Lilla here. I’m so excited for the start of Assignment Bootcamp: Lettering exactly one week today, on Monday, June 8th!
Lettering is so good for your career – it’s something that art agents look for and it can radically increase how many jobs you get – plus I just want you to learn to love lettering as much as I do.
I’ve created a FREE three-part #MATSprep warm-up exercise to help you get ready for class, and to give you a little taste of my teaching style, which is all about breaking things down into tiny steps so you don’t get overwhelmed, and keeping you engaged with lots of whimsy and surprises, to trick you into doing your best work.
A few days ago we shared Part 1 – if you missed it, catch up here – where we took stock of what art materials we were going to use for the course and did some warming up.
Art for class by Make Art That Sells student Ana Toro. You’ll explore 15 beautiful lettering styles and make portfolio art like this designed to help you land jobs. Sign up now!
Today, in Part 2, I’m going to give you a tiny taste of my bite-sized Micro Mini assignments.
You’ll get 15 Mini Micro assignments in Assignment Bootcamp: Lettering to help you create a mini encyclopaedia full of varied styles of lettering that you can refer back to.
Q. Lilla, what on earth is a Micro Mini assignment?
A. Each Micro Mini assignment is a pretty, one-page download which will give you an example of a particular, gorgeous lettering style you can try out and learn from, along with some notes from me. I’ve designed them to get you to try out 15 different lettering styles, to find out what you love, to give you more lettering styles for your took kit, and to prepare you for the portfolio assignment on the second week of each month.
You’ll get FIVE downloadable Micro Mini assignments in Week 1 of each month – one every day from Monday to Friday. This means you’ll get to try out a lettering style for five days for the first week of every month (of course you can save them up and do them weekly if you like).
Art for class by Make Art That Sells student Shalini Vadivelu. You’ll make three eye-catching portfolio pieces like this which showcase your new lettering styles to wow art directors. Join the class here.
The daily Micro Mini assignments (five per month) will be followed by a big assignment in the second week of each month, when you’ll make some gorgeous art for your portfolio, designed to help you land lettering gigs. You’ll be prepared for that assignment because you’ll have a catalog of styles from the Micro Mini week.
Plus you’ll also get monthly LIVE meetings with me where you can ask me anything, break out rooms with your fellow students, bonus content, and more. Don’t miss it – register here.
Let’s go! Here’s Part 2 of your FREE #MATSprep!
Here’s your second FREE #MATSprep assignment! Check out that gorgeous font. I’ve had so much fun over the past few years collecting beautiful lettering for you from France and Portugal, from vintage stores, and tons more. I can’t wait to share it all with you in Assignment Bootcamp: Lettering!
Download your assignment here. I’ve scoured all sorts of vintage and modern paraphernalia in France, Portugal and more to find some fabulous lettering samples like this that I think you’re going to love!
I made the pages of these #MATSpreps and the Micro Minis large (letter size) for two reasons.
First, I want you to see the lettering on the photo nice and large.
Second, if you want to, you can print them out and tape them into a journal. You could put the printout on one side of the page, and your practice work on the other side. By the end of class, you’ll have a gorgeous lettering encyclopedia of fifteen styles If you don’t want to print anything out, you can simply draw from the pages on your screen.
Read the notes at the bottom of the page, and riff off and experiment with the lettering. Do it as precisely or as wonkily as you like – make it yours!
You’ll find the Micro Minis are a wonderful way to start your day, or wind down each evening.
Here’s an example of me doing a Micro Mini, with the printed out Micro Mini on the left and my practice on the right. Even as a former illustrator with literally decades of experience under my belt, I actually learned a ton from this unique approach, and I know you will too!
Have fun! Don’t forget to share what you do on social media and tag @makeartthatsells and use the hashtag #MATSLetteringPrep26 so that I can find it!
Don’t miss out – class starts Monday, June 8th! Sign up here!
- Monday, June 8th: Lilla’s much-loved lettering course, Assignment Bootcamp: Lettering, starts Monday, June 8th. Lettering is fantastic for your creative career – find out more and sign up here.
- Monday, June 8th: Join Lilla at 12 noon ET/5 pm BST for a FREE live Zoom event on the first day of Assignment Bootcamp: Lettering. She’ll be sharing Day 1 of class for FREE and giving away a FREE place in class!
- Wednesday, July 1st: The FREE Quarterly Art Challenge which should have gone out today, June 1st, will arrive in your inbox on July 1st instead! Don’t miss it – you could win your choice of our amazing self-paced courses!
- Hurry HURRY! Places in Lilla’s small-group mentoring intensive, Inner Circle, are going fast, and it won’t run again until 2027! Don’t wait another year to give your creative career a huge boost. Find out more and sign up here.
- Next newsletter: Get Part 3 of your FREE #MATSprep warm-up assignment!
Lots of love
