Lilla here. Today I’m sharing the first part of a FREE two-part #MATSprep illustration assignment I’ve created for you to get you warmed up and ready for Bootcamp Special: Character Play, which starts in just a few weeks, on Monday, April 7th!
I can’t wait for Zoë, Riley and I to show you how easy it can be to create winning characters that you can license for children’s books, toys, games and more.
Q: Hold up. What’s Bootcamp Special: Character Play?
A: Bootcamp Special: Character Play is a playful, relaxed course that’s designed to boost your creativity and give you more income streams for your art, so you can make more money doing what you love. It focuses on two fabulous art markets – children’s picture books and toys and games – and is taught by two top experts.
Art by Make Art That Sells student Valerie Hamill for Bootcamp Special: Character Play. First you’ll create a character based on an exclusive mini-text from Zoë, then turn it into a toy with help from Riley! Sign up here.
Bootcamp Special: Character Play follows the same much-loved formula as Assignment Bootcamp, in that you get something every Monday for the duration of the course – maybe a video, a mini assignment, an insight from a creative professional or something else – and a fresh new assignment every month that will help you crank out some gorgeous portfolio art designed to get you paying gigs. The focus is all about creating appealing characters that you can license in two fantastic art markets: children’s picture books, and toys and games.
Meet your teachers: brilliant children’s book art director and picture book author, Zoë (center), and art agent and smash-hit toy creator, Riley (right), and I’ll be joining them for the monthly LIVE Zooms.
Plus it’s taught by two of your favorite Make Art That Sells teachers: brilliant children’s book art director and picture book author, Zoë Tucker, and creative director and smash-hit toy creator, Riley Wilkinson. I know you’re going to love the energy of these two amazing creatives and the wealth of information they have to share with you! And I join them every month for a fantastic live Zoom event.
Q: Okay. What’s a #MATSprep, and why should I do it?
A: A #MATSprep is a free illustration assignment that I write for you and share in the Make Art That Sells newsletter and blog to get you prepared and inspired for class! They’re open to everyone, whether you’re taking the class or not, and they’re a great way to learn a little more about the class, the art market, and my way of teaching, that tricks you into doing your best work.
Ready to go? Here’s Part 1 of your FREE #MATSprep …
Here’s your assignment: draw crockery!
Here’s a page of cups I sketched (left), and some cups from my collection (right): fox cup by Helen Dardik, rabbit cup by Zoe Ingram.
For the first part of this #MATSprep, I want you to draw a few items of crockery – maybe plates, cups, bowls or jugs, for example.
Look, we’re not saying you have to go to a café as part of this assignment, but if you do then that counts as research. Illustration by MATS student Lydia Graves (left), inspired by her favorite café in Birmingham, Alabama, and my morning coffee in Paris (right) – check out the shape and decorations on my cup!
You can make a scene with your items, or simply place them on your page – these little items are known as icons. I can’t wait to see what you do!
Here are some pieces by the artists I represented. They weren’t created for this #MATSprep, but they do demonstrate a wonderful range of styles and color palettes to inspire you.
Cute illustrations by Make Art That Sells students Kay Wolfersperger (left) and Paloma O’Toole (right).
Tip: Think about your color palette, and have fun with it. Will you go bright? Soft? Dark? Anyone who’s taken my classes knows how much I love color. Your choices here will affect the whole mood of your piece.
Gorgeous art by Tara Lilly (left) and Make Art That Sells student Jenny Miriam (right).
What medium will you use? Something precise, something messy? Again, this will affect the mood and tone of your finished art. The purpose of a #MATSprep is to play without any pressure, so try to have fun with it. And this course really is for all levels: it doesn’t need to be perfect.
Beautiful crockery on sale at Liberty’s of London (top) and Fortnum & Mason (bottom). Again, check out the shapes on show. British Jennie writes: “FACT: All British people must have a cup with the Queen on it by law.”
Think about the shapes of your crockery – sure most plates and cups are round, but they could also be square, fluted, wavy, tall and narrow, short and wide or anything else you can think of.
Art by Olga Akbarova (left) and Olive & Co Paper (right) for a previous Make Art That Sells assignment.
Speaking of shapes, will your crockery all be from a matching set, or will they be a glorious mishmash of patterns and styles?
Some of the crockery on sale in the amazing Liberty’s of London.
Look out for Part 2 of the #MATSprep in our next newsletter! You’re going to take your art and turn it into a character! This is a great way to warm up for class. Stay tuned!
Art by Make Art That Sells students Julia Christians (left) and Kay Wolfersperger (right).
And of course don’t forget to share your art so that I can see what you do. Share it online tagging @makeartthatsells so I can find it. I’ll be looking!
Lots of love
- Monday, April 7th: Time for class! Sign up for Bootcamp Special: Character Play now to be ready to get your first text from children’s book art director and picture book author Zoë and your very first assignment! Sign up here.
- Monday, April 7th: Join me, art agent Lilla, plus Zoë and smash hit game creator Riley for a FREE live Zoom at 12 noon ET/5 pm BST! We’ll be showing off some cool products, answering your questions and giving away a FREE place in class!
- Monday, April 14th: I’m so excited to be able to offer small group mentoring to a dozen incredible creatives. There are still a few spots left – click here to find out more and sign up. I can’t wait to see what we’re going to do together!
- Next newsletter: Get Part 2 of your fab FREE #MATSprep warm-up assignment in our next newsletter – look out for it in your inbox on Monday, March 31st.
