Wow. We are just catching our breath now that we’re back from Printsource, and it was amazing!  We had a hugely successful show…. And we are so proud of our artists’ work.

We sold prints for all kinds of products to the most incredible clients including:
· Window valance curtains
· Infant bedding
· Scrubs
· Nursery décor
· A new product line
· Greeting cards
· Top of bed
· Pet products

Suzy Ultman’s dolls for Land Of Nod cozied up in the booth

The Lilla Rogers Studio booth all set up and ready for the show

And we even had a chance to obsess over beautiful yarns at Purl Soho-

xo,

Lilla, Joanne and Susan

The newest book I’ve illustrated is available in stores now!  Everybody Says Shalom is a spirited picture book tour of Israel with a cast of colorful characters and exotic locations.  And if you look very closely, you’ll see a tiny pink lizard named Gili hiding out on every page.  I know kids are going to have fun finding him.  I had a wonderful time researching and illustrating this book.  Now I can’t wait to visit Israel myself and try some of that famous falafel!  Everybody Says Shalom was written by Leslie Kimmelman and published by Random House Childrens’ Books.

xo,

Talitha

Welcome to our new column ‘Insight Spotlight’, where we share insights from industry experts in some of the hottest markets out there. This week we are pleased to offer expert advice from Mary Ann Hall from Quarry Books

Primary Market: The illustrated book market.

How can this market be lucrative for an artist?

Doing regular freelance work as a designer or illustrator, or if you are a really accomplished artist, perhaps you can author a book.

What is going to be hot in your market in 2015 such as subject matter, colors, products?

Beautiful art and creativity books that offer something really unique.

What kinds of products/offerings are a growth sector for your company?

Illustration practice and technique books have been our strongest category.

What do you look for when buying new art?

A unique vision, total beauty, accessibility for a wide market.

Is there any rhyme or reason to why some products sell well and why others don’t?

Not always. I am sometimes surprised!

What is the one thing you wish artists would do differently when pitching art to you? Or what do you love that they do when they pitch to you?

I like a concise message–and a clear pitch–an overview that really gives the pitch at a glance, with enough supporting material that I see that the artist has done their homework. And tell me WHY it will sell, and how your network will support that.

What one piece of advice do you have for artists trying to sell their first piece of art in that market?

Don’t give up!

About Mary Ann

Mary Ann is an experienced publishing professional specializing in innovative, illustrated art and technique books. For 12 years, she led the art and crafts publishing program for Quarry Books and is currently editorial director for Quarry Books and Rockport Publishers developing books on art, crafts, design, artisan food and lifestyle topics.

Currently based in Shaker Heights, Ohio, she is a Midwesterner who has lived the largest part of her life elsewhere and an urbanite who loves to hang out in woods. As a serial enthusiast, she enjoys many creative pursuits, including Burmese cooking, zydeco dancing, hiking, hot yoga, painting, reading, and having adventures with her children.

Mary Ann is one of the esteemed judges on the Global Talent Search judging panel.

Find out more at Qbookshop

Want to learn more about making more commercially viable art whilst staying true to yourself? Join our acclaimed online course ‘Make Art That Sells‘, led by top agent Lilla Rogers. Next class starts March 2 – find out more and register here!

You may have seen the fabulous work in the January Bootcamp gallery published yesterday here. For the 2015 edition of Bootcamp we have invited some of the talented Lilla Rogers Studio artists to contribute with some surprise bonus lessons. You can meet the featured artists below.

Silvia Dekker

Silvia Dekker grew up in a small village in the middle of the Dutch flower district. She went to The Royal Academy of Art in the Netherlands to study Conceptual art and design. After graduating Silvia went on to study Fashion and Textile design for 3 more years and started working freelance as a surface pattern designer and illustrator in 2001.

Silvia started working for European department stores Hema designing patterns for their baby- and children’s wear collections, soon followed by their homeware collections, postcards, bedding, stationery, toys, and Christmas collections. Hema has been her client for 12 years now.

After collaborating with international clients O’Neill sportswear and Oilily ladies and girls’ wear Silvia became one of Lilla Rogers Studio artists in 2009. New clients Hallmark, teNeues, Fisher Price, American Girl and Target followed. In 2012 her first fabric collection ‘Winter Warmth’ in collaboration with Wilmington prints was released, followed by ‘Atomic Bots’ in 2013, a robot and spaceship fabric collection for boys.

Her work has been featured on several blogs and magazines including the Print & Pattern blog and book, Flow magazine, UPPERCASE magazine, Lilla Roger’s book ‘I just like to make things’ 101 Living ideas and Bloesemkids blog.

Silvia lives in the old city centre of Leiden near Amsterdam with her partner and 2 boys. She is inspired by fairytales, folk art and vintage fabrics. Her colorful flower and vegetable garden in the Dutch countryside is also a great inspiration for her floral patterns.

For her Bootcamp Bonus Silvia will be teaching Basic Adobe Illustrator drawing skills!

Connect with Silvia here: Website | Artist page

John Coulter

John Coulter has been working as a freelance illustrator  for over 15 years and with Lilla Rogers Studio since 2001. He has been commissioned by a wide variety of clients including Target, Anthology Magazine, Virgin Airlines, Papyrus, Barnes & Noble, Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post, Utne Reader and Wine Spectator.

John was raised on a farm near Joy, Illinois. He grew up drawing constantly, exploring the woods, hunting mushrooms and working on the farm. At the county fair, he would strategically create an entry for every drawing category and win a blue ribbon in each.

He didn’t enjoy working with pigs, so he dreamed of a more creative career. He earned a BFA degree in Visual Communications at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. After college, he spent over 2 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic.

And yes, he lost on Jeopardy.

For his Bootcamp Bonus John will be teaching how to create textures on vector art in Adobe Photoshop

Connect with John here: Website | Artist page

Talitha Shipman

Talitha is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  She went to school for studio art at Taylor University, Upland, and then headed south for an MFA in Illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design.  Some of her clients include: Little Brown, Random House, Birds and Blooms, Galison Mudpuppy, American Greetings, Hallmark, Cricket Magazine, and many more!

Talitha is also a designer and animator for Blue Pony Motion Design.  Yes, she’s a busy lady!  She loves drawing dogs, flowers, birds, people or anything else that strikes her fancy.  Her specialties include book and greeting card illustration.

For her Bootcamp Bonus Talitha will be teaching Painting in Adobe Photoshop!

Connect with Talitha: Website | Artist page

Suzy Ultman

Suzy was raised in central Pennsylvania, playing in the woods and collecting stickers. She finds inspiration in scouring antique shops and flea markets, spending time in nature, walking down quirky city streets, and doodling on sticky notes.

As part of the Lilla Rogers Studio gang, Suzy has worked with Chronicle Books, Land of Nod, Crate & Barrel, Papyrus, Abrams Books, Robert Kaufman Fabrics, K&Company, Madison Park Greetings, Oopsy Daisy, and many more.

Her charming creations grace the shelves of Target, Archiver’s, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Crate & Barrel, and Modcloth. Suzy’s vast variety of products includes holiday ornaments, home decor pieces, journals, craft kits, stationery sets, dolls, and fabric collections. The work is simple and sweet, from an artist who lives in a land of mustached snails and apple houses.

For her Bootcamp Bonus Suzy will be teaching how to design your own logo!

 Connect with Suzy here: Website | Artist page

The first gallery from our 2015 Make Art That Sells: Assignment Bootcamp class is now live! You can view it here:

The gallery features nearly 500 pieces of original art inspired by the January class assignment… a journal featuring Edwardian brooch-inspired imagery!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE JANUARY GALLERY!

There was so much fabulous work submitted in response to this brief, and we love the ongoing supportive energy in the Bootcamp community. What a generous, talented group of artists they are!

STOP PRESS – REGISTRATION REOPENED FOR 48 HOURS ONLY! Although Bootcamp started in January, by popular demand we are re-opening the registration doors for 48 hours only. If you want to be part of this awesome class with artists from across the world, CLICK HERE to register. You will join the class from February, but will have access to the assignment from January to do in your own time, plus you’ll get access to all the fabulous bonuses we are offering with this class including:

*A video interview with Lilla on everything you need to know when seeking representation and working with an agent, specifically

• How to know if you are ready and suited for representation
• How to decide which agent would be a good fit for you and your work
• How to approach an agent for representation
• What to do if you get knocked back
• Top tips for working with an agent

*Basic Adobe Illustrator drawing skills (featuring LRS artist Silvia Dekker)
*Creating textures on vector art in Adobe Photoshop (featuring LRS artist John Coulter)
*Painting in Adobe Photoshop (featuring LRS artist Talitha Shipman)
*Designing your own logo (featuring LRS artist Suzy Ultman)

Sound good? Hurry, we are only re-opening registration for 48 hours. JOIN HERE.

Lilla and Beth

xoxo

PS Read what our students say about the MATS courses here.

Who doesn’t love to color? As an adult, now that you can stay in the lines, you only need to think about what color to use! Rockport Books presents a series of grown-up coloring books for art and design lovers. Just Add Color: Mid-Century Modern Patterns includes 30 original designs from artist and illustrator Jenn Ski. Each book contains 64 perforated pages to make it easy to share, frame and hang your artwork. You’ll be inspired by the sumptuous artwork in this book, and the use of color is endless. Relax, enjoy your creativity and Just Add Color.

Welcome to our new column ‘Insight Spotlight’, where we share insights from industry experts in some of the hottest markets out there. First up is Evie Ashworth, Design Director in the Retail Division of Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

What is your primary market?

Fabric by the yard and for manufacturers of fabric related products globally. Our main buyer selects fabrics that will work for beautiful quilts primarily, secondarily clothing and accessories. Our customers come to our company for top quality products, service and design. The licensing of artwork has given us the opportunity to have many wonderful relationships with our designers. It’s always fun to see what they’re up to! Our artists keep our products in demand.

How can this market be lucrative for an artist?

For us, the more artwork you have, the larger stable of designs you will get placed. We select hoping the designs will stay in the line as long as possible. The more diverse your work is makes you available for multiple categories in our line. We need to fill themes from sports, infant, kids, florals, novelty, holiday….and many more.

What is going to be hot in your market in 2015?

We’re looking at texture for our new basics. Color continues to be bright for us…but used in interesting ways…mixed with gray, taupe and peach to soften the look. Handrawn or painted geometrics feel right to us….metallics used as well.

What kinds of products/offerings are a growth sector for your company?

Basics are our best sellers and we’re expanding this area. This includes lots of classic geometrics done in a new fresh approach.

What do you look for when buying new art?

Is the artist easy to work with? Flexibility is key. We know what’s best for our market. Something special in technique or theme…and a built out collection is a real hook. We’re always hoping to connect with an artist that we can brand and have a long term working relationship with. Our customers look for their favorite artists.

Is there any rhyme or reason to why some products sell well and why others don’t?

Interesting question. Many times it can just be well timed or poorly timed launches. Less competition on an item…well priced…not too much in a niche. Grabbing a trend early and enjoying the ride…and knowing when to slow it down. An appealing new color palette can grab our buyers.

What is the one thing you wish artists would do differently when pitching art to you? Or what do you love that they do when they pitch to you?

Keep your emails brief….no long stories please! Have a workable website. Don’t include a link to your site with a presentation if there isn’t much more there than what your pitching. Don’t get discouraged if we pass on a group – your next one could be just what we want. Don’t give up! We need fresh art continually. We may have passed because the art duplicates another’s work. I have a hard time critiquing work and am frequently asked to do so if we pass. I really wish I had the time to go there.

What one piece of advice do you have for artists trying to sell their first piece of art in that market?

Do your homework – are you offering something different in our market? Show a lot of art. Have a good sized portfolio. Ask what timing is best for submission. Don’t give up!

About Evie:

An established member of the textile industry for over 40 years, Evie has traveled the world to all production points from Europe to Asia and in between. She brought her expertise to Robert Kaufman in 2000 to establish a whole category of product specifically for quilt fabric retailers. She merchandised the line, introducing the concept of coordinated samples and print basics, including the trademarked Fusions(TM) brand, and today continues to ensure Robert Kaufman brand’s association with only the highest quality standards. Evie currently directs a large internal design team as well as several art studios abroad, to produce Robert Kaufman’s signature in-house Luxe and Gallery looks as well as a broad range with external licensed artists and brands. Evie is one of the esteemed judges on the Global Talent Search judging panel.

Find out more at www.robertkaufman.com.

Want to learn more about making more commercially viable art whilst staying true to yourself? Join our acclaimed online course ‘Make Art That Sells‘, led by top agent Lilla Rogers. Next class starts March 2 – find out more and register here!

Hi there,

I’ve got some personal work to submit today. This has been in the news a-lot and on my mind too!  I recently learned that children of low income families often are less likely to do well in school for the simple fact that their parent don’t talk with them very much when they’re infants.  Often, it’s an education issue, the parents simply don’t know that they should talk to their babies to give them a jump start in learning.  I wanted to illustrate something that might bring a bit of awareness to the issue.

xo,

Talitha

Hi!

Here is an illustration of a table circa 1964 and a little stop motion film I made one evening last week with technical help from my partner who is an animator. It’s taken us eight years to finally work together!  Please watch it here-  http://youtu.be/5WeKkoWR2lE

Wishing you a very happy 2015!

xo,
Trina

Lilla is really enjoying all of the beautiful birthday wishes…. xo’s-

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