Lilla here. Oh, man, you are a whole bunch of brilliant artists! You delight me with your imagination, sensitivity, and talent. I’ve loved seeing all the art you’ve created over the past couple of weeks for this #MATSprep. I love to teach my intensive live courses, like Illustrating Children’s Books, for exactly that reason: it’s amazing to see how the work blossoms over the five jam-packed weeks. The passion and achievement of our students are awe-inspiring.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed taking part in this free #MATSprep as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it and seeing all your beautiful art. It gives you a taste of my teaching style, to see if it’s a good fit, and it’s also a great way to warm up and get ready for Illustrating Children’s Books, which starts THIS MONDAY, July 7th. Don’t forget, this course won’t run again until 2026 – don’t miss out: sign up here.
Here’s the final part of your #MATSprep assignment:
Today, for our last day of Prep, you’re going to live the life of a children’s book illustrator. It’s about placing a character into an environment. That’s the nuts and bolts of illustrating a kid book, and it’s just one of the things you’re going to learn how to do in Illustrating Children’s Books.
I want you to take your drawing of Zoë from the very first prep and place her into any scene that you’ve done so far. If you’re just joining us, head over to our blog to catch up.
Where is Zoë? Is she enjoying the environment you’ve put her in? Is she scared? Brave? Happy? Create a story in your head for her. Play. Daydream. This is your art and you’re the boss of it!
Think about scale – refer back to Part 4 of the prep assignment if you need to for some tips from me about that.
Art by Make Art That Sells student Heather Dryden for Illustrating Children’s Books. Class starts THIS MONDAY! Sign up now.
Share your art!
Once you’re done, share your art on social media so I can see it, and be sure to tag @makeartthatsells and use the hashtag #MATSPrepICB12 so I can find it.
Your final task, after you’ve uploaded your art to our gallery, is to look back over everything you’ve done for this prep. Take a minute to appreciate how far you’ve come. Congratulate yourself. Let it sink in. If you’ve grown this much in just five short assignments, just think how much you can achieve in five wonderful weeks!
- Monday, July 7th: Illustrating Children’s Books starts! Join your teachers, former top art agent Lilla and brilliant children’s book art director Zoë, for five incredible weeks where you’ll learn a ton about the picture book industry and create a ready-to-send pitch that contains everything an art director needs to see to give you work! Don’t miss out! Sign up here.
- Monday, July 7th: Join Zoë and me for a FREE live Zoom event at 12 noon EST/5 pm BST to celebrate the start of Illustrating Children’s Books and you could win a FREE place in class! You’ll find the link to join the Zoom in our Instagram and Facebook Stories and on the front page of our website on the day.
- Available NOW! Sign up for the Brilliant Kid Book Bundle and save a whopping 20% on art agent Lilla’s last two LIVE courses for the year, student-favorite Illustrating Children’s Books and the wonderful Assignment Bootcamp: Lettering. Find out more here.
- Next newsletter: Class starts TODAY! Don’t miss the free Zoom!
Lots of love
P.S. Mark your calendars! Join me and my brilliant co-teacher, Zoë Tucker, next Monday, July 7th, for a FREE live Zoom event – you could win a place in class! Plus we’ll be showing a few of our favorite children’s books and sharing what makes the illustrations so spectacular. Join us here!
