Meet the six new artists being represented by Lilla Rogers Studio!

We want to give a big giant shout out to everyone who entered the GTS this year. The competition was fierce! So many of you went on to get commissions and agents from the exposure, and we are delighted for your successes! Those that keep at it, and grow their work, will succeed. That’s the simple formula.

We are so delighted that Kendra Binney was the grand prize winner. And the exciting part was that the work was so outstanding that Lilla and her studio ladies couldn’t resist taking on ALL SIX of the finalists!

Interesting fact: The judges’ six finalists’ picks were all MATS students! MATS works!

Meet all six of Lilla’s newest artists

Kendra Binney, Portland, Oregon

I’ve been following Kendra since we discovered her work in my Make Art That Sells courses four years ago where she stood out with her dreamy, magical style for a wall art assignment. While we know that she is capable of gorgeous imagery for things like home décor products, journal covers, fabric, and wall décor, we were delighted to see her brilliant ability to tell enchanting stories with unique characters in ethereal environments for the two GTS assignments. Her colors are addicting and her subject matter is fresh and enthralling. We are so eager to represent her, pitch her work, and see her stunning imagery show up on a vast array of beautiful things. Kendra, welcome to the Studio!

Final assignment

See more of Kendra’s work here.

Sarah Papworth, West Midlands, United Kingdom

I’ve been a huge fan of Sarah’s work for years, and watching her grow in my MATS courses has been so rewarding. We are crazy about her work and are impressed with her range. She is a watercolor master able to shift easily from luscious florals to dark and moody storytelling, all with charm. Her beautiful lettering work is key in getting a huge variety of projects. We can see getting her work in everything from magazine illustrations to home décor collections to bolt fabric to greeting cards and more.

Final assignment

See more of Sarah’s work here.

Åsa Gilland, Sweden/Indonesia

Everyone here absolutely loved Åsa’s wit on her the final assignment. We were saying things to each other like, “Did you see the glasses on that yak?” “The leash is an octopus!” She is an extraordinary talent, able to create characters with amusing personalities and unexpected twists. Here, for the children’s book text we provided about an odd pet, she reversed the expected and made the pet a little boy! There’s a reason she was both the People’s Choice and one of the judge’s top five. We are quite sure that she will be a busy children’s book illustrator and we are delighted to be a part of that.

Final Assignment

See more of her work here.

Julia Christians, The Harz Mountains, Germany

Zoë Tucker, my co-teacher in our Illustrating Children’s Books Course, and I loved what Julia did for the various assignments in class. She brought it. We were already fans, but the wit she displayed in her semi-final assignment just captivated us—the main character is so busy Instagramming that she misses out on the experience in front of her. Then, for her final assignment, she surprised us with warm characters in a lovely, richly-textured environment using an elegant color palette. We look forward to keeping her busy with books, from picture books to middle grade graphic novels, to adult covers.

Final assignment

See more of Julia’s work here.

Jennifer Potter, San Francisco, California

Another class star, Jennifer Potter’s background in video and animation explains why she creates such dramatic cinematic scenes. Everyone loved her work for the Final assignment. We can totally see keeping her busy with children’s picture books as well as middle grade graphic novels and adult fiction book covers. Just for starters.

Final assignment

See more of Jennifer’s work here.

Anke Rega, Berlin, Germany

I had the pleasure of speaking to Anke a while ago when she won a Skype call with me. She was motivated, charming, and determined to make a career of illustration. I am so impressed with how she stuck to her guns and kept working and evolving. When the GTS happened, the judges also saw her specialness. I knew her work was strong but I was blown away to see her children’s book spread and her graphic novel page for the GTS.

She brings an irresistible hipness to her work that we are excited to pitch—her cool people rendered in her signature cobalt blue and pink tones. We can envision her commissioned for a variety of editorial clients, from magazine work to story books, from graphic novels to portrait books to home décor collections.

Final assignment