Do you want to fill your illustration portfolio with job-snagging work, explore new art markets and find the joy in your art-making – all for just £1 (approx. $1.40) a day?
build a powerful illustration portfolio
One of our most popular and hotly anticipated courses, Assignment Bootcamp – now in its eighth year! – starts Monday, March 1st, and this year promises to be bigger and better than ever. If you’re new to Assignment Bootcamp or to Make Art That Sells, here’s the skinny:
- every Monday from March 1st to June 28th, you’ll get something new from art agent Lilla: maybe a blobby worksheet, a video tutorial, a fresh new color palette, a mini assignment, a trend board or something else. Add them together and …
- step by step, each month from March to June you’ll create a brand new illustration portfolio piece for a different art market, in a way that’s playful and enjoyable – as Lilla likes to say, she tricks you into making your best work!
And as if four months of creative inspiration at a rock bottom price isn’t enough to tempt you, here are five reasons why you NEED to sign up for Assignment Bootcamp 2021:
Reason #1: Make art that gets you jobs
In case you didn’t know, most of us are still in the midst of a raging pandemic <long, envious glance at our students in New Zealand>
Art created for Assignment Bootcamp 2020 by Erica Root, a Make Art That Sells student who is now represented by Lilla Rogers Studio after Lilla spotted her in class!
The good news is that creative careers are thriving, especially in areas such as toys and games, children’s picture books, puzzles, greetings card and more. Each of the assignments for Assignment Bootcamp is based on the work that art agent Lilla sees being assigned day after day to the artists she represents, so you can be sure that they’re bang up to date and right on trend, meaning that they’re designed to build a strong illustration portfolio and land you jobs.
Lilla says: “As an art agent, I assign jobs to my artists every single day. I know what clients want to see. What they assign. What they are looking for. Which imagery, themes, and topics are hot, which color palettes are exciting, which products are selling like gangbusters, and which aren’t. So I build my assignments around those considerations.”
Plus, Assignment Bootcamp is a great way to diversify your illustration portfolio and explore new art markets in an accessible and enjoyable way. The more markets you create art for, the more art you’ll sell.
Puzzle design for Bootcamp 2020 by Make Art That Sells student Marta Talarico. As a top art agent, Lilla knows exactly what’s selling right now!
Sure, that sounds great, but what if you feel like you’ve lost your creative mojo over the past few months? Another brilliant thing about Bootcamp is …
Reason #2: It’ll keep you motivated
We hear you. We’ve had nearly a year of living under incredibly stressful conditions. Maybe you’re in lockdown. Maybe you’re home schooling. Maybe you can’t take another Zoom. You’re feeling uninspired, these yoga pants are so damn comfy, and Netflix is calling.
Assignment Bootcamp gives you a huge boost, to help you find the joy in art making again. It gives you structure and accountability, because you’re making your unique art alongside a whole bunch of other creative people. You don’t have to think about what to draw or when or what the final result will be: you just open that week’s assignment and crack on, enjoying the here and now.
Make stunning, eye-catching, job-snagging portfolio pieces like this graphic novel by Make Art That Sells student Ruby Warnecke for Bootcamp 2020.
Plus Lilla’s unique teaching method is full of whimsy and surprises, which leads us on to …
Reason #3 Lilla’s inimitable style
As well as a top art agent, Lilla has also been an educator for decades, teaching everyone from kids to college students to professional artists. She prides herself on the effectiveness of her teaching, and she works hard to make her classes enjoyable and engaging so that you’re excited to do them and your joy shines through in the work that you do.
One way of doing this is to break things down into manageable chunks and to include plenty of surprises and twists along the way, so you’re always excited about what’s coming next. So for example, you might get one or two playful Mini Assignment at the start of the month, which you then build on when you get that month’s Main Assignment, so you’re eased into it and have already done a ton of the work – and then bam! Before you know it you’ve created a great piece of art for your portfolio.
Explore exciting and lucrative new markets for your art and create beautiful illustration portfolio pieces, like this abstract wall art by Make Art That Sells student Josiane Vlitos for Bootcamp 2020.
The assignments are designed to inspire and challenge you. You’ll make fresh pieces in your own style that sell to hot markets. You’re encouraged to be yourself and do it your way, in your medium. Want in? Sign up here.
Lilla says: “Part of the way I motivate artists is to build a level of suspense over the weeks. It’s the way I teach—to break everything down into bite-sized bits so students don’t get overwhelmed, and then to build up to the final piece. I always like to give a Mini Assignment that will bring out the best in each student. How? By making it approachable, easy to draw, but with a broad scope so there is plenty of room for diversity of styles.” Speaking of which …
Reason #4 It works for everyone, regardless of style or level
Bootcamp is for everyone, whether you’re just starting out or solidly booked with paying gigs. Maybe you’ll discover a new market for your art. Maybe you’ll see yourself improving week on week. Maybe you’ll just do some art you really love. Everyone is welcome, whatever your level and whatever your aims.
Each week you’ll get something new and exciting, which all adds up to create a finished piece of art, like this graphic novel by Make Art That Sells student Paloma O’Toole for Bootcamp 2020.
Lilla says: “The course is for anyone who wants to have a great time making their work better and market-ready in a supportive environment. All levels, all styles are welcome. I secretly design the assignments so that everyone benefits. We have top artists in the class as well as newbies. There’s a lot of energy in the course, and friendships develop that last for years.” Which reminds us …
Reason #5 You get to be part of a super supportive community
Making art can sometimes be a lonely experience at the best of times, but right now, we all need our communities more than ever.
Get something from art agent Lilla every week for four months and make gorgeous art in your own style, like this stunning illustration portfolio piece for Bootcamp 2020 by Make Art That Sells student Maria del Socorro Vega Hernandez.
In Assignment Bootcamp, as with all our courses, you suddenly have a network of wonderful creative people who are working on the same piece of artwork that you are. You have company! Support! People who get it! Whatever stage you’re at you’ll be able to find someone who understands where you’re at, plus it’s an incredible learning opportunity to see how other artists tackle the same assignment that you’re working on. There’s nothing better than making your best artwork with a lively group of like-minded students.
Are you ready to sign up? Are you ready to wake up every Monday to something new and inspiring from a top art agent? Are you ready to create some cool market-savvy art for your illustration portfolio?
It’s time to make a late new year’s resolution (admit it, you’ve already blown the ones you made back in January) to enliven your art practice, to grow, to be inspired, and to make your best art! Class starts on Monday, March 1st – join us!
Lots of love
The Make Art That Sells team xxx
