Lilla here. I can’t wait to tell you about our newest wild adventure!
I’m so excited to share my latest adventure with you – it perfectly combines two of my greatest passions: my love of teaching and my love of art supplies.
If you’ve ever been to or seen my studio, you probably know that I have practically every art supply in the whole world!
Art supplies are my love language
From more than five decades in the art biz, I’ve got drawers of gouache and watercolor tubes organized by color; deeply pigmented oil paints and oil mediums; funky, sparkly and chunky acrylic mediums; silky 6B charcoal pencils; soft and absorbent printmaking paper; crispy linoleum blocks; and soft, richly colored handmade pastels sorted in wooden drawers!
There’s a good chance I already have every art supply in the world, but I think I probably still need more, right?
So just imagine my delight when we concocted the idea of adding a curated art supply list for each month of my newest course, Portfolio Club, which starts January 5th.
Introducing Lilla’s Art Carts!
You’ll get a list of suggested art supplies, called Lilla’s Art Carts, for each of the eight monthly Portfolio Club assignments I’ve written for you. I’ll give you the list in advance of the reveal for each assignment so that you have what you need ahead of class.
Guess what? I’ve customized the list for each monthly assignment—each with its own special color palette!
So, for example (spilling the beans!), the vibe of the January assignment is ‘cozy,’ for a magazine assignment, so I’ve gathered a collection of art supplies in a warm, lush, dreamy color palette.
Plus, for each month’s Art Cart, I’ve added a few unexpected supplies like perhaps an unusual color of deep burgundy gouache, a smudgy lavender pastel or even copper metallic leaf or embroidery floss! It might include a special watercolor pad or a journal that I love, but also some things that I can’t tell you about, so that you get to enjoy the monthly surprise. I’ve thrown in some wild supplies to spice up your art-making!
Then, when we meet in class on Zoom on the first Friday of the month, I’ll demonstrate the materials in a video to share some techniques and answer your questions, so you get even more motivated. So these monthly Zoom videos should answer all your questions!
Note that the supplies are completely optional, and you may already have some of them in your own stash! And if you don’t have exactly the same ones, it’s fine simply to use whatever you have already.
Why did I create the Art Carts for my Portfolio Club course?
- As we artists know, art supplies are excellent motivators! I wanted to add some fun and excitement to your art-making.
- The monthly Art Cart supply lists are a way for you to explore some new materials which will enrich your art making.
- You may find some new ways of working.
- You’ll learn about all kinds of supplies and ways to use them that you might not be familiar with.
- It’s fun to buy art supplies!
Some of my recent artwork. I love to mix up traditional and digital media.
How does it work?
A few weeks ahead of each new monthly assignment, in the classroom you’ll get the new Art Cart list with links, which will take you to our own MATS page on Blick.com, where you can purchase any or all of the supplies for class.
The new supplies will be revealed each month! We’re sharing the first list, for Portfolio Club’s January assignment, to give you a little taste of what you can expect in the months ahead (and because who doesn’t love to browse art supplies, right?). Click here to see the first art supply list!
Q: Do I need to buy everything on the Art Cart list each month?
Definitely not! You may have some of these things already, or you may want to just learn about then and decide later to buy. You can pick and choose.
Q: “But Lilla,” you say, “I work digitally. Do I need to buy traditional art supplies? Can I take Portfolio Club if I work digitally?”
I’m so glad you asked! You can work totally digitally for class, absolutely!
That said, as an agent I would say that the majority of my artists worked both digitally and traditionally. Why? It adds richness to your work. There are things that only traditional media can do, like how watercolor explodes in a unique way in water, how pastel get messy and smudge in their own way, as your fingers get covered in lots of different colors, and so forth. Sometimes they would make watercolor-y textures to bring into Procreate, or the draw and paint objects and things traditionally and then bring them in and move them around.
I myself use both Procreate and traditional supplies because I love the freedom of Procreate but the sensuousness and lushness of traditional media.
There’s no right or wrong; it’s what you love to do, and this course is the perfect class to try things out—as a beginner or even a seasoned, working illustrator! All levels are welcome.
I just love playing with and smushing pastels and other supplies, and I can’t wait to share some demos with you.
Q: I’m a working illustrator/artist and already have my way of working. Is this for me?
A: Congrats! Yes, because the greater variety of materials, the more opportunities are open to you. For example, if you show in your portfolio or on Instagram a lush, deep-colored piece of art plus a bold, graphic, vibrant piece, you attract both kinds of jobs.
Q: I’m kinda afraid. I’m a beginner.
A: No worries! You can simply do little tiny fun experiments to test out the supplies like what I’ll show in the monthly Zooms. You won’t feel overwhelmed, and in fact, you will learn a ton and be super motivated!
If you have any more questions for me, be sure to bring them to the FREE live Zoom event on the first day of Portfolio Club, January 5th. Mark your diary now!
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Think of the Art Carts as monthly art appetizer buffets. It’s a way for you to see what you might like to pursue in the future, but as I write this, I’m thinking that maybe I’ll teach a deeper dive into one of the materials, and take my cues from what my students get most excited by!
Some more of my recent art. I love every art supply.
I’ve had such an enjoyable time creating these Lilla’s Art Carts for you, giving you monthly color palette guidance, to introduce you to some materials you may not have ever used, and instruction and encouragement to try new supplies and ways of creating. You’ll find that all of this will get you creating more art. And the more art you make, absolutely the better you get!
It’s very simple—you’ll find the Art Carts here, and you simply click on the link over to the wonderful Blick site to get the supplies. You can buy everything a la carte, picking and choosing what you want, so if you already have something, you can skip it.
I suggest that you order in advance so you have everything you need in time for each monthly assignment, so for January, go ahead and order new so you have everything by January 5th for the Mini assignment or January 7th for the Big assignment or January 9th for the live Zoom where I’ll demo the materials and answer questions.
I’m delighted to be an affiliate to Blick.com, a great independent company, so we get a tiny percentage of sales, but this doesn’t affect your prices of the supplies. I have used and love everything that I’m including in the Art Carts (unless otherwise stated). And remember, it’s totally optional to buy these supplies and they are not required for Portfolio Club.
I am so excited for you to join me on this brand-new creative romp!
P.S. Want to let your nearest and dearest know that you’d love to get Portfolio Club for the holidays? Download Lilla’s fab FREE and oh so subtle ;) Hint Letter here.
