Lilla here. Today I’m sharing the first part of a FREE two part #MATSprep illustration assignment I’ve created for you to get you warmed up and ready for Bootcamp Special: Character Play, which starts Monday, July 10th!
Q: Hold up. What’s Bootcamp Special: Character Play?
A: Bootcamp Special: Character Play is a playful, relaxed course that’s designed to boost your creativity and give you more income streams for your art, so you can make more money doing what you love. It focuses on two fabulous art markets – children’s picture books and toys and games – and is taught by two top experts.
I am grateful to the thousands of students who have taken my Make Art That Sells courses and the kind words you send me about my teaching style, because you’ve found that my assignments grow your art like nothing else and because they help you land real paying jobs. You wanted a whole course that was nothing but assignments, so I created the student-favorite Assignment Bootcamp course, which is now in its tenth year: three months of professional level assignments created just for you by an art agent.
Let Zoë, Riley and me show you how easy it can be to create winning characters that you can license for children’s books, toys, games and more.
If you adored Assignment Bootcamp and you’re jonesing for more – or you’re absolutely kicking yourself for not signing up – you do NOT want to miss Bootcamp Special: Character Play.
Bootcamp Special: Character Play follows the same much-loved formula as Assignment Bootcamp, in that you get something every Monday for the duration of the course – maybe a video, a mini assignment, an insight from a creative professional or something else – and a fresh new assignment every month that will help you crank out some gorgeous portfolio art designed to get you paying gigs. The focus is all about creating appealing characters that you can license in two fantastic art markets: children’s picture books, and toys and games.
Meet your teachers: brilliant children’s book art director and picture book author, Zoë (left), and art agent and smash-hit toy creator, Riley (right).
Plus it’s taught by two of your favorite Make Art That Sells teachers: brilliant children’s book art director and picture book author, Zoë Tucker, and art agent and smash-hit toy creator, Riley Wilkinson. I know you’re going to love the energy of these two amazing creatives and the wealth of information they have to share with you!
Win a free place in class!
Join me, Zoë and Riley for a FREE live Zoom event on Monday, July 10th at 12 noon ET/5 pm BST and you could win a FREE place in class! You’ll get to meet Zoë and Riley if you don’t know and love them already, plus we’ll be discussing the art you created for the free #MATSprep and tons more.
Plus we’ll be giving away a FREE place in class! Don’t miss it – set an alarm on your phone now so you don’t forget!
Q: Okay. What’s a #MATSprep, and why should I do it?
A: A #MATSprep is a free illustration assignment that I write for you and share in the Make Art That Sells newsletter and blog to get you prepared and inspired for class! They’re open to everyone, whether you’re taking the class or not, and they’re a great way to learn a little more about the class, the art market, and my way of teaching, that tricks you into doing your best work.
They’re a great way to get ready for class, plus the #MATSprep, like all the assignments I write for my Make Art That Sells classes, are created using the insights I get from seeing all the jobs that my artists are getting, which means I know exactly what clients are looking for, and which markets are hot right now.
Lele’s original artwork that she created for the #MATSprep (left) and the gift cards she was commissioned to create after they saw her art (right)!
For example, Make Art That Sells Lele Saa took part in the FREE #MATSprep for Bootcamp Special: Character Play last year and ended up landing a paying job!
Lele told us: “I chose to draw the treats from one of my favourite bakeries here in Cambridge (UK). I looked at their photos and illustrated some of their famous items. The owners loved the illustration I did and commissioned me to use it to create a gift card for their shops! It wouldn’t have occurred to me do that illustration if it wasn’t for the #MATSprep. All the assignments are worth a try, so go for it! People definitely buy your joy.”
Convinced? Here’s Part 1 of your FREE #MATSprep …
Here’s your assignment: Desserts!
For the first part of this #MATSprep, I want you to draw a few desserts that you might find in a bakery.
Art by my artists Clairice Gifford (left) and Janie Secker (right).
What kind of bakery are you imagining? Maybe a French patisserie or Middle Eastern? Perhaps a whimsical bakery food truck or a dainty cupcake shop?
What kinds of desserts will you draw? Cookies? Eclairs? Sweet, flaky baklava? Curvy croissants? Ornate mooncakes? A slice of seven-layer double chocolate cake topped with loads of pink frosting, sprinkles and sparklers?
The Buttercup Bakery in Berkeley, California. Does this assignment throw up some fun memories or associations for you? Food can be such a powerful stimulus for memories! Tap into that.
Here’s a Memoir Moment from me: The Buttercup Bakery, on College Ave, was around the corner from my apartment on Alcatraz Ave in Berkeley in 1974 when I was a 19-year-old hippie art student at California College of the Arts. Fun Fact: Suzy Orman was a waitress there at the time, before she became a famous financial guru. What does the prep make you think of or remember?
Art by Make Art That Sells students Kate McFarlane (left) and Olia Shovkova (right).
Tip: Think about your color palette, and have fun with it. Will you go bright? Soft? Dark? Anyone who’s taken my classes knows how much I love color. Your choices here will affect the whole mood of your piece.
Art by Make Art That Sells students Jan Schmidt (left) and Van Huynh (right).
What medium will you use? Something precise, something messy? Again, this will affect the mood and tone of your finished art. The purpose of a #MATSprep is to play without any pressure, so try to have fun with it. And this course really is for all levels: it doesn’t need to be perfect.
Art by Make Art That Sells students Laura C Moyer (left) and Tracey Coon (right).
Another Memoir Moment: here’s an image from an accordion matchbox card commission I did for Chronicle Books in 1997. I think I scanned in the brush lettering and drew this with my mouse, possibly in Fractal Design Painter!
Art by me, Lilla Rogers, for Chronicle Books, 1997.
Look out for Part 2 of the #MATSprep in next week’s newsletter! You’re going to take your art and turn it into a character! It’s easier than you think. Stay tuned!
And of course don’t forget to share your art so that I can see what you do. Share it online tagging @makeartthatsells and using the hashtag #MATSprep so I can find it easily. I can’t wait to see it!
Mark your calendar:
- Hurry HURRY – Bootcamp Special: Character Play starts July 10th. Register now!
- Join Lilla, Zoë and Riley for a FREE live Zoom event on Monday, July 10th at 12 noon ET/5 pm BST. Set a reminder now!
- In our next newsletter: Get Part 2 of your FREE #MATSprep assignment!
Your fairy artmother
P.S. Don’t forget to join me, Zoë and Riley in the FREE live Zoom event on Monday, July 10th at 12 noon ET/5 pm BST for a chance to win a FREE place in class – pop a Post-It on your sketchbook now!
