When our artists get a new illustration commission, we get so excited. And then, when the product gets shipped to the Studio, we go nuts. Here are the latest ones to come in. Enjoy!

What an incredible field of talent! The level of mastery and beauty made the decision incredibly exciting yet super challenging. We are grateful to our impressive panel of VIP judges who narrowed down the field from 50 semi-finalists to six, from which we were then tasked with selecting a winner. We loved seeing the work for the final assignment, which was to illustrate a short section of one of three texts to create a double-page picture book spread.

After hours of discussion and deliberation here at the Studio, including reviewing the entire body of work of each artist, we are delighted to reveal the winner of our international search for our next artist, our Global Talent Search!

Based on mastery of work and originality of style, we are delighted to announce that the winner of our Global Talent Search, and next represented artist, is Kendra Binney! (Scroll down for more big news!)

Kendra Binney, Portland, Oregon

I’ve been following Kendra since we discovered her work in my Make Art That Sells courses four years ago where she stood out with her dreamy, magical style for a wall art assignment. While we know that she is capable of gorgeous imagery for things like home décor products, journal covers, fabric, and wall décor, we were delighted to see her brilliant ability to tell enchanting stories with unique characters in ethereal environments for the two GTS assignments. Her colors are addicting and her subject matter is fresh and enthralling. We are so eager to represent her, pitch her work, and see her stunning imagery show up on a vast array of beautiful things. Kendra, welcome to the Studio!

We are delighted to announce that Kendra will be flown out to our Annual Artists and VIP Retreat in Boston in September, plus win a host of prizes!

Final assignment

Semi-final assignment

Enjoy some of Kendra’s images we love:

Art directors, don’t hesitate to contact us to chat about Kendra for your next project. See more of her work here.

But there’s even more GIANT NEWS!

We were absolutely blown away by the work by ALL SIX of the Finalists! In previous years we’ve taken on two or three artists. But now, we asked ourselves, how could we eliminate any one of these fine artists? We know that we can get a great deal of top-notch work for each of these brilliant artists, and after Skyping each one, we saw a professionalism and high level of motivation that was undeniable. We knew that each of these artists brings something unique and fresh to our studio. Narrow the field? Impossible! We are crazy about all of the finalists. Therefore, we did something completely unprecedented, and with great delight, we are thrilled to announce that we are taking on all of the Finalists!

And now, in no particular order, please give a warm welcome to our newest represented artists:

Sarah Papworth, West Midlands, United Kingdom

I’ve been a huge fan of Sarah’s work for years, and watching her grow in my MATS courses has been so rewarding. We are crazy about her work and are impressed with her range. She is a watercolor master able to shift easily from luscious florals to dark and moody storytelling, all with charm. Her beautiful lettering work is key in getting a huge variety of projects. We can see getting her work in everything from magazine illustrations to home décor collections to bolt fabric to greeting cards and more.

Final assignment

Semi-final assignment

A few pieces of Sarah’s that we love:

See more of Sarah’s work here.

Åsa Gilland, Sweden/Indonesia

Everyone here absolutely loved Åsa’s wit on her the final assignment. We were saying things to each other like, “Did you see the glasses on that yak?” “The leash is an octopus!” She is an extraordinary talent, able to create characters with amusing personalities and unexpected twists. Here, for the children’s book text we provided about an odd pet, she reversed the expected and made the pet a little boy! There’s a reason she was both the People’s Choice and one of the judge’s top five. We are quite sure that she will be a busy children’s book illustrator and we are delighted to be a part of that.

Final assignment

Semi-final assignment

Here are some more of our favorites:

See more of her work here.

Julia Christians, The Harz Mountains, Germany

Zoë Tucker, my co-teacher in our Illustrating Children’s Books Course, and I loved what Julia did for the various assignments in class. She brought it. We were already fans, but the wit she displayed in her semi-final assignment just captivated us—the main character is so busy Instagramming that she misses out on the experience in front of her. Then, for her final assignment, she surprised us with warm characters in a lovely, richly-textured environment using an elegant color palette. We look forward to keeping her busy with books, from picture books to middle grade graphic novels, to adult covers.

Final assignment

Semi-final assignment

Here are a few more images that we love:

See more of Julia’s work here.

Jennifer Potter, San Francisco, California

Another class star, Jennifer Potter’s background in video and animation explains why she creates such dramatic cinematic scenes. Everyone loved her work for the Final assignment. We can totally see keeping her busy with children’s picture books as well as middle grade graphic novels and adult fiction book covers. Just for starters.

Final assignment

Semi-final assignment

We picked out a few of our favorites:

…and look at her sketchbook work! This opens up all kinds of possibilities for Jennifer to be commissioned for art instructional books, travel pieces for editorial, travel guides, and more. It’s fun to think about what awaits her.

See more of Jennifer’s work here.

Anke Rega, Berlin, Germany

I had the pleasure of speaking to Anke a while ago when she won a Skype call with me. She was motivated, charming, and determined to make a career of illustration. I am so impressed with how she stuck to her guns and kept working and evolving. When the GTS happened, the judges also saw her specialness. I knew her work was strong but I was blown away to see her children’s book spread and her graphic novel page for the GTS.

She brings an irresistible hipness to her work that we are excited to pitch—her cool people rendered in her signature cobalt blue and pink tones. We can envision her commissioned for a variety of editorial clients, from magazine work to story books, from graphic novels to portrait books to home décor collections.

Final assignment

Semi-final assignment

Here are a few of our favorites:

See more of Anke’s work here.

We feel so fortunate to be taking on all this abundant talent. Thanks so much for following along this magical competition! Art directors and editors, we’d love to know what you think. Feel free to reach out to Lilla or Susan.

Today I’m delighted to show you a few of the latest products by my artists–an illustrated wine label, a sassy potholder, a drawing book, bunny enamel plates, and more. Enjoy the show! See more of our artists’ products here.

A divided plate by the inimitable Helen Dardik…

Look what I spotted at Whole Foods! These charmers are by Rebecca Jones.

This gem is just out, illustrated by Mara Penny.

Sarah Walsh writes, “Hooray! My book PEOPLE in the Playful Painting series with @quartocreates debuts today! Each drawing has seven steps with micro steps within to give more detail and direction. If “people drawing” intimidates you I do think this is THE book for you. It’s straightforward and lighthearted in its tone. There are additional tips on simple painting techniques. And the subjects vary. There are famous people like Edgar Allan Poe and people from my imagination like 80s girl. Of course 🌈💙 This was my first writing experience with a book so that was a cool learning experience. Words don’t come as easy as pictures so it was a bit challenging 😬 A shout out and a thank you to my editor Annika! 💙 I’ll be sharing some vids of the inside soon so stay tuned ✨”

These just arrived from Creative Co-op! We are thrilled with Zoe Ingram‘s newest home decor collection.

Check out that watering can in the background.

Sassy oven mitt by Anne Bentleyfor BlueQ

Lovely wine label by Carolyn Gavin

A stunning cover by Clairice Gifford with embossing and even gold foil!

The six super amazing Finalists are this very moment working on their final assignment! Stay tuned: We announce our Global Talent Search winner Friday, August 17th, so be sure to watch your inbox for our giant news of the year.

Speaking of our artists, these two sassy lasses met me for lunch recently in San Francisco when I was filming my new course for Creativebug. More on that later.

Me at Creative Bug

We get into some serious mischief on this podcast. I hope you’ll give it a listen.

While technological advances have given us access to swathes of information and new ways of working, the world still needs unique human voices in creativity. The savviest creatives have unprecedented opportunities to monetize their talents and rock it out as business owners.

Follow us on Instagram for more fun. xo Lilla Founder, Lilla Rogers Studio Co-Founder, Make Art That Sells courses

Announcing the 2018 GTS Finalists

The judges and the people have spoken! The competition was intense, with judges telling us that it was challenging to select a mere five artists from such an incredible pool of work.

We’re delighted to now reveal the 2018 Global Talent Search Finalists, chosen from the 50 Semi-Finalists (who were selected from over 1,200 artists’ work).

Five artists were chosen by our panel of VIP industry experts, and one was chosen by public vote (our People’s Choice Winner).

The overall competition winner will be represented by Lilla Rogers Studio and will be flown from their home city to our Artists and VIP Retreat in September!

Click here to view the Finalists!

Over 10,000 votes were cast by the public, and we can now reveal that the 2018 Global Talent Search People’s Choice Finalist is. See the People’s Choice Finalist here.

Read the next steps in the competition here.

Finalist 1 (The People’s Choice and Judge’s choice): Åsa Gilland, Sweden

MATS Student since 2014

The People’s Choice Finalist Åsa was also one of the five Finalists chosen by the judges. As per our rules, this allowed the judges’ sixth choice to also join the group of Finalists, and we are delighted with our top six, who will now take on one more assignment to try to win the title of Lilla Rogers Studio Global Talent Search Winner 2018.

Here’s what one of our GTS judges had to say about Åsa’s GTS submission:

‘I love her style – it is loose and organic yet detailed. Her people have personality and unique looks. I like that she did not format this piece in little blocks like so many others.’

Finalist 2: Jennifer Potter, San Francisco, California

MATS Student since 2017

Here’s what one of our GTS judges had to say about Jennifer’s GTS submission:

‘Jennifer Potter: great layout, smart inclusion of the hands, theme tied into every element, including the rope frames. Love the limited palette. In an instant, I knew this was about a few people, a boat, and was from the past. Great skills in scenes, people, and objects.’

Finalist 3: Kendra Binney, Portland, Oregon

MATS Student since 2014

Here’s what one of our GTS judges had to say about Kendra’s GTS submission:

‘Kendra Binney’s Birdsong was a standout. I loved it from first glance before I even began reading. The art is really striking and appealing and fresh, the color use is lovely, and the storytelling is superb.’

Finalist 4: Sarah Papworth, West Midlands, United Kingdom

MATS Student since 2015

Here’s what one of our GTS judges had to say about Sarah’s GTS submission:

‘Her journal took my breath away, and this assignment was amazing. The lettering. the tonal quality, the details, the story. But most of ALL, it’s her vast portfolio that has such differentiation within it. Her piece has style, finesse, variety, great lettering, and solid talent.’

Finalist 5: Anke Rega, Berlin, Germany

MATS Student since 2016

Here’s what one of our GTS judges had to say about Anke’s GTS submission:

‘The color palette is very appealing and the way she decorated the interior showed that she’s tapped into trends.’

Finalist 6: Julia Christians, The Harz Mountains, Germany

MATS Student since 2017

Here’s what one of our GTS judges had to say about Julia’s GTS submission:

‘I want to work with her! What else can I say? I like the energy in her work, the humour in her characters. She would work for picture books and middle-grade fiction.’

To all those that participated in the competition this year, a big giant THANK YOU for being a part of it!

Stay tuned to find out who will win the competition!

The 2018 Global Talent Search winner will be announced on lillarogers.com on August 17th!