We often talk about how Make Art That Sells courses are career-changing. Today we want to share how they changed the lives of three artists.
Sometimes it can be a little lonely being an illustrator, right? Working by yourself for hours on end.
That’s why we think one of the very best things about Make Art That Sells courses is – well – YOU. Our Make Art That Sells community. More than 30,000 students from across the globe, from dozens of countries and both hemispheres, who have come together with one aim: to make better art and to make money from doing it.
And at the same time, they’ve created something else too: a global community of creatives just like you, who can give advice on works in progress, share tips on everything from which brushes to use to how to format a contract, sympathise with frustrations and celebrate successes.
As we celebrate our big 10th anniversary, we also wanted to spend some time celebrating the people who’ve made it all possible, and who have made it such a joy along the way – you lovely lot. We asked our community for some stories about the Make Art That Sells community, and here are some of the tales they told us. Enjoy!
Antler Wildling
Antler received help from the Make Art That Sells community when she was first starting out as an illustrator, and is now able to pay it forward.
Antler tells us: “My first Make Art That Sells course was bought for me as a gift by a family member. As well as the motivating assignments, it was the incredible community that kept me coming back.”
Art by Make Art That Sells student Antler Wildling for Assignment Bootcamp: Portfolio. Antler was supported by the Make Art That Sells community at the start of her journey.
Antler continues: “I was transitioning from working as a teacher to trying to make a living from art, and those first years were hard. Sometimes I cried about not being able to eat well, let alone buy classes. I confided in some fellow course mates and the support was incredible. One person (that I’d only ever met in class) even sent me European bank notes from a previous holiday, together with a note encouraging me to keep going. Unbelievable kindness.”
Art by Make Art That Sells student Antler Wildling for Assignment Bootcamp: Portfolio.
Antler adds: “Five years later, I’m able to say that I make 100% of my income through art and writing. I’m looking forward to Lilla’s retreat (funded wholly via drawing) and was able to start paying it back/forward by buying some Make Art That Sells courses for others (in exchange for them being accountability buddies to keep me on track … Win/win!). I love this community. How great would it be if we could all end up helping each other access art classes as the results of taking them start to pay off for us?”
See more of Antler’s art on her Instagram.
Jen Jamieson
Jen shared a story of how a critique group that was created during a Make Art That Sells course was a huge support during the pandemic, led to the creating of the Friday Doodle Club, and is still in touch now.
One of Jen’s character studies for Illustrating Children’s Books.
Jen tells us: “I thought I would get in touch as I feel Make Art That Sells has been a massive part of my journey and helped me immensely in my career as a children’s illustrator.”
Jen says: “My first Make Art That Sells course was Editorial: Illustrating for Magazines & More in January 2020. Someone put a shout-out in the Facebook group about creating a critique group, and so I decided to join. After that, of course, the whole world went into lock down and we soon realised this little group of illustrators was much more than a critique group. We were there to support each other, share each other’s successes and listen to each other’s moans and worries.”
Full page spread by Make Art That Sells student Jen Jamieson for Illustrating Children’s Books. She’s now fully booked with middle grade book illustration jobs!
Jen continues: “That summer, we all did Illustrating Children’s Books, and I vividly remember Lilla telling me that my style suited middle grade books much more: it was reassuring as I could see my work was different from all the beautiful picture book work other students produced, and I was happy it found a home.”
Jen adds: “Something that stuck out to me was the importance that Lilla and Zoë placed on emotion and action in our characters. As a result, three of my friends from the initial critique group and I set up the Friday Doodle Club, posting a prompt every Friday which encourages others to create interesting, dynamic characters full of emotion, just like Zoë and Lilla taught us. We still run the Friday Doodle Club: we love it because it means we get to chat together at least once a week, usually every day, even though we live in different parts of the world.”
Art by Jen for My Kid Book Pitch.
Finally Jen says: “And now, three years on, I am fully booked with book work for middle grade books and always, without fail, the publisher tells me they love my characters and the emotion and the movement they bring to stories. My first illustrated middle grade book, Finn Jones Was Here, written by Simon James Green, was published in the UK in June and was Indie Children’s Book of the Month for the whole of May. And I felt totally equipped to take on the challenge, thanks to the Illustrating Children’s Books courses I did and Lilla and Zoe’s guidance.”
See more of Jen’s art on her website and Instagram. Find the Friday Doodle Club here.
Nancy Salus
Nancy told us how getting to take part in the free MATS MBA (Money BadAss) class in 2020 changed her life and inspired her to follow her long-forgotten dream of being an illustrator and writer of children’s books.
Nancy tells us: “When I was a child, I designed clothes for my paper dolls and loved to color on the walls. I couldn’t have been happier. Then in high school, the art teacher told me I wasn’t good enough to take the advanced art classes. I was devastated, as I loved to draw. I thought art wasn’t for me. I still drew, but thought of it as a hobby.”
Art by Nancy for My Kid Book Pitch.
Nancy continues: “Meanwhile, I worked as an accountant, a job counsellor for the mentally ill, and a teacher’s assistant for disabled children. They were very fulfilling, but the whole time I knew I was meant to do something else. In my heart, I had a secret dream of making children’s books. I wrote lots of stories, and even joined a women’s writing critique group when my kids were young. But illustrating them was an out of reach dream. Or so I thought.”
Nancy continues: “In 2017, I found a class online from a company called Make Art That Sells. Dare I take it? Money was tight with two kids in college. But my husband supported me and said I should try it. So, I did! My first course was Illustrating Children’s Books. I was out of my depth. I wasn’t tech-savvy, and my first assignment went into the gallery … upside down! I was mortified. There were amazing artists in that class whom I still admire, such as Tracey English.”
Nancy says: “After that I took Assignment Bootcamp. I found my people and I started to remember my dream. I continued making art, creating and writing, but it was during the pandemic that Make Art That Sells truly changed my life. (I’m crying now remembering it. It was profound.)”
Art by Nancy for Illustrating Children’s Books Plus. She told us how Make Art That Sells courses have inspired her to follow her dream of writing and illustrating children’s books.
Nancy continues: “In 2020, I signed up for the MATS MBA (Money BadAss) course, which was free during the pandemic: this was vital to me as I had been laid off from my teaching assistant job. As I immersed myself in the course, I was forced to confront my fears, remember that high school art teacher, and, most importantly, remember my childhood dreams. I sobbed more than once while taking that course. It was life-changing. I knew what I was always meant to do. I also knew I wouldn’t have changed anything in my life. My work with all those disabled children and adults with mental illness was so precious to me. But I had a dream to fulfil!”
Nancy says: “During a live zoom, I found myself volunteering for the opportunity of talking live with Lilla. When I spoke with her, I was so overcome that I began to cry. My son’s girlfriend had died in a car crash recently, and it all just came to a head in that moment. Lilla was so kind, as were all the artists in the class. Lilla looked at some collages I’d made for the class and was very encouraging. Everyone was so supportive. And that’s what Lilla has created: a safe, supportive, loving community of creatives.”
Nancy tells us: “I’m forever in Lilla’s debt for helping me unlock my dreams in the safest of environments. There were moments of profound joy and sorrow during that MBA class, but I also unearthed a passion that truly came from my soul.”
Nancy adds: “I continue to battle my demons: am I good enough? Can I ever learn all the technical computer stuff? Will someone love my story like I do? But – and this is a big BUT – I don’t let those thoughts and fears stop me! Ever!”
See more of Nancy’s art on her website and Instagram.
- September 1st: Our new FREE quarterly art challenge starts TOMORROW! You could win a place in Illustrating Children’s Books – get all the details here, then keep an eye on your inbox tomorrow!
- October 6th: Join art agent Lilla and children’s book art director Zoë Tucker for a FREE live Zoom event at 12 noon ET/5 pm BST ahead of Illustrating Children’s Books.
- October 9th: Our last LIVE course for 2023, Illustrating Children’s Books, starts Monday, October 9th. Find out more here, and look out for the FREE three-part #MATSprep warm up assignment on September 28th, October 2nd and October 5th.
- Next week’s newsletter: Find out who won our big 10th birthday card competition!
Lots of love
The Make Art That Sells team xxx
