On the eve of the Global Talent Search registration closing (Thursday is the last day to register), we wanted to share an insight into the upcoming Global Talent Search from a judge’s perspective. Art Director Margo Tantau of Midwest-CBK is one of the founding judges of the competition and was responsible for turning last year’s winner’s art into an incredible home decor line.

Lilla’s producer Beth Kempton caught up with Margo to find out what she looks for when judging, and reveals some of the actual products that are now available as a result of the 2013 winner’s prize. If you are registered for GTS, be sure to watch for some top tips and insight. And if you haven’t yet registered, we hope this video will help bring the competition to life, so you can see this is a very real competition with very real prizes that could seriously change your career.

Tomorrow is the last day to register. Go on, take the leap and register now. Someone has to win and it might just be you.

Want to know more about what happened to last year’s Finalists? Click below to see what they have been up to (HINT: They have been very busy!)

ZOE INGRAM (Grand Prize Winner)

DANIEL ROODE (Special Studio Winner)

VESPER STAMPER

EMILY BALSLEY

LIZZIE MACKAY

JOSEPHINE KIMBERLING

Last year the quality of entries was so high that we decided to offer a Special Studio Award in addition to the Grand Prize (which went to Zoe Ingram). The Special Studio Award was won by Daniel Roode, who won two years’ representation from Lilla Rogers Studio.

This past year has been an exciting one for Daniel, which has seen him stacked with work on lots of great jobs. Lilla’s producer Beth Kempton checked in with Daniel to find out more about what he has been up to, and what advice he would offer to anyone taking part this year (6 minutes):

You can see more of Daniel’s work here. And you can take his advice and ‘Dive in’ to the 2014 Global Talent Search here.

As the deadline for registering for the 2014 Global Talent Search rapidly approaches, we are excited to unveil one final prize…

A greetings card license with Design House Greetings! 

Design House Greetings works with super secret clients to produce awesome greeting card lines, and we are grateful to Company President Ceci Butler for this opportunity.

Have you registered yet? Time is running out – registration closes on Thursday and the first brief is release on August 5. ENTER NOW! You’ve got to be in it to win it!

We are very excited to get to share with you a new licensed product with one of our fun designs that can now be found on kids clothing with Jelly the Pug (sold through Zulily). Our ‘Floral Umbrellas’ design was licensed for this super cute ‘Yellow Cream Candy Evelyn Dress’ for infants, toddlers & young girls. We love how bright & fun the design looks on kids clothing!

Unfortunately the design has sold out for the moment but if you visit our shop we sell our ‘Floral Umbrellas’ design on fun cards & on over 30 unique products in our licensed collection with DENY Designs! – Rachael

This week we are sharing a series of stories from the 2013 Global Talent Search Finalists. This includes our Special Studio winner Daniel Roode, and our four runners up, Emily Balsley, Josephine Kimberling, Lizzie Mackay and Vesper Stamper.

Today we are checking in with Vesper Stamper, who was the People’s Choice Finalist…

What have you have been up to since the 2013 GTS competition?

At the annual Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference in New Jersey this June, I won both top prizes for the juried show—the Juried and the Member’s Choice! I’ll have a meeting at a major publishing house this fall. Immediately, I’ve had interest from several agents about my picture book work. It’s given me new confidence in my work and what I, individually, have to offer.

Juried show winning entry

 

I have to say that even with the huge successes that have come my way this year, I’ve had to make doubly sure that my priorities are in order. I’m so passionate about my work, it’s easy to let it consume me! But work is so much richer when balanced with the other parts of life. I’ve learned to take better care of myself and my family, and to nurture my soul, where the creativity comes from—the deepest inspiration isn’t always found at the drawing table!

If I could give one piece of advice for entrants this year, besides “trust your gut”, it would be to unplug as much as possible. Cultivate an analog life. Even if digital is your primary medium, we artists need to be as connected to our senses and the real world around us as possible. It’s tempting to spend so much time researching and promoting that we neglect the things that nurture us: nature, self-care, and especially relationships.

 

I’m grateful for everyone’s support in the People’s Choice last year, and to Lilla and the Studio Ladies for being so warm and encouraging! Good luck in this year’s competition, everyone!

All images courtesy of Vesper Stamper. Find out more and connect with Vesper here: website / blog / facebook / twitter

Taking part in the Global Talent Search is fun and will challenge you. If you get to the semi-final (shortlist of top 50) your work will get in front of our stellar panel of judges from across the industry. If you get to the final, by then thousands of people will have seen your work. And the winner wins all of these amazing prizes, including 2 years’ representation from Lilla Rogers Studio. Last year’s winner nearly didn’t enter because she didn’t know if she was ready, or ‘good enough. She was and she won. So might you. But you have to be in it to win it. REGISTER NOW!

Beth at the Lilla Rogers Studio filming Make Art That Sells

As artists there are many ways to generate income. One particularly rewarding and potentially lucrative option is teaching online. With this exciting prize, Lilla’s producer Beth Kempton of Do What You Love has offered:

1-1 e-course development advice session (via Skype/telephone) plus a free place on the all new E-course Creation Masterclass from Do What You Love.

Beth has produced and delivered online courses which have helped thousands of creative people all over the world to do what they love – she knows how to design, develop, deliver and promote them, ensuring top quality, value for money, and a fantastic community. If you are interested in teaching online, she is your woman. You can read our interview with Beth here.

Lilla says, “Beth is a brilliant, insightful, gifted – and fun – producer who I am honored to work with. You’ll gain invaluable insights from your private one-on-one with Beth!”

This is a fantastic opportunity to consider an alternative income stream, not to mention the fact that the 2014 GTS winner gets represented by Lilla Rogers Studio for two years!

Have you registered yet? Time is running out – ENTER NOW! You’ve got to be in it to win it!

This week we are sharing a series of stories from the 2013 Global Talent Search Finalists. This includes our Special Studio winner Daniel Roode, and our four runners up, Emily Balsley, Josephine Kimberling, Lizzie Mackay and Vesper Stamper. Today we are checking in with Emily Balsley…

 What have you have been up to since the 2013 GTS competition?

Drum roll please… New for 2014, the Global Talent Search winner will receive…

An all-expenses paid trip to England to participate in a major art event in June 2015!*

We cannot share details at this point as it is a hush-hush project – all will be revealed soon. What we can say is that if you win the 2014 Global Talent Search you are going to have an incredible experience, not to mention the fact that you will be represented by Lilla Rogers Studio for two years!

*Includes economy class air fare from your nearest major airport (if required), at least 3 nights’ accommodation and a daily subsistence allowance. The date and trip location will be confirmed to finalists at the final stage of the competition. Please note this prize is not transferable, the dates will be fixed and there will be no cash or other alternative.

Have you registered yet? Time is running out – ENTER NOW! You’ve got to be in it to win it!

This week we are sharing a series of stories from the 2013 Global Talent Search Finalists. This includes our Special Studio winner Daniel Roode, and our four runners up, Emily Balsley, Josephine Kimberling, Lizzie Mackay and Vesper Stamper. Today we are checking in with Josephine Kimberling…

What have you have been up to since the 2013 GTS competition?

I’ve been continuing to grow my licensing business and have had multiple lines of product launch – from fabric, stationery, handbags, gift bags and wall art, to housewares and tabletop collections, with more in the works.

I’ve been inspired to paint, and created a body of work that combines my own digital pattern work as collage with acrylics, spray paint and hand-made stencils for a unique look. I also recently signed with an agent so I could focus my time on what I love most – which is creating more art!

All images courtesy of Josephine Kimberling. Find out more about Josephine here.

Taking part in the Global Talent Search is fun and will challenge you. If you get to the semi-final (shortlist of top 50) your work will get in front of our stellar panel of judges from across the industry. If you get to the final, by then thousands of people will have seen your work. And the winner wins all of these amazing prizes, including 2 years’ representation from Lilla Rogers Studio. Last year’s winner nearly didn’t enter because she didn’t know if she was ready, or ‘good enough. She was and she won. So might you. But you have to be in it to win it. REGISTER NOW!

We are excited to share this fun new prize for the 2014 Global Talent Search from the lovely people at Badge Bomb:

Have you registered yet? Time is running out – ENTER NOW! You’ve got to be in it to win it!