Lilla here. Over the past week, I’ve been sharing a playful warm up assignment I created for you ahead of my online course, Creating Collections for Home Décor. In this unique class, my brilliant co-teacher, creative director Margo Tantau, and I show you how you can get a slice of the hugely lucrative home décor design pie (globally, the home décor market is estimated to reach a whopping $838.6 billion by 2027!).
Every week for five weeks, you’ll explore one of the most popular substrates for home décor: metal, fabric, glass, ceramics and wood/MDF. You’ll get five Mini exercises and five professional-level Main assignments – one for each substrate – and by the end of the course, you’ll have a stunning, on-trend collection of home décor products, ready to send to clients and presented in a way that will bring a tear to an art director’s eye. Plus you’ll also get trend boards, weekly LIVE reviews, notes on finishing techniques to give your designs the edge, and tons more. Class starts in just a couple of weeks, on Monday, August 29th, and I hope you’ll join us.
I’ve loved seeing all the beautiful art you’ve been creating so far for Parts 1 and 2 of this #MATSprep warm up assignment (click here to catch up if you missed out). Today we’re going to start digging a little deeper into your own unique style and that quirky personality of yours.
Here’s Part 3 of your assignment: Your Collections
Creative people, like you and me, tend to me a little bit kooky and eccentric, and we often like to collect stuff. We are magpies. And so often the things that creative people collect, sometimes even without realising it, are full of character and whimsy. Today we’re going to shine a little bit of light on your quirky collections and see what they say about you and your style.
I collect things. Lots of them. Here’s a photo of just some of the collections I have arranged in drawers in my studio.
Some of my collections. Look at those colors. Don’t you just want to pull open those other drawers and see what’s inside?
It’s so fun to collect stuff, isn’t it? Not even things that have value to anyone else, but little treasure troves of whimsy that are like visual catnip to artists. A pretty feather, an unusual bead, a nutty doll that you found in a thrift store. One of the fabulous things about being a professional illustrator is that you get to monetize your passion for collecting and your love for beautiful or interesting objects like these.
Today, I want you to photograph any collections you may have. A collection is a grouping of like objects around any theme: maybe shoes, purses, flower bulbs, candles, pencil cups, journals, bottles of inks, spatulas, yarn.
Q: But Lilla, I don’t collect anything! I’m ultra minimalist.
A: Are you sure? Even a bunch of your pencils constitutes a collection. Technically, two of anything is a collection. Or if you don’t have dupes of particular objects, do you find that you’re drawn to say a certain color? Do you look round your house or apartment and suddenly find that actually you have yellow sunglasses, yellow shoes, a yellow oven mitt and yellow scatter cushions on your couch? Have a look around and you may be surprised at what you find.
Q: Okay, Lilla, but why are you making me do this?
What I’m going for here is to get you to hone in on your own personal style and taste. First, you’re going to really look at and examine your own collections. I’ve given you some questions to think about below that will help you start to think about your own style more closely.
Secondly, by asking you to arrange and photograph your collections, this becomes a wonderful exercise in composition and discernment, which is an important part of understanding your unique style.
Art by Make Art That Sells student Betsy Walton for Creating Collections for Home Décor.
Now, take a look at your collection and reflect on the following. You might want to jot some notes in your journal or sketchbook.
Is there a particular color that seems to run through all your objects?
Is your collection earthy, like tulip bulbs, or metallic, like modern cooking utensils? Are your items natural, like feathers or seed pods, or plastic, like cracker toys?
Do you have loads of things or just a few? Do you bunch them all up close together or space them out?
Do you tend to like kitsch vintage items? Do you crave elegant, beautiful items? Are they old or new?
Is your background dark or light? Natural or manmade? Have you put a frame around it?
Have you gone for the full rainbow or a more selective range of colors? Are they muted or bright?
What adjectives would you use to describe your collection’s style?
I can’t wait to see your obsessions. I know you’re going to surprise and delight me. Don’t forget to share on social media and tag @makeartthatsells and use the hashtag #MATSprep so I can see them.
Art by my artist, Zoë Ingram, for Creating Collections for Home Décor (left) and some of the products that got licensed by Creative Co-op. What will your home décor collection look like?
If you haven’t signed up for Creating Collections for Home Décor yet, there’s still time – but HURRY! Class starts Monday, August 29th. Let Margo and I show you how you can create your own stunning, market-savvy home décor line. Sign up now.
Lots of love
P.S. Win a place in class! Look out for Parts 4 and 5 on Tuesday and Thursday of next week, then join Margo and me for a FREE live Zoom event on Friday, August 26th at 12 noon ET/5 pm BST! We’ll be discussing the #MATSprep, answering your questions, popping up a volunteer so we can chat to them live on screen, giving away a FREE place in class, and more! Set a reminder on your phone now.
