7/24/24
Kate Mason has been a longtime student of my Make Art That Sells courses. Hear how MATS has helped her get great jobs and uncover a love of map-making!
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| Kate Mason is an Australian- based illustrator and has been one of my artists for almost 10 years, since she won Global Talent Search in 2015.
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. |
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| “I originally designed the map below in one of Lilla’s MATS courses, of my home city Adelaide. Because of this original map, I’ve been given many other opportunities to create maps for clients. |
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| After seeing my illustrated maps online, Patritti Winery commissioned me to design a map for them showcasing their three vineyards and winemaking facilities that are located around inner Adelaide, South Australia.
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. |
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| I also was commissioned to design a map of South Australia for SA Life magazine for their 20th birthday issue.
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! |
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| Another client of mine is the City of Adelaide who I’ve created several maps for. I’m now working on more map projects at the moment for another tourism client.
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. |
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| The above image is not a map per se, but it reads like one. This was created for Lilla’s Menagerie and licensed for gorgeous kids’ playmats! |
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| Below are some more maps I’ve had fun creating. |
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| Creating a map for Fulham Primary School took me back in time. I wanted to re-create & capture everything I remembered about my childhood school and the surrounding suburb. Life was so different back then in the 1970’s and I knew this area so well. |
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| ‘The Linwood’, Scotland 1960’s – this is a map I created for my mum’s family who emigrated from Glasgow to Australia in the 1960’s/ 1970’s. They lived in a small village called Linwood and this was created from memories of how the village looked back in the 1960’s. This was presented in a ‘Family Reunion book’ I published with my sister in February 2020 where over 100 family members attended, all descended from this little village. |
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| To create my artwork I still start with pencil sketches, then take them to Procreate to flesh out.
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.” |
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| Thanks Kate!
You can see more Kate’s gorgeous artwork here. |
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7/16/24
Enjoy some of our artists’ gorgeous personal work, suitable for greeting cards, puzzles, and more.
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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6/20/24
| Happy Pride Month! See below for illustrations celebrating Pride, important people in LGBTQ history and of course, rainbows! 🌈
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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| Greeting card withAmerican Greetings |
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| Puzzle with Buffalo GamesBuy it here. |
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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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6/14/24
| Thirty years of running my own agency has been an amazing adventure. What greater feeling is there for an agent than to email a brilliantly talented artist with a dream job or to mentor them on a project close to their heart to then have it accepted by their hoped-for client?
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. |
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| The Studio Ladies in my backyard a few weeks ago
(L-R) Patty Kantlehner, Julia Parker, Me, Susan McCabe, Kim Fleming
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| My life as an agent is full of many happy memories. I adore my brilliant, beautiful artists. You astound me with your originality. My agency team of Susan McCabe, Julia Parker, Kim Fleming, Riley Wilkinson, Libby Hanna, and Patty Kantlehner—you are the dream team. I want to thank all our wonderful creative directors, art directors, designers and editors who have given our artists incredible opportunities to add their beauty and voice to this planet. |
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| Gathering in my garden for one of our Annual Artist Retreats |
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| At 29 I became an illustrator in New York with commissions from the likes of Anna Wintour and the Grammys, and with agents in Tokyo, New York and Paris.
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. |
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| And now at 69, I’ve made the decision to close the illustration agency on September 12th, 2024. We are still accepting commissions and licenses for our artists until then.
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!) |
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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. |
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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. |
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| As we transition to this new phase, please know that we remain fully committed to seeing through ongoing projects for the life of the project. We will handle any new ones that may come our way through September 12th.
Should you need anything at all, simply reply to this email, or our team at info@lillarogers.com are just an email away. |
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To my beautiful, brilliant students, fear not! I will still be over at Make Art That Sells teaching with gusto, dreaming up more courses. |
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| While I won’t be taking on artists myself, I will give you the inside scoop on how to get an agent and what agents look for. As always, I’ll trick you into doing your best work. Fifty years in the business gives me a bit of information on how to succeed as a creative entrepreneur, and that’s what I love to share.
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! |
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6/10/24
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| Take a walk down the garden path with artist Fay Ford, and see how she takes inspiration from nature in her lovely studio in Oxforshire, England. |
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| Fay writes: My day always starts with a morning walk with my two labradoodles, Ewok and Yogi, across the fields and down to the River Thames.
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! |
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| My studio space is a large wooden shed nestled at the bottom of our sloping garden in Wallingford, Oxfordshire. When we moved here, the garden was little more than a small field with grass edge-to-edge.
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! |
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| The closer you get to the studio the more wild the garden gets! It’s not a tidy garden, it’s a painterly garden, where flowers are chosen for their colour and shape. Basically what I’d like to paint next!
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. |
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| I mostly paint with gouache or watercolour, often without any pencil outlines so it’s a bit freer.
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. |
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| Once I’m happy with my paintings I finish off assembling my artwork in PhotoShop. |
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| I love having this gorgeous space to work in. I call it my Time Machine, because I totally lose track of time when I’m working down here! |
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| Thanks so much Fay! What beautiful inspiration! |
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6/5/24
Dive into the gorgeous hand-lettering created by our artists for packaging and book covers, from my latest MATS Bootcamp class.
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 license as of this writing.
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5/16/24
We’re thrilled to announce the publication of Katie Vernon’s We’re Having A Party (For Everyone!). Read our interview with Katie, below.
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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| Katie writes:
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! |
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| We’re Having A Party (For Everyone!), written and illustrated by Katie Vernon, published by Abrams Books.
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.” |
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| What did you learn from doing this project?
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. |
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| What do you love about this project?
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. |
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| Where did you find inspiration for this project?
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! |
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| What medium did you use for the illustrations?
Gouache, watercolor, procreate. I hand paint/draw most elements to get the texture, and then adjust the color digitally. |
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| How long did you work on writing your story?
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! |
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| What did you love about the characters, story or theme?
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. |
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| Were there challenges on this project?
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. |
| Left: Make sure you send your thank you notes! (Endpapers and back flap) |
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5/16/24
Check out new books and products from our artists, and also a special nomination and a book reading on the BBC by a Downtown Abbey actress!
Contact us to assign or license art. We’re happy to help you find the perfect artist or gorgeous images for your project.
| Downton Abbey actress Joanne Froggatt reads ‘Like a Girl’ illustrated by Mara Penny on BBC CBeebies Bedtime Stories. |
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| BIG NEWS!
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.
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| My First Book of Farm Animals (Walker Books)
“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. |
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| Cover Reveal!
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. |
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| Katie’s card with Legacy Publishing Group was nominated for a Louie Award–“The Oscars of the Greeting Card Industry”
Congrats Katie!!
Buy it here. |
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| Editorial illustrations for Meredith Corporation. |
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5/1/24
These images by our artists are getting likes and making waves on Insta.
Make sure you follow us for plenty of eye candy! 112k followers can’t be wrong.
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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4/23/24
New books and products by our artists 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.
| Sarah writes: “Here are two portraits of Leonora Carrington for the ‘I Know A Woman’ book and the ‘I Know An Artist’ book that both were more recently republished as ‘Connected Women’ and ‘Artistic Circles’ by Quarto Books UK and White Lion Publishing.
I wanted to make sure each felt different enough from the other. The first portrait shows Leonora as though she was one of her own paintings, and the second shows her at work. These were made about a year apart.” |
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| Princess Pie (Uitgeverij Averbode) |
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| Gnome Sweet Gnome
(Cottage Door Press)
“Come along with a sweet, little gnome as he takes us on a tour of his cozy mushroom house.
This silly, rhyming story features a soft, plush finger puppet toy built into the book encouraging interactive play, hand-eye coordination, and sensory and language development ”
Buy it here. |
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| Fairy Tales to decorate (Djeco)
“The child embellishes each fairy tale picture with decals, paper flowers, self-adhesive rhinestones and metallized motifs.”
Buy it here. |
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| Book cover illustration for Tarry Awhile (SPCK Publishing)
Buy it here. |
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