1/7/24
We hope you had a relaxing rejuvenating break over the holidays. And here we are, a brand new year. Isn’t it exciting? Who knows what excitment 2024 holds for us!?
Here are some illustrated wise words and affirmations from our artists to start your year off on a good path.
Contact us to assign or license art. We’re happy to help you find the perfect artist or gorgeous images for your project!
Available for licensing as of this writing. |
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Available for licensing as of this writing.
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Available for licensing as of this writing. |
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Available for licensing as of this writing. |
Available for licensing as of this writing.
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Available for license as of this writing.
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12/21/23
All right kids, it’s the end of the year and no one can concentrate anymore. It’s time for a field trip!
Let’s visit artist Lydia Graves in her town of Birmingham, Alabama, and see what’s happening. |
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Lydia grew up just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, got a BFA in drawing and painting, and then became a nanny and portrait painter.
While working on her master’s degree in Art Education, she discovered the world of illustration and fell madly in love. |
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The image above was inspired by one of Lydia’s favorite cafés in Birmingham. Read more about it below! |
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Where is the field trip?
This field trip is in the Forest Park neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama. It MAYBE looks a bit like the below (but maybe not). |
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Above: A double page spread from Make Art That Sells Character Play class |
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Where are we going?
We are going to one of my favorite cafes/shops called General (IG: @generalbham) |
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Is it far from your home?
It’s only a few miles from my house and a block away from my teaching job. (images below) |
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What is it about this spot that inspires you?
Everything from the hand-painted murals to the displays is charming and intentional yet somehow still effortless.
I’ve been working on illustrations for puzzles so I used their shelves as inspiration for my most recent one. See if you can find the items that I used as inspiration (in the first image of this newsletter)! |
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How often do you go?
I try to go a couple of times a month when I have time enjoy an oat milk latte, maybe have a treat (above) and draw in my journal (below). |
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Thanks Lydia!
See more of Lydia’s amazing illustration work here. |
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12/13/23
Our artists’ projects have garnered some great recognition! See below for accolades we are proud of, plus new books & products out now.
Contact us to assign or license art. We’re happy to help you find the perfect artist or gorgeous images for your project! |
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The “Goddess” book, illustrated by our beloved Sarah Walsh, and published by Nosy Crow, is crushing it worldwide.
Already translated into multiple languages, it scored a spot on the coveted NEW YORK TIMES gift guide, as well as a starred Kirkus review.
Way to go, Sarah!
Buy it here. |
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Congrats to Ruth Burrows!
Wonderfully Wired Brains has been shortlisted in this year’s Books category for the MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023!
MadeforMums is UK’s number one site for parenting product reviews and it is a huge honor to be recognized by them.
Buy it here. |
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Gorgeous Holiday cards available now |
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Internal illustration from “Colors of the National Parks” (Duopress Labs)
Buy it here. |
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Happy lettering by Kay for “The Bronx is my Home” (Little Brown Books for Young Readers)
Buy it here. |
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Another amazing Mabel book
by Julia!
(Nosy Crow)
Buy it here.
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12/11/23
Check out Anke Rega’s brilliant affirmation card deck and sneak a peek behind the curtain of her creation process!
Contact us to assign or license art. We’re happy to help you find the perfect artist or gorgeous images for your project.
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Anke writes: One of my big projects this year was an affirmation card set for business and success.
This was my first time completing an entire card set like this, It was so fun–I love to tackle big new projects. I also enjoy illustrating for personal growth and inspiration with my illustrations so this was perfect for me.
The set has 50 affirmations/illustrated cards. |
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Fifty affirmation cards for Business and Success.
Published by Christina Sternbauer. |
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What did you love about this project?
I love to come up with special ideas which are also a challenge. At some point when I started to sketch for this project, I was taking a break relaxing and just dreaming, and all of a sudden the idea popped in to my mind to make a puzzle out of the cards, so that you can put all the affirmation cards together to make a bigger image. |
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The idea was there. It was exciting to have this new concept in mind.
I started with a raw sketch of the big Illustration, to fit in the 50 affirmations.
Then I went into the details of the single cards and areas. I did detailed sketches of single cards to fit them into the bigger illustration, all with space for lettering too. |
I filled smaller spaces with other elements like stars, florals, diamonds, and colour next to the single affirmations. |
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What medium did you use for the illustrations?
I started working with watercolor, but in the middle of the project I switched to work with Procreate as I found a way which looks quite like my traditional watercolors (thanks to Ruth Burrows’s book!)
This saved me a lot of time with editing all the elements and the lettering.
What are your favorite art materials?
My favorite art materials are my watercolors, gouache, and a lot of pencils for sketches (they go really fast). |
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How long did you work on this project?
I started to work on this in January 2023 and it just printed in October, (with other projects in between) so about nine months. (Oh, it’s like a child… 😆) |
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How do you surround yourself with inspiration?
I love to look at great books with illustration and art. Or have flowers around. Or go to a good bookstore and just wandering the streets.
How do you start your day?
I start the day with a mix of mindset work, alignment meditation for the day and yoga, a cold shower, and for sure, a good coffee. I started to wake up quite early this year as I extended my personal growth time in the morning. I usually start working at my desk at 10am. |
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Above:
My cat Luci. She just turned 18.
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Thanks so much Anke! Anke’s incredible Affirmation deck will be available soon.
See more of Anke’s beautiful illustration work here.
12/6/23
LAST CHANCE: Our huge annual sale ends TODAY! Save at least 30% off everything, and up to 50% off our career-changing bundles! |
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Find our sales page here and explore everything that’s available in our huge annual sale!
We’ve got everything you need to transform your art career in the year ahead, with inspirational courses – including three NEW courses for 2024 – powerful assignments, tons of motivation and support, and bucketloads of incredible tips and advice!
How do you get these cool gigs?
Take Make Art That Sells classes! |
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You can’t ignore it anymore… Christmas is right around the corner.
If you celebrate and are looking for unique gifts, why not support an artist directly instead of buying at the big stores? Scroll down for some fun online shopping!
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Get a little Frenchie with framed art prints featuring original illustrations by Kay Wolfersperger developed during her artist residency in Lacoste, France.
Visit Kay’s online shop here.
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Maruga writes:
I love to design colorful and cute art. In my Red Bubble shop I sell some of my illustrations on products. My favorite product in the shop is the art print from the positive thinking girl with flowers (above, right). I have this print hanging on my own wall and I love to see this as a reminder every day. More designs are coming in the future.
See Maruga’s beautiful designs in her shop here!
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Kim’s shop is full of fun designs for the holidays and beyond.Find a variety of products such as greeting cards, mugs, T-shirts,even pet bandanas!
Come take a look. |
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Beautiful products and art prints by Anke to brighten up and inspire your every day.
Visit her store here.
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11/28/23
Are you ready to super charge your art career in 2024? Would you like to focus on your art in the company of like-minded people? To be inspired and learn new things? To learn from experts in the industry?
Then check out the MAKE Art That Sells huge Cyber Sale on now, with at least 30% off everything and up to 50% off our career-changing bundles.
Plus, THREE brand NEW courses for 2024! They’re original, super cool, and you’re going to find them so helpful for your career. Check them out! |
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Click here to download your fab free Sale Guide for details of everything that’s included in our huge sale plus interactive worksheets, insightful quizzes, a yearly planner, and more.
I’ve put together this delicious smorgasbord of goodies to support your creative career through 2024 and beyond.
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Last week was Thanksgiving here in the US, a holiday which centers on the joy of good people and good food. Here are some illustrations to whet your appetite for the foodie season. |
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Contact us to assign or license art. We’re happy to help you find the perfect artist or gorgeous images for your project! |
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Available for licensing as of this writing.
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Available for licensing as of this writing.
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Available for licensing as of this writing
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Available for licensing as of this writing.
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Available for licensing as of this writing. |
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Available for license as of this writing.
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11/15/23
We’re thrilled to announce the publication of O is for Ossicone, illustrated by our beloved Sarah Papworth. Read our interview with Sarah, below.
Contact us to assign or license art. We’re happy to help you find the perfect artist or gorgeous images for your project!
Sarah writes: “Recently, the kids ABC board book; ‘O is for Ossicone’ launched in stores. I absolutely loved illustrating and working on this project with Simon & Schuster because although I have drawn many animals before, I hadn’t created a whole book of them! “ |
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O is for Ossicone, illustrated by Sarah Papworth, published by Simon & Schuster.
Available now!
Buy it here.
“Did you know that ossicones are the hornlike parts of a giraffe’s head? Introduce young readers to unusual animal facts and new vocabulary like “baleen” in this alphabet book that has flaps on every page!” |
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What did you enjoy most about working on this book?
I think the thing that I liked most was figuring out how to create a good composition across the main pull out pages of the book. The book is designed with card flaps to lift up and see what’s underneath. So the close-up of an animal and the alphabet letter sits on top with the full animal and facts underneath when revealed. This meant there were two aspects to consider for the composition and I enjoyed the challenge. |
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What did you learn from doing this project?
I learnt that not all kids books need to be too cutesy, the team at Simon and Schuster had asked me to go slightly more realistic with my style, while keeping the colours cheery, and I enjoyed working this way. |
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Above: A finished illustration before the Simon & Schuster team added text. |
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Were there challenges?
With the cardboard flap being a “close-up/zoomed in” part of the whole animal, I needed to make sure I drew the illustrations large enough so that I could enlarge the part that is meant to be on the front section.
I sketched at my usual smaller size with pencil on paper, then I scanned those in to send to the publisher with some rough colour.
When they were approved, I blew the scale up and printed the roughs out at full size. Then I traced them at full size, plus scanned at high resolution, so I could enlarge them further.
This worked well. |
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Where did you find inspiration for this project?
I spent some time Googling the animals I needed to draw, and the team at Simon & Schuster gave me a great brief with images to show the body parts that had to be included. I wanted to keep the animal shapes as simple as I could, almost like Charlie Harper or Eric Carle – but in my own style. I also wanted the colours to be super gorgeous. |
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What medium did you use?
I used a fine-line pen for the linear details, and I added in hand-painted textures, but the main shapes and final brush details were created in Photoshop. I love to use a mix of both for speed but also enjoyment. |
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Above: My initial sketches and how I arrange multiple sketches on a page to scan in. |
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Above: From sketch to final.
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I love how the finished project turned out. The quality of the book is lovely, and I felt really proud to hold it in my hands.
I also loved how I got into the flow of making this book, it was fun to draw in pencil for the roughs, create a colour rough and go to final on Photoshop. |
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Above: Sarah’s artwork and Studio. |
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Thanks so much Sarah!
O is for Ossicone is available now. Buy it here.
See more of Sarah Papworth’s gorgeous illustration work here. |
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11/8/23
Scroll down to see some of our artists’ projects which are now out on the market: Puzzles, children’s books, activity books, coloring pages, oh my! Enjoy!
Contact us to assign or license art. We’re happy to help you find the perfect artist or gorgeous images for your project!
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“This stunning debut picture book teaches that real treasure is not gold and friendship holds the most value of all.”
The Treasure (Magic Cat Publishing)
Buy it here. |
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Nine & Mella (Leopold Publishing)
“Cheerful and recognizable reading stories full of color and diversity. A book every child can identify with!”
Buy it here.
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10/25/23
I’m so lucky that with every project we commission or license for our artists, I get a copy of the final product delivered to the Studio. It means the Studio is bursting with color and beauty!
Sometimes I can’t help myself and I just have to take photos to share with you. Scroll down to get your eye candy hit for the day!
Contact us to assign or license art. We’re happy to help you find the perfect artist or gorgeous images for your project!
My Studio when I’m in photography beast mode! |
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Beautiful greeting cards by my artists. |
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A sample of Flora’s gorgeous stationery work. |
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10/17/23
We had a fabulous time at our 9th Annual Artists and VIPs Retreat, held virtually via Zoom.
LRS Agents and Artists met with VIPs from markets such as publishing, home décor, and stationery. Artists and VIPs then broke into pairs for ten minutes apiece to view and discuss the artists’ gorgeous work.
We call it Speed Art Dating, and it’s a wonderful way for the artists and VIPs to meet.
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Left: LRS Agents and Artists Zoom with VIPs–art directors, publishers, and editors.
Later, the artists and the VIPs broke into pairs for ten minutes apiece to view and discuss the artists’ gorgeous work.
We call it Speed Art Dating, and it’s a wonderful way for the artists and VIPs to meet. |
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Later, we held “LRS Artist Share Day,” where LRS artists could all be together, laugh, and share all the goss. Several artists also made small presentations on different subjects, such as recent creative trips, organizational tools, and arty toys that we all now need to go and buy. |
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Artists showed their gorgeous art to the VIPs a screenshared PDF.Those PDFs are now available for viewing and download here!They each include a few brand-new-never-before-seen pieces of art. Here is a selection of new images that were unveiled: |
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Available for license as of this writing. |
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Available for license as of this writing.
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Available for license as of this writing.
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Available for license as of this writing. |
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Available for license as of this writing. |
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