How creating characters can get you jobs!
It’s just two and a half weeks until the start of Bootcamp Special: Character Play 2024 and we can’t wait to see the amazing work that is going to come out of class this year!
In this playful and inspiring three month course, you’ll get something from your teachers – brilliant children’s book art director and author Zoë Tucker and creative director, art agent and smash-hit game creator Riley Wilkinson – every Monday that will help you create some winning art for your portfolio that’s specifically designed to get you paying jobs, from packaging to picture books – plus stickers, Google ads and more.
Paying jobs like these from some of our students … Read on to find out more!
Don’t forget, Bootcamp Special: Character Play starts Monday, July 8th and won’t run again until 2025 – find out more and sign up now.
Kim Malek
Kim landed a fabulous job designing packaging for children’s yogurts based on work she’d done for Make Art That Sells.
The characters Kim created for an amazing packaging job for Nancy’s Yogurt. Kim told us: “They saw my work from [class] and knew that I would be the perfect fit for this project!”
Kim told us: “I am so excited to share with you an amazing packaging illustration gig I got based on work I showed from Make Art That Sells classes! Nancy’s Yogurt hired me to create flavor characters for their new kid-friendly organic yogurt packaging. Each flavor features a hero icon that reads as both a fruit and an animal, playing in a rich storybook environment.”
The packaging for Nancy’s Yogurt with Kim’s animal-fruit characters. Kim told us that she got this fabulous job based on the art she’d created for Make Art That Sells courses.
Kim continued: “The characters needed to be adorable and engaging, and instantly read as a flavor. The whole feeling is playful, and a little bit out there. They saw my work from Bootcamp Special: Character Play, Illustrating Children’s Books and Editorial: Illustrating for Magazines and More, and knew that I would be the perfect fit for this project. Lilla’s Art Recipes: Drawing Faces also provided a great warm-up for Bootcamp Special: Character Play!”
Art by Kim for last year’s Bootcamp Special: Character Play, which starts Monday, July 8th. Sign up now and fill your portfolio with gorgeous art designed to get you work!
Kim added: “We had a pretty tight deadline, so I also used skills I’d picked up in MATS MBA (Money BadAss) to streamline my processes and clear the decks to make time for some intense work.”
Kim finished: “It was a dream come true!”
See more of Kim’s art on her website and Instagram.
Patricia Hooning
Patricia is about to start work on her third picture book and tells us that the publisher referred to art that she made for Bootcamp Special: Character Play when she got the gig!
A spread from the picture book that Patricia is currently working on. The publisher referenced her work for Bootcamp Special: Character Play when she got the job!
Patricia told us that this book is about Saint Nicolas, who brings presents for children on 5th December, and it will be available from October in the Netherlands and Belgium, and possibly Germany.
Some of Patricia’s art for Bootcamp Special: Character Play. The publisher told her: “Style-wise we really like the vibe in these illustrations you have made” when she got her book illustration deal.
Patricia added: “When I got the email from the publisher for the latest book, they referred to a file on my website that I created for Bootcamp Special: Character Play. They said: ‘Style-wise we really like the vibe in these illustrations you have made’.”
See more of Patricia’s art on her website and Instagram.
We hope you enjoyed seeing our students’ gorgeous art and checking out some of the myriad of jobs that are out there for artists who can create appealing characters!
If you want to learn how to create characters like these and pack your portfolio with art designed to get you jobs, don’t forget that Bootcamp Special: Character Play starts Monday, July 8th – sign up here!
- Class starts Monday, July 8th: Join brilliant children’s book art director and picture book author, Zoë Tucker, and creative director, art agent and smash-hit game creator, Riley Wilkinson, for Bootcamp Special: Character Play and discover how to make winning characters for books, toys, games and more! FUN FACT: This course is just £99 (approx. $126)!
- Monday, July 8th: FREE live event! Meet your teachers! Join Zoë and Riley for a FREE live Zoom event at 12 noon ET/5 pm BST on the first day of Bootcamp Special: Character Play to meet your teachers and get your questions answered by two industry experts!
- Next newsletter: Get art agent Lilla’s inside scoop on time management for artists.
Lots of love
The MATS team xxx
