Why Make Art That Sells?
Top art agent Lilla Rogers created Make Art That Sells because she wants to help creative people to make a living from their art. She says: “I want gifted people to make money with their art. They deserve it. I want them to make art that sells, while being their own cool selves. That’s my deal.”
Every one of our outstanding raved-about courses was created to help creatives like you to make a living from making art, and they really work!
In fact, ALL of the new artists taken on by Lilla Rogers Studio since MATS began in 2013 have been former MATS students – 17 in total! (Read more about them and how they got chosen here and here). Why? Because MATS courses help you to make unique art in a way that will appeal to agents and art directors, so you can build a lucrative creative career. And with no Global Talent Search taking place in 2019, taking MATS courses is also a great way to get your beautiful art directly in front of art agent Lilla.
And now we’re thrilled to announce that Lilla’s agency, Lilla Rogers Studio, has scooped up yet another Make Art That Sells student for representation! LRS’s newest artist is …
Bambi Ramsey!
Meet Bambi Ramsey, MATS student and Lilla Rogers Studio’s newest artist!
Lilla says: “I took Bambi on because I completely fell in love with her work in MATS classes. I already had my eye on her from the classes she’s taken, but she blew me away with her work in Illustrating Children’s Books in fall 2018. She chose to illustrate the story that I’d written for Illustrating Children’s Books, Find Fuchsia Food Fast, and she brought it to life so beautifully: I could imagine a child seeing her art and really wanting to step right into the world she’d created.
Lilla says: “When I first saw this piece that Bambi created for a text I wrote for my Illustrating Children’s Books course, I knew I was dying to see her work in children’s books. Imagine what it would be like for the child who is looking through this book: the delight as they notice all the details like the shelf of jams, spotting the cat eyeing the love birds on the second floor, and did you notice the rocket ship in the alley?”
“She’s taken a whole stack of MATS courses, including Assignment Bootcamp 2018, Hot Markets for Your Art A + B, Creating Collections for Home Décor, Portfolio Review 2018, Lilla’s Art Recipes: Drawing Faces, the 2018 Global Talent Search (in which she as a semi-finalist), MATS Money BadAss – it’s hard to find a MATS course she hasn’t taken! Then she took Illustrating Children’s Books twice in 2018, and signed up for all my live courses with the My Year of Art School bundle in 2019.
Bambi did this lovely piece for Assignment Bootcamp.
“This means that she’s done a whole ton of art, so her work is really strong, and it’s given her a fantastic portfolio with a really wide range of work. The way that I make an income for an artist, and the reason that I wrote Hot Markets for Your Art A+B in particular, is from having artists who have strong pieces in multiple markets.
Here’s Lilla’s fab bingo board! Want your own blank copy? Click here to download.
“One fun and very useful thing that I did with Bambi’s work before I took her on was to put her art into the bingo board that I created for MATS classes. As an educator, I’m always trying to think of ways to make my courses playful, but it’s also a really great tool to see where your strengths are and where there are gaps in your portfolio. With Bambi, I thought I’d see how many of these markets she hits, and she has a wonderful range, with everything from beautiful watercolour florals to quirky children’s book illustration work to her portraits, such as Patti Smith, all of which will get her so much work.”
Lilla says: “I was thinking about taking Bambi on and wanted to see if she has the range I’m looking for. I thought it would be cool to fill out the bingo board with her work and I was thrilled at how many squares she hit.” Here’s the bingo board that art agent Lilla filled in for Bambi to show the variety in her work. Want your own bingo board to fill out? Click here to download a blank copy!
Huge congratulations to Bambi! We caught up with her to find out more about what brings her joy, how it feels to be approached for representation, and her MATS journey so far.
MATS: How did you get started in art and design?
Bambi: My mom gave me my first pen set when I was about 9 months old and I can’t remember a time when I have not been drawing since. I realized quickly after college that I would not be happy unless I was in a creative line of work.
Lilla says “I was delighted to see this image in Bambi’s portfolio. Why? I love when artists have images of figures, especially doing things in modern life. That’s something I can sell to the editorial market.”
MATS: Which MATS courses have you taken?
Bambi: Home Décor was my first real introduction to MATS live courses. I loved it so much that I signed up for the Illustrating Children’s Books course and was hooked! My Year of Art School helped me to finally put together a website (Portfolio Review Live), get organized (MATS MBA) and build my portfolio with quality new work.
This lovely piece of art with its unusual color palette caught Lilla’s eye in Creating Collections for Home Décor. Would you like to get your art in front of top agent Lilla too? Take any of our live review courses here!
MATS: Which was your favorite and why?
Bambi: Home Décor and Illustrating Children’s Books would probably tie for favorites. Both courses challenged and pushed me to grow, to dig deeper while offering so much valuable information and industry advice.
Bambi’s piece for the poses assignment from one of our Illustrating Children’s Books courses. Lilla and co-teacher Zoë loved how Bambi shows how this character is able to move in different poses including sitting, running, reaching, and sleeping. This is exactly what children’s book art directors need to see in a portfolio if they are going to assign an illustrator to illustrate a text.
MATS: What was the best/most valuable thing you learned from MATS?
Bambi: I think the most valuable thing I have learned from MATS is, as Lilla says, to “be you with a vengeance.” The MATS courses have helped me to see and embrace my personal style and feel confident in it.
MATS: How did you feel when Lilla got in touch to discuss representation?
Bambi: Thrilled and surprised! I was honored to be recognized by Lilla.
Bambi working hard at the second round of Lilla’s Global Talent search while camping in the Russian wilderness!
MATS: How have things been since then?
Bambi: Keeping quiet about the news has been challenging, as it is very exciting!
MATS: What’s your dream job?
Bambi: I would love to do a collection of dinnerware and illustrate a book of famous woman explorers!
MATS: What brings you joy?
Bambi: Spending time with my family, high mountain lakes surrounded by granite cirques, Kauai, being in a creative flow.
Bambi’s portrait of Patti Smith.
MATS: What’s your best tip or piece of advice for MATS students?
Bambi: Keep creating, don’t give up and be kind to yourself!
Stunning florals are a valuable addition to any portfolio.
MATS: Favorite piece of work from MATS?
Bambi: The spread I did for the last Illustrating Children’s Book class. I am definitely a maximalist and huge fan of detail, and I decided not to hold back. I was definitely feeling the joy!
MATS: What work did Lilla have you create for her before launch?
Bambi: Some portraits of bold, strong women – I chose women who were adventurers, explorers and wrote about their experiences and it has been some of the most rewarding work I have done so far. There is a pile of books on my nightstand I still have yet to finish and I definitely want to keep going with this series. She also had me do a scene of a farmers’ market with a similar attention to detail as my spread for ICB. Researching and drawing all of the different foods and stands was a delight!
Lilla worked directly with Bambi ahead of the reveal to create a few pieces that Lilla wanted to see in her portfolio, like this farmers’ market piece. Look at the beautiful color palette, the texture, and of course all those incredible details, from the different foods on each stall to that man-bun!
Thank you Bambi, and congratulations again!
Do you want representation? Do you want to create a kick-ass portfolio that will catch the eye of a top art agent and snag you fabulous jobs?
- Learn how to make gorgeous market-savvy art that sells while remaining true to your own unique style
- Get your work directly in front of a top art agent, children’s book art director or home décor creative director
- Imagine getting an email from a top agent offering representation, an art director saying they love your book pitch or your favorite magazine begging you to work for them!
Take the next step towards the life and career you’ve always dreamed of and sign up for one of our outstanding courses today!
Lots of love
The MATS team xxx
