Your art is powerful. Think about how an image can sum up a situation or an emotion in a way that a photograph or a paragraph of text can’t (click below to hear art agent Lilla Rogers talking about what an illustration can do that a photograph can’t).
The flag which Lilla created and shared online ahead of the Women’s March in January 2017. Lilla says: “I wanted to throw some energy around women making their voices heard.”
Our next Editorial LIVE: Illustrating for Magazines & More online course starts in under two weeks, on Monday, January 20th, with a brand new vibe and a brand new text to illustrate. As ever, we’ll be digging deep into exactly how you can use illustration in this way to illustrate ideas or concepts rather than simply drawing objects, so by the end of the three week course you can expect to have a powerful full-color conceptual portfolio piece as well as a working knowledge of how the editorial process works, from rough to finish.
Plus, we’re calling this one The Artivism Edit. What’s artivism? It’s where art meets activism – using an image in a powerful way to bring about positive change.
Lilla’s flag being held aloft at the Women’s March in NYC. Photograph by Lisa M Kelsey.
Here’s an example. The Women’s March in January 2017 was the largest march in US history, with organisers reporting that over 400 marches took place in the US alone and almost 700 worldwide, across all seven continents. Lilla says she was inspired by the energy that she was seeing on social media around the event and wanted to contribute in a way that demonstrated women’s power. She created her take on the flag and posted it online, and invited people to print it out and use it for the march if they wanted to. Lilla’s flag went on to be used across dozens of marches all over the world, and even ended up on stage alongside Elizabeth Warren as she gave her speech in Washington DC. Your art has the power to change minds and energize!
Lilla’s flag on stage with Elizabeth Warren as she gave her speech in Washington DC for the 2017 Women’s March.
We can’t give away what the final assignment will be just yet (art agent Lilla loves to keep you guessing and build suspense!), but we can reveal that Lilla wanted to come up with something that she knew would bring out the best in all her students, whatever level they’re at; something that would be a powerful image that could be shared all over the internet to help catch a client’s eye and snag you great work; and something that’s important to everyone.
Should you take this course again if you’ve done it already?
YES! Here are three reasons why. Every Make Art That Sells course is designed to help you create a powerful portfolio that will help you snag great jobs and make a living from making art (do them all and you’ll wind up with a portfolio packed with amazing art that will help you build or boost your illustration career – and don’t forget there’s still time to snag our incredible My Year of Art School bundle at a whopping 30% off!).
- Firstly, you’ll get lots more work if you cover different tones of editorial work and show your whole range – for example, you need something moody, some current events, some popular culture, a how-to and so on. That’s why every time Lilla runs this course (and it’s a firm fan favorite – the first time we ran it, it sold out before it was even officially launched!), she makes sure that it has a whole different vibe. So far she’s covered an inspiring how-to and popular culture portraiture– what will it be this time?
- Secondly, when an art director looks at your portfolio or Instagram with a view to assigning a job, they need to know you can deliver – one strong piece isn’t enough.
- Thirdly, it’s super fun! When Lilla revealed that the big assignment for the October class was to illustrate Lizzo’s anthem, Truth Hurts, she did so by giving us a live rendition that few students will forget. Lilla says she’ll do anything to motivate her students, but what has she got up her sleeve this time? Will we see her introducing an article on circus skills via trapeze? Covering an article on body modification live from a piercing studio? Or perhaps bursting out from inside a cake in homage to an article on the unstoppable rise of boutique bakeries? Sign up for Lilla’s January 2020 Editorial LIVE course NOW to find out!
Win a Lilla Rogers Studio tote!
Any ideas what the January 2020 Editorial LIVE topic will be this time? Head over to our Instagram account to share your guess and you could win a gorgeous Lilla Rogers Studio tote bag!
What do think the subject of Lilla’s next Editorial LIVE course topic could be? Share your guess on our Instagram account and you could win a tote!
We’ve got one bag to give away, and Lilla will even throw in some beautiful greetings cards by her artists. The Closing date is Thursday, January 23rd (don’t forget to join us for our FREE Facebook Live event on Monday, January 20th at 2 pm ET/7 pm GMT in case Lilla gives away any clues!), and the winner will be picked at random in case of a draw.
Lots of love
The MATS team xxx
P.S. If you missed Lilla revealing the FREE #MATSprep for Editorial LIVE in her fabulous Facebook Live event back in November, don’t despair: we’ll be giving it out with next week’s newsletter. Don’t miss out!
