Lilla Rogers » thoughts

Wednesday, February 13th, 2013
An illustrated book review of Lilla’s book

“The second i heard Lilla Rogers was releasing a book i put it on my amazon wishlist. her agency, lilla rogers studio, represents so many of my very favorite current artists. my work isn’t ready for her yet, but hopefully someday. last week i saw on twitter that her book was being released earlier than planned, so i obviously dropped everything and ordered a copy.

in a strange twist of fate, one of my bubbies had a bad case of the flu and was on the couch the entire week. so i was a good mother and sat with her and snuggled on the couch. reading lilla’s book, of course. my daughter is an artist, too, so she enjoyed the pictures (of which there are many!)

i wanted to do a review of the book and all i kept coming up with was an image in my head of how the book made me FEEL. (remember, feelings are a big part of my 2013) so you will have to check out the image [below] for my illustrated book review.

lilla makes me feel like it really is possible to make money with my art if i continue to work really hard at creating lots of work. lots of GREAT work. lots and lots of practice. she gives great advice on overcoming obstacles to creativity. and an awesome 12 step program to make great art.

the chapter on getting to know the marketplace for your work is really helpful, with interviews from lots of art directors in all different types of markets. you’ll get a glimpse into the minds of art directors working in bolt fabric, children’s picture books, children’s print apparel, home decor, licensing, gift market, and others. i love the sections in this chapter where lilla includes a little place for you to assess your art :: what potential markets are for you and your work?

lilla includes a chapter on creating goals and a timeline, and she gives a great outline for your game plan. very inspiring!

the book is loaded with real-life examples from artists, illustrators, art directors, lilla and even her mom!”

Buy Lilla’s book on Amazon here.

no comments • blog / thoughts

Friday, October 21st, 2011
poetry feeds

Sarajo writes:

“Lettering. Poetry. Inspiration. For no other reason!
Earlier this year I saw Color Moves: Art & Fashion by Sonia Delaunay at the Cooper Hewitt where I picked up a copy of “Blaise Cendrars Complete Poems.” He and Sonia were friends and she created the abstract for his “The Prose of the Trans-Siberian,” included in the exhibit. It was a fold-out sheet six and a half feet tall, with multiple typefaces in color on the right and the as-yet unknown Sonia’s pochoir abstraction on the left. Cendrars famously constructed myths of his biographical details. His given name wasn’t Blaise Cendrars. It is true that he joins the French Foreign Legion (World War I) and survives attacks in May 1914 where 100,000 are lost in a month. A year later he loses his arm in another battle. After the war, he collaborates variously with Jean Cocteau, Guillame Apollinaire, Erik Satie, and Abel Gance (film), and writes a novel about General Sutter (“Sutter’s Gold”) in 1925. His poetry is fresh and inventive and worth exploring.”

2 comments • blog / thoughts

Friday, September 23rd, 2011
Susan’s burros blog post

Guest Blogger Susan McCabe:

After seeing Lisa Congdon, lying in repose in the pages of Martha Stewart Living, I realized, as her agent, it was time to come clean. Hey, I collect stuff too! It’s just not likely Martha will pay my collection much mind. You might get a kick out of it though.

People always ask me, is it a donkey, mule, ass or burro collection? Here’s what I’ve learned. A mule is a domesticated, hybrid animal that results from crossing a mare (female horse) and a jack (male donkey). A donkey is really just a domesticated ass often used to pull carts. Which, of course begs the question, “What is an ass?” It’s a four-footed hoofed animal related to the horse, but smaller, with longer ears, a shorter mane and often a dark stripe along the back. A jackass, is simply a male ass. The main difference between jackass and donkey is their domestication — the ass is wild and the donkey, tamed.

But what about the burro? A burro is a small donkey often used as a pack animal because it is particularly sure-footed. I don’t really know if burros pull carts regularly but ceramic burros often carry baskets laden with goods and they look pretty fabulous in little hats. I reveal to you my stable of burros.

These better behaved donkeys get to display themselves in my dining room.

1 comment • blog / thoughts

Friday, July 29th, 2011
Lilla’s Time Management Tips for Artists

Good news: You’re getting lots of work. But I can know it’s very stressful. I’ve been there when I was a full-time artist with tons of projects, and here are my tips on time management:

1. Write each item on a small sticky piece of paper (post-it notes).
An item to write down might be:
sketch animals for bag
get ideas for pattern
scan in all line drawings
color in patterns
etc.

Break down each item so that it is small.

2. Then, take a large calendar and place those post-it’s onto the calendar, spreading them out until the due dates.

Realistically see how each day looks. Too many post-it’s in a single day? Spread it out more. See how it looks and that will help you decide if you have any time available for any projects. That way, you are making a decision based on facts.

I hope that helps! I still use this method.

Also: get lots of good healthy food for your refrigerator. Prioritize your life so that you only do what’s really important to you.

Good luck!
–Lilla

1 comment • blog / thoughts

Monday, April 4th, 2011
Design for Japan

Ashley sent this site to me: Design for Japan.
Lovely, poignant, bittersweet.
Design for Japan describes themselves as “A collection of artwork made in the hope of raising money for Japan after the earthquake and tsunami on 11th March 2011.”

Wednesday: New work by Rebecca Bradley

no comments • blog / thoughts

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
Hsinping thoughts and art the Japan disaster

Hsinping writes from Taiwan:

“Dear Lilla,

I feel so sad about the disasters happened in Japan.
And I read your post, thanks for encouraging us to keep creating.
I made this drawing today.
I hope I will bring some uplifting spirits to people who see the drawing.
That is my way to contribute.

Thank you!”

1 comment • blog / thoughts

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011
Creative People and Sadness

Dear Creative People,
My heart is breaking for the people of Japan. And Libya, Haiti, Katrina…
I know for creative people especially, these things hurt deeply, and can take us away from our joyful creativity. I want to encourage you to find the will to continue to create, make art, sing, dance. It helps uplift everyone. That’s why mother nature made the arts. To uplift spirits during hard times. Use your gifts to contribute in that way.
Please let me know your thoughts.
–Lilla

3 comments • blog / thoughts

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010
Illustrator Confidence Level is High for 2011

Charles Hively of 3×3 Magazine writes this uplifting piece I wanted to share with you. -Lilla

“The results of our recent survey shows illustrators see a brighter
future for 2011. Based on 469 respondents from the US, Canada, United
Kingdom, Europe and Asia, 45% see themselves as better off financially
in 2011, 24% will be about the same and only 7% say they will be worse
off. This compares nicely to the AIGA Designers Confidence Index that
had 42.7% of graphic designers saying it would be better off, 47% about
the same and only 10.1% worse. A major difference was 24% of
illustrators answered that they didn’t know if they would be better
off, worse off or the same.

Asked about fees, 10% responded that fees had gone up, 29% that fees
had gone down and the majority, 46%, saying fees remained the same.

Asked about the number of projects, 32% saw an increase in the past
twelve months, 31% saw the number drop off and 28% saw the number of
assignments remain the same; 9% were unsure.

Participants included 53% from the US, 11% each from Canada and the UK,
18% from Europe and 7% from Asia. 53% were full-time illustrators, 34%
were part-time. 52% had a bachelor’s degree, 31% had a graduate degree;
58% were male, 42% female, 59% were between the ages of 25-44.

We will be able to break down the research in more specific areas of
age, years in the industry and education in an upcoming announcement
but for now we wanted to share these top-line results.

Find out the latest updates on the 3×3 blog.

Friday: Jillian Phillips’ new art, Part II

1 comment • blog / thoughts

Monday, July 13th, 2009
Some tips on creating artwork for licensing

Scour, study and obsess the best blogs to see what’s going on.
Do something fresh and original. Don’t copy what’s there. Add to the pot. What’s the next step in the cultural conversation?
What would you love to buy? What kind of artwork would you love to see produced on plates, journals, bedding, puzzles…
Visit the Surtex and Stationery shows in NYC or visit the European shows.
Have a great website that is FAST! I hate to look at a slow site.

Wednesday: New work by Jenn Ski

no comments • blog / thoughts

Join Our
Mailing List

Join OurMailing List

Join Our
Mailing List