A and B. -Make Art That Sells Team


Mini assignment Number 4: I miss my home planet. #myMATSprep

Sometimes I swear I’m from another planet. It’s all peaceful and beautiful there. I miss it. Fill this in: I miss my home planet. It looks like ___________________________________ (describe). I had a really cool job on my planet. I was a ___________________. My name was _________________. My planet’s name is _______________. Coming from another planet explains why I _________________. Why did I create this assignment for you? Because making art is about being a bit weird. I can’t wait to see what you do! #mymatsprep #myhomeplanet