Recently, out of the blue, a very cool temporary tattoo company approached me to do art for tattoos. Am I the coolest 69-year-old? Maybe. But of course, more importantly, if you stay in the business, keep showing up, things happen.

Not long ago, I had been doing some intricate drawings in my journal, using mostly fountain pens to color in the teeny tiny details. There was something incredibly calming and therapeutic about it. I forget why I wrote Expect Joy. It could’ve been that I was trying to calm myself down from political fears or life pressures. Anyway.

And then there were some funny little butterflies with feet I had been doing, which was a new thing for me, getting back into ink and watercolor, which I hadn’t done for maybe decades.

Magically, they were perfect for the project. Sometimes serendipity happens.

So when the wonderful folks at Tarttu reached out, open to anything I wanted to do, I had these ready to go.

I remember back in 1994 when my illustration MFA advisor told me this exact thing. She said, “Opportunities will come that you can’t even imagine.” Of course I didn’t quite believe it at the time but she was absolutely right.

My whole career is a testament to that, come to think of it.

You’ll love hanging out with your new friends as you paint, chat, sip coffee and listen to music in our own studio right on the estate.

I’ll guide and support you every step of the way. I’m here to help.

So you’ll build a treasure trove of varied and stunning color combinations and also make portfolio pieces. It’s going to be beautiful. And we’ll bond and enjoy the company of like-minded creatives.

But that’s just part of our week together! Read all about the Retreat here.

Book your place HERE!

https://uptrek.com/retreat/color-quest-art-retreat-artist-agent-lilla-rogers-portugal

I can’t wait to see you!

I have always had a love for creating artwork for life’s youngest bookworms.

I’ve mostly illustrated picture books, but recently I was thrilled to have the opportunity to illustrate my first novelty board book with Townhouse Books, which will be releasing soon.

I’m totally hooked on board books!

It’s a sweet, lift-the-flap book about putting woodland animals to bed.

It’s also got a cool cutout and gold foil on the cover!

The three images below were created for “Storyteller Summer Camp”, an instagram challenge I co-hosted with illustrator friends.

See more of Kim’s charming illustration work here.

Announcing my

Color Quest Art Retreat

She lives and works from her home studio in Adelaide, South Australia, with her husband Jeff, 5 teenagers 14-19 and 2 chihuahuas Chimichanga & Pippi.

The map became a label for their Urban Wine Collection. It was beautifully printed with embossing, debossing and spot UV. This wine collection is now exported worldwide. It really was a dream project and I loved being able to bring the vision to life for my client.

My client gave me free reign for this map project and so I made it a chronological history of all the travelling I’ve done around my home state. I thoroughly enjoyed this project and now sell this map myself.

It has been hugely popular.

Buy it here!

One thing I love about maps is doing research on places of significance and learning about them. I also love including little quirky things that are meaningful to my client and help bring the storytelling of the map to life.

I tend to work on one icon at a time and then bring them all into Photoshop to make the final composition. I also have a full library of painted textures which I use in every piece of work.

My favorite materials are pencils, notebooks and my iPad mini.”

You can see more Kate’s gorgeous artwork here.

Contact us to assign or license art. We’re happy to help you find the perfect artist or gorgeous images for your project!

Buy it here.

Buy them here.

We’ve agented commissions for some of the best artists in the world on, for example, a water tower in Albuquerque, painterly pillows and mugs for Anthropologie, huge murals for a Seattle hospital interior, for Ken Jennings middle grade books, many hundreds of picture books, miles of fabric, witty socks, charming tote bags, striking novel covers, and adorable toys. Agenting is dreamy.

(L-R) Patty Kantlehner, Julia Parker, Me, Susan McCabe, Kim Fleming

At 39 I founded an art agency with five artists, now forty-five artists.

At 58 I co-founded my teaching platform, Make Art That Sells, with brilliant Beth Kempton. I’ve taught over 40,000 students and I delight supporting them in their glorious creative careers.

I’ve loved every minute of it, but my passion for teaching has grown.

Closing the agency has not been an easy decision because I love mentoring my artists and working with my beautiful team, but, just as I always teach–follow your passions and let that be a guide–I am following my passions: teaching art on my Make Art That Sells platform and in Europe, writing, and making art.

After fifty years as a creative entrepreneur, how can I help the larger community? I want more time to teach on my beloved MATS platform, (I’m currently writing a brand-new course for 2025). I’ll begin a new chapter of teaching at week-long retreats in gorgeous locations in Europe like France, Portugal and Spain (and maybe finally do my book!)

For the immediate future my goal is to mentor my artists though this passage. I’m quite sure many of them will have no problem getting agents or might take this moment to try other creative adventures. Agents, feel free to reach out to them. They are stars.

Art directors and editors, we would be delighted to accept work for our artists through September 12. Rest assured, we will shepherd any new or existing projects for the life of the project. From September 13th onwards, you can reach out to our artists directly with new projects and that information will be on the website.

Should you need anything at all, simply reply to this email, or our team at info@lillarogers.com are just an email away.

To my beautiful, brilliant students, fear not! I will still be over at Make Art That Sells teaching with gusto, dreaming up more courses.

Agents, editors and art directors, if you would like to be a guest in a class review and see some of the strongest work by top artists as they create it, just reply to this email.

I hope we will meet in class or in person in Europe. (Ok, I’ll spill the beans. Just back from teaching lettering in France, I’ve been asked to teach in Spring 2025 in Portugal and Fall 2025 in Spain.)

And my thrilling new course for MATS is going to be about—oh sorry, just ran out of space. Stay tuned!

We never get bored of this walk, with its ever changing view throughout the seasons. There’s new plants unfurling daily, and always a chance of spotting swans flying overhead, a blur of a kingfisher along the bank, or if I’m very lucky seeing an otter darting into the river!

After our walk it’s off to the studio, a leisurely stroll down the garden path, tea in one hand, secateurs in the other!

After building the studio eleven years ago, the garden has naturally evolved around my obsession with plants and flowers! I’m inspired by the natural world, and love nothing better than to paint what’s around me!

I’ll often cut a few stems as I wander down the windy path, noticing what’s new and opening that day, ready to put in a jam jar to draw. Or if the weather’s good, I’ll pull up a seat and grab my watercolour set and paint right there amongst the flowers. My favourite work is always painting from life, I just lose myself in the process, listening to the birds and the buzzing of the insects.

It’s magical.

I use a Schmincke watercolour set and Winsor and Newton or Schmincke gouache, and mix the colours on old china dinner plates. I often use coloured pencils for details and textures.

My favourites are the Caran d’Ache Prismalo ones, or Faber-Castell Polychromos.

Writing and illustrating “We’re Having a Party (for Everyone!) was a total dream– I’m still pinching myself that I got to include bigfoot, a giant tooth, t-rex, and a viking in one book!

Out now!

Buy it here.

“Bursting with color and quirky illustrations, We’re Having a Party (for Everyone!) teaches young readers about social etiquette, accommodating others, and how much fun goes into planning a shindig. With funny details on every page and an imaginative double-twist ending, young readers will be eager to host an amazing dinner party of their own.”

I learned to trust my gut about a story idea. It’s hard to put your sense of humor out there, but when I presented it to Abrams, they totally got it and were on board.

The sheer amount of puns in some of the text. Also, getting to “hide” bigfoot in a lot of the spreads.

Right: Bigfoot from sketch to painty blob to final.

I remember sitting at my dinner table with my mom and sister and said “What about a book about how to act if the queen was coming to dinner?” Asking that silly question got my mind going!

Gouache, watercolor, procreate. I hand paint/draw most elements to get the texture, and then adjust the color digitally.

The idea came to me maybe 5 years ago, and then it was during Lilla’s Artist Residency in 2023 that I created the full pitch (manuscript and dummy). I pitched it at a LRS speed art dating zoom event and Meredith Mundy at Abrams really liked it and it got picked up!

I really love the advice that Lana gives her dog Lemon about being a host. It’s not stuffy etiquette, but it’s about thinking of what would make your guests comfortable and appreciated.

In my first picture book, “Ari Arranges Everything” there was only one main character. In “We’re Having a Party (for Everyone!)” there are two main characters and 15 party guests. It was a lot of time spent making sure there was consistency between all the illustrations.

We’re Having A Party (For Everyone!) is available for now. It released May 14, 2024.

See more of Katie’s fabulous illustration work here.

Downton Abbey actress Joanne Froggatt read ‘Like a Girl’ by Lori Degman and illustrated by Mara Penny on BBC CBeebies Bedtime Stories.

Joanne says: “The story is so beautiful and empowering. I hope you enjoy it.”

Watch the replay here. (Note: the video starts around the 30 sec mark)

Like A Girl (Union Square Kids)

Buy it here.

“The perfect gift for any young animal-lover, this beautifully illustrated information book is an ideal introduction to the world of farm animals!”

Buy it here.

Let’s Put That Away (Random House Books for Young Readers)

“Embark on a rainbow-filled adventure of tidying up with your little ones! In this charming board book, New York Times bestselling authors and founders of the Home Edit invite kids to unlock the joy of a tidy space and learn lifelong organizational skills. Written in simple language paired with easy-to-follow directions and charming illustrations.”

Pre-order here.

Congrats Katie!!

Buy it here.

Buy it here.