12 months ago Zoe Ingram was working as a freelance web designer, earning a living but her ‘heart wasn’t in it’. That was until she took Make Art That Sells, and then entered the Global Talent Search, and everything changed.

Click below listen to an interview between Zoe and MATS/GTS producer Beth Kempton where Zoe shares her experience of the course and competition, It is hard to believe that she was nervous at the outset, unsure of whether her work was ‘good enough’, and never drew in a sketchbook. One year on she has been crowned the GTS winner, signed by Lilla Rogers Studio and in the last six months alone has landed licenses and commissions from a host of prestigious companies including a book deal, a home décor product line, a fabric collection, greeting cards for IKEA, and seven foot tall garden totems!

If you have are on the fence about the Make Art That Sells course, or worried about whether it is worth you entering the Global Talent Search, PLEASE take 20 minutes to listen to this interview and know that it could be you!

Scroll down to see some of Zoe’s lovely sketches and final artwork.

Zoe’s GTS Round 1 entry

Zoe’s GTS Semi-Final entry

Zoe’s GTS Final entry

Are you next? Register for the Global Talent Search here!

Hey Lilla!

Now that Make Art That Sells and the Global Talent Search are over I finally have the time to sit down and reflect on the last six months. What a whirlwind it has been! I went into the course a fairly “green” illustrator and I have come out of it ready to take on the world one illustration at a time – with new skills, self-confidence, focus and drive.

Before Make Art That Sells, I had been slowly building my portfolio, never quite comfortable with sharing it, as I didn’t think it was ready. And now, between the ten weeks of MATS and three rounds of the Global Talent Search, I have SO many solid pieces – my website has been transformed! And I can’t wait to start promoting it.

When I first signed up for the course, it was hard for me to justify paying so much for this class when I was hardly making any money as an illustrator! But that was the point of the course, right?!? With encouragement from my husband, I decided it was time to do something for myself and look at it as an investment for my career. And now that it’s over, it was worth every penny.

I can’t imagine how many hours of planning went into this class, but thank you so much for putting in all the effort. It really shows. The lessons were well thought-out. The interviews with the experts were en pointe. Splitting the assignments into parts really helped me grasp the approach and process. And let’s not forget the points you continued to drill into us week after week such as:
-Icons hold all the power.
-How can we tell if we have a strong composition and color balance? Shrink it down to a thumbnail, of course!
-Now I know incorporating neutral colors into my palette is oh, so important (though I’m still working on this one!).
-My number one takeaway? People buy my joy. My goal as a maker has always been to bring a smile to someone’s face. And now I know the secret – put myself into my work and people will be inspired. I love that I can take a crazy thought, channel it through my pen, and it transforms into a piece of art that people want. That’s magic.

In addition to the classwork, I have been blessed with many new friendships. My classmates have been so warm, supportive and generous. Though, I have to say – creating among hundreds of highly skilled artists can be pretty intimidating! There were many times I happened to catch a glimpse of their works-in-progress on Facebook and I thought there was no way I could compete with that. But I realized we all are amazing in our own way. We are all artists. We all have similar goals – we want to share our art (our magic) with the rest of the world. And as you constantly reminded us – there is a place for us all! I truly believe that.

When the Global Talent Search came along I thought this would be another good opportunity to create a solid portfolio piece. I never thought I would get through to the final round! Working through the three rounds, and utilizing the skills we learned from MATS Part A, I went to town. I had a blast working on the first two assignments and somehow managed my stress level to the point where I hit “send” and never looked back. I tried to keep my cool and took the “whatever happens, happens” approach. Admittedly, round 3 was a bit more stressful, as the final prize was on the line! When I heard the final results, yes, there a was a moment of disappointment. But then I realized I MADE IT TO THE FINALS OF THE LILLA ROGERS GLOBAL TALENT SEARCH. Wowsa! That is something to be proud of.

Today I am ready to start putting myself out there! As I look at my updated portfolio I know this is the time. Getting through to the final round of GTS has provided the confidence and validation that I am on the right path. This is what I’m supposed to be doing, and I couldn’t be more excited about what opportunities lie ahead.

Lilla, I cannot thank you enough for this wonderful gift! Emily Balsley

To register for Make Art That Sells click here.

Hi Lilla,

I’m just popping in to share a little post GTS update. I thought It would be good to share a bit of my experience so far.

It’s been almost two months since the end of GTS and I think I’m finally getting my head around what just happened to me. The experience, I can only describe as a roller coaster ride. There was the thrill of starting work on a new brief and then the nervous wait after submitting and then the elation at hearing that I’d advanced to the next round. Three rounds of extreme and intense emotions but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Since the announcement back at the beginning of October, things have been full on, fast paced but thankfully Lilla, Susan, Jennifer and Julia have all been there helping me to get settled in. What an amazing team! There has been a lot for me to take in and digest and work through and now that MATS B has finished I was going to say that things have calmed down a little bit for me but actually, that’s not really true, it’s still full steam ahead with stage 2 of my book illustrations with Quarry, a fabric collection with Robert Kaufman, greetings cards with American Greetings and Printsource preparations all of which are dream jobs!

So what exactly have I been doing since the end of GTS? Well, lots of drawing that’s for sure! But I love drawing so it couldn’t get any better! I have also been working closely with Margo Tantau at Midwest CBK on my new line with them which I am crazy excited about and they are now working on the range and it will be going into production very, very soon.

I have also come to understand the importance and value of having a good support network in place and people to talk to in the sometimes solitary world of illustration and in particular, working from home. I make a point of going to my local library cafe at least once a week to sit and draw. The ladies who work there ask me about my work when they see me drawing which is lovely. Another great support network that I am very lucky to be part of is Forest Foundry collective, an amazing group of 7 other artists from all around the world. We keep each other motivated, inspired and support each other everyday.

I received a little email from Lilla the other day asking me if I can believe my life now and I promptly replied that no I couldn’t and would I ever? The whole experience from MATS A, to GTS, to MATS B has really, really been out of this world and has changed my life. I’m so grateful for the opportunity that Lilla & Beth have created for me. It was, without doubt, the best choice I ever made to do the course and GTS. I almost didn’t sign up for the course or the competition but had 20 seconds of insane courage and did it. It’s been the best and happiest time of my working life so far and I believe it’s only going to get better.

I think the moral of the story that I’m trying to get across here is that dreams really can and do come true. Don’t hold back, just do it, whatever “it” may be to you and with a little bit of hard work and determination who knows what might happen. I believe that a lot of what has come to me has done so because I have been open, willing to take a chance, using positive thinking and a lot of determination and hard work. If you’re thinking about doing MATS and GTS next time, go for it, you really have nothing to lose!

I don’t have much in the way of work that I can show yet as it’s all in development and a bit top secret but I can show you a couple of pieces from MATS B and the huge pile of sketchbooks that I have amassed in the past few months with a little peek inside! – Zoe

Many life changing events have transpired in the past month, and I just want to share and honor my good fortune. Most of you know me as the Special Studio Award winner in the Lilla Rogers Global Talent Search and I need not alert you to the fact that Lilla and her team of agents are at the top of everything that is cool, modern, and groovy. I am now fortunate enough to be in the stable of amazing talent that they represent. It’s been a month now since I won a coveted spot and I still can only say “Holy smokes!”

When I heard about the GTS, I simply thought it would be a really great way to get the creative juices flowing. And for sheer lack of confidence, I almost didn’t even enter the contest. What a colossal mistake that would have been! I had also made a promise to myself that I would make a real concerted effort to get agented this year and gain some momentum on my career. But before I knew it the year was half over and I hadn’t made any attempts at representation at all, so I decided to bite the bullet and go for it through this contest. Great Daniel, try and get representation in the hardest way possible. :)

I loved the idea of the competition, you get a briefing from Lilla, have a two week period to create your submission and a small break in between to await the results to see if you qualified to the next round. I was enticed by the array of assignments that I would be presented that I would not have normally thought of doing myself. Creating a journal cover, designing art for a tote bag sold at a farmers market, and creating an entire line of home decor with almost no limitations. Such cool fun projects! After I’d entered a bit before the deadline, I eagerly awaited the first assignment.

Round 1 had us create journal cover with a vintage playground motif as if Paperchase was our client. I felt okay with my submission. I’d like to say that I slept soundly the day the semi-finalists were announced and woke up to the news bright eyed and bushy tailed but it was quite the opposite. I stayed up late, I couldn’t sleep. I hit the refresh button on Lilla’s blog like a caffeinated lab mouse. The anticipation was overwhelming. Finally the wait was over and I slowly scrolled through the list, my heart was racing, “This is the moment of truth” I thought, oh my god I think there’s been a mistake. I don’t see my name?! Oh it’s alphabetical, there’s still a chance! There I am!!! Holy Shit. I made it! Indeed it went down just like that. Warm joyful tears ran down my cheeks. Happy.

Round 2. Getting through that first round really helped me push through to the next and take on a challenge that, at the time and it seemed utterly impossible for me to create a fall tote bag to be sold at a farmers market. But this is partly why I signed up for this. To apply myself in a way that I normally wouldn’t think of. I’m mostly used to making work that appeals to the children’s market and this assignment had us creating something that would appeal to adults as well. Tricky. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do and in the end it turned out to be close to what I thought I would make. And, as an aside, that’s what I love about creating art. You have an idea, you try actualizing it, and for better or worse you bend to where the pictures are telling you to go. With faith in this process in mind, I submitted my work, waited for the results, repeated the process above: barely sleep, refresh blog, scroll, thumping heart, … warm tears of joy rolling.

Round 3. Well if I felt daunted by the first two assignments this one really had me twisted. Design an entire line of home decor with almost no limitations on color or subject matter. We had to design exclusively for an adult audience and had to choose from one of a few categories. I chose the category called “weekend retreat”, which allowed for silvery, golden fallish and wintery hues and tones. At first I did a riff on Red riding hood that I was truly in love with but after my Skype session with Lilla and her A-Team of crack agents it was apparent that I had skewed to young. And as an attempt to age it up I had also inadvertently made my wolf scary. Oops! Not what I was going for. :) So I had to put my thinking cap on and turn around my work into something that was cohesive and line ready. A real ‘make it work’ moment as they say.

I hit submit on my final piece, said a prayer. Not a lot happened in between that I can remember. A couple of restless bland weeks had finally passed and before I knew it the moment of truth had arrived. I repeated ALL of the aforementioned rituals above but this time the stakes were higher and i was pulsing. I wanted to jump out of my eyeballs. Just to have gotten this far was a wild dream. All of the artists had submitted outstanding and mesmerizing work. Being here, with them, I felt validated. Realizing I had won a studio prize was like opening up that gift that you had asked for but never knew would be yours to open. And HERE I AM! I could have never expected this wild journey to have taken me here, but feel extremely grateful that I’m exactly where I need to be.

Thank you Lilla, Susan, Jennifer, Julia, Patty, and Margo and everyone who was rooting for me! – Daniel

Samples of Daniel’s GREAT work from the Make Art That Sells e-course:

Dear Lilla,

The Global Talent Search was one of the most amazing, tear-jerking and enriching events of my career. Allow me to share my experience with you!

I looked at the GTS as an opportunity to try something new and use the briefs to freshen up my portfolio. I had no expectations, and little did I know that I was in the running with over 1500 other artists!

For the Round 1 Journal Cover, I decided to go with my gut and draw fantasy characters in keeping with my love for fairy tale. So that was my twist on the “playground” theme—instead of bouncy horses and ducks, I went with bouncy unicorns and pegasus (Pegasi? Pegasuses? Ha ha).

I was so excited for Round 2—autumn is the season in which I truly come alive, so I went with my instinct on the Fall Market Tote. I’m so happy I did. It turned out that almost 700 people were vibe-ing with me on the tree dance. A bunch of people wrote to me and asked where they could buy my tote bag! It boosted my confidence to know that there was popular demand for my work.

The home decor assignment for the Finals was a dream project. I’m working on a graphic novel about the legend of the White Stag, so instead of reinventing the wheel, I decided to stay with what was already moving me. Through the home decor project, I have been inspired to try new techniques and new materials, including tailoring my embroidery and doll-making toward commercial work.

Contests are such an important part of an artist’s career, and it really has nothing to do with winning. I won a big grant this year for one of my books, but didn’t win the GTS — it really isn’t whether you win or lose. Contests serve to clarify vision, expose you to the greater artistic community (I’m so glad to know so many new artists and *hundreds* of new Facebook and Twitter fans!), get you out of your bubble, and push you to try new things.

This process has taught me the value of trusting my own individual voice and vision. Through all three rounds, I stuck to my instinct more intentionally than ever, and it paid off. I am so encouraged by my success in the GTS, and as I pursue the newly opened path in front of me, I could not be more excited and inspired. Thanks, Lilla and all the GTS artists, for helping to breathe new life into my process!

— Vesper

Hi Lilla!

I wanted to reach out to you and let you know the ways your Global Talent Search and Make Art that Sells classes have affected my work and creative process!

First of all, being a part of the Global Talent Search brought out a competitive side in me I didn’t know I had! It wasn’t a ‘mean, climb over anyone I can’ kind of competitiveness , but a ‘push myself as much as possible, to do the absolute best work I can’, kind. Your creative briefs were really inspiring and took me on a journey to create art that I don’t usually create, which awoke a creative excitement inside of me!

With MATS, I took the class as a way to give myself permission to experiment, as deadlines really push me. I wanted to use the class as a chance to explore my creative style and try to find a way to mesh my traditional media skills and experience as a textile designer with my current, graphic Illustrator, vector style that I am currently licensing. It truly felt wonderful to pull out my paints and other traditional media and get lost for hours learning and growing! I’m still experimenting and figuring it out, but it feels great to be on this path and for the ideas to be flowing!

From working in-house for 12 years, I know the technical side and production process very well which I find has been limiting my creative work. Through GTS and MATS, I’ve learned to make art that I love first. Learning more about the variety of industries out there and what they look for really helped to broaden my horizons and show me that I need to spend 10,000 hours on developing other facets of my creative talents, and not stay stagnant in my comfort zones.

The information from these experiences has, in a way, given me permission to create what I love, experiment, and push myself.

Since being involved in GTS and MATS, I’ve been cranking out new work to juice up my portfolio. I’ve been using textures and paint. Having my illustrations make it through to the 3rd round in GTS has given me the confidence to explore Illustration more vs. solely creating pattern work, where I am comfortable. It’s been a very exciting time and a little bit of a roller-coaster ride that I’m excited to be on!

So, thank you Lilla for bringing your genius to all of us creatives, for sharing your knowledge and expertise, and for using YOUR talents to spice up the art world!
–Josephine

To read more on Jospehine’s experience, click here.

We are so excited to announce that Zoe Ingram, the winner of the Lilla Rogers’ Global Talent Search, just landed a book deal offer with Quarry Books. We love Quarry. They are the publisher of my book, Make Art That Sells, our artist Mati Rose McDonough’s book Daring Adventures in Paint, and several 20 Ways to draw books by Lisa Congdon, Trina Dalziel,and Rachael Taylor.–Lilla

After four months, 1500+ entrants from 30+ countries, three rounds of competition, more than 10,000 public votes and many hours of deliberating, we are over the moon to reveal the winners of the 2013 Global Talent Search! It was so hard to choose from our outstanding six Finalists that we have decided to give two awards – the Grand Prize and a second Special Studio Award. Two art careers are about to change forever. Drum roll please…

Grand Prize Winner:

ZOE INGRAM, Australia

Congratulations Zoe! The finalists were asked to design for a home decor line with Midwest CBK. Here’s a glimpse of Zoe’s winning work for the competition (we will be sharing more in the coming days):

We loved the very fresh take on birds with the integration of the doilies, the zany/happy freedom of her style, and her sensational color palette. She has a distinctive look that we know will become recognizable and is highly marketable. Artists that can do patterns, lettering, icons, and people are able to attract a vast array of work – and she has proven herself in all of these areas. She’s expert in traditional media as well as digital media which is a terrific combination. Plus she can paint.

Can you believe these amazing plates? Zoe created in response to the assignment for Home Decor week in our Make Art That Sells class. We fell in love with them the minute we saw them. I am quite fond of the “seedling” lettering as well. I remember commenting on the plate that she submitted for class (the plate on the top left) and saying in the weekly art review, “This is a perfect piece.” Can you believe she created all four in one week? Her years as a graphic designer show.

It was clear that Zoe already had the talent, and then Make Art That Sells helped her understand the market potential for her work, and present it beautifully.

We are thrilled to announce that Zoe has won TWO YEARS’ INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATION BY LILLA ROGERS STUDIO, with a host of licensing deals and international promotion including:

– A MINI FABRIC COLLECTION with the prestigious ROBERT KAUFMAN FABRICS

– A SCRAPBOOKING LICENSE with PRIMA MARKETING INC. Zoe will work directly with Prima’s own Creative Director and in-house Design Team through the development process, giving her the hands on experience to learn about this industry from the inside out.

– A HOME DECOR AND GIFT PRODUCT LINE WITH MIDWEST-CBK. Margo Tantau, Midwest-CBK’s Vice-President of Design & Creative, will personally work with the Zoe to create a smashing product line of gift and home decor products, such as wall art, lighting, textiles, ceramics, and specialty products, all offered with the voice of Zoe to help her build an identity and strong brand footprint in the marketplace.

– A LICENSE FOR A JOURNAL COVER with gorgeous UK-based stationery company PAPERCHASE.

– A LICENSE FOR A DECORATIVE GARDEN PRODUCT WITH STUDIO M, the new artful home and garden division of Magnet Works, Ltd.

– A FEATURE IN WHERE WOMEN CREATE BUSINESS, the top creative business magazine from Stampington

Special Studio Award Winner:

Daniel Roode, USA

Here’s the winning work Daniel created for the third and final round of the competition:

Can you see why we had to add another prize? His submission is a fully-realized product line with a strong graphic read with a charming retro feel, and lovely textures. And check out his calligraphy!

We are thrilled to announce that Daniel has won:

– TWO YEARS’ INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATION BY LILLA ROGERS STUDIO

– HOME DECOR AND GIFT PRODUCT LINE WITH MIDWEST-CBK. Margo Tantau, Midwest-CBK’s Vice-President of Design & Creative, as one of the judges of the Global Talent Search, was so blown away by Daniel’s work that she offered this prize. She and her team will personally work with the Daniel to create a gorgeous product line of gift and home decor products branded with Daniel’s name.

We couldn’t be happier to add these two awesome artists to our studio family, alongside all our other talented artists. The other four Finalists are also brilliantly gifted, and we will be showcasing them and their final entries here on the blog over the coming days. We are grateful to our judges, to everyone who entered the contest, and to everyone voted and supported the participating artists.

LOVE WHAT YOU SEE?

If you are an Art Director… Want to talk to us about licensing or commissioning work with our newest artists? We’d love you to contact us. Hurry! These artists are going to get booked up fast. And of course we have all your favorite artists, too.

If you are an artist… Want to see your career skyrocket? We would strongly encourage you to consider joining the next round of Make Art That Sells(which starts on Monday). The course clearly had a major impact on Grand Prize Winner Zoe Ingram’s work, and helped her take it to the next level. She said on her blog “I learned so so much during the e-course and I don’t think I would have made the top 50 had I not taken part in it.”

If you want to learn how to make great art that sells in the top ten markets for art internationally, whilst staying true to yourself, there is no other course like this out there. There are still a few places left if you are quick – register here!

CHANCE TO WIN A 1-1 PORTFOLIO REVIEW & CAREER CONSULTATION WITH LILLA ROGERS

Have you ever dreamt of having a portfolio and career consultation with a top art agent? Well this is your chance! For the first time ever Lilla Rogers is offering a private one hour portfolio review and career consultation (via Skype) to TWO lucky artists.

This is a rare, incredible opportunity to tap into three decades’ of experience from someone at the forefront of the art licensing industry. Lilla Rogers Studio has sold art for products worth over $100 million. Lilla knows what is hot, what is on the horizon and where your work fits in. Find out more here! The deadline to enter the 1-1 competition is 7pm EST / 12 midnight GMT Sunday 6 October.

What a journey this has been! Over 1500 entrants joined us from more than 30 countries worldwide for our first round, and then 50 semi-finalists battled it out to win one of six coveted spots in the Final. You can find out more about what was involved at each stage of the competition here.

Today we are thrilled to reveal the six Finalists, knowing that one of these artists’ careers is about to change for ever. Five were chosen by our panel of industry experts, and one was chosen via public vote. The overall competition winner will be represented by Lilla Rogers Studio for two years, and win a host of licensing deals from prestigious companies (see here for details). The assignment was to create a Farmer’s Market Tote Bag with an autumnal theme.

So without further ado, here are our six finalists (in no particular order), along with some of the judges‘ feedback about their work:

EMILY BALSLEY

Judges’ comments about Emily’s entry included:

• I’ve never seen a pumpkin strapped to a bike rack before, so…..Emily’s brilliant.
• I love the title: it’s a simple, strong written idea, and the axis for a sweet, soulful, fun piece of art.
• Retro but not too much so; has roots in the past but is still totally original.
• This is a great composition. The style feels fresh and original. There is something truly happy and carefree about the design. It really evokes emotion, and sends a very clear message. The palette is simple, yet very effective. I love the graphic quality of the illustration, combined with the decorative lettering.
• The way she rendered the presentation makes it look like a real tote bag I could see living happily in stores this fall.

ZOE INGRAM

Judges’ comments about Zoe’s entry included:

• Scrumptious color…love the whimsical flavor.
• This is a fun and contemporary “up-do” to color for fall.  I like the playfulness of the images and their arrangement.
• The type is fun and the whole composition hangs together well.  I like the contrast in line quality of the illustrations and just the general warm, cozy – yet modern feel.
• Love the colors on this one! That pink/coral color is beautiful paired with the brown and pops of orange and turquoise.
• All of her elements are executed really well with gorgeous detail.

DANIEL ROODE

Judges’ comments about Daniel’s entry included:

• Daniel has a sweet approach and a great range. His characters, people and animals alike, are fabulous and cute and funny.
• Amazingly cute and whimsical design with a hint of nostalgia for vintage kids illustration.
• Love Love Love. Just a big happy tree and all its friends. From musicians to fellows with a wheel barrow (ending the action in the lower right corner. Great sign-off).
• Clever. And incredible facial expressions. I want to visit here.
• Cute vintage-y characters in a scene that doesn’t feel busy but incorporates nice details (facial expressions, interactions between characters).

LIZZIE MACKAY

Judges’ comments about Lizzie’s entry included:

• Beautiful color sense. I love the line quality of her work, and she has a really great eye. I liked how there were multiple layers to her design, as I looked at it I kept being drawn in and saw more. The subject was not so literal, but a bit inspirational and unexpected.
• This is just so charming in its contemporary, naive style reminiscent of Lois Lenski. My eye wants to move around and discover all of the little surprises in the illustration. It is very sweet, but very modern.
• Fantastic use of geometrics which have been brought subtly into the design. This and the great typography shows the designer is very aware trends.
• Really love this palette. Feels Earthy and green, gives you the warm fuzzy feeling of Fall. She has a great illustration style, love her characters and icons.
• She needs to be hired by the universe to make some new flowers. The shapes and ideas are delightful.

JOSEPHINE KIMBERLING

Judges’ comments about Josephine’s entry included:

• I just love this. It’s just plain old gorgeous. It’s very refined, lush, and powerful. She uses great attention-getting colors. It’s grown up and sophisticated, yet fun and playful.
• There is beautiful detail in every element. It feels polished, and complete. Nothing is unfinished or rough. Your eye moves easily from one thing to the next, with lovely stops everywhere you look. FAB.
• I like her use of color and the style of the flowers and composition. It has a good energy to it that is playful yet not juvenile, and would appeal to a range of ages.
• Great use of color and the tote has a fashionable flavor.
• This piece is thought out in every aspect. The colors feel like Fall, but modern, young, hip Fall. Not too traditional. Love the play on words “It’s for gathering”.

VESPER STAMPER

Vesper was the clear winner of the public vote (over 10,000 votes cast!) and goes through to the final as ‘The People’s Choice’.

Judges’ feedback

We asked the judges “Overall what made your top 5 stand out from the crowd?” This is what they said:

• I think they’re all really strong illustrators with a keen sense of design and an attention to craft and detail. They stood out amongst the awesome entries and gave me a little charge when I saw each of them. I think they all have their own voice and incredible skills to back up that voice.
• Great use of the theme. Simple and timeless design elements. Thoughtful consideration of the execution and how the illustration will sit on the tote.
• Illustration style, color palette, composition, cleverness, thoughtfulness of how to make this concept their own.
• Unique approaches with clear personality and imagination that shows!
• They aren’t just decorating, they’re supporting clear concepts, and often with a strong use of text.
• They have a strong visual ground; the ideas have a focus and scale that works on a bag often seen from a distance.
• They know how to make characters you can empathize with.
• The designs I chose were fashionable (on trend), looked hard to do (not easily replicated by anyone who knows how to use Illustrator), they had their own sense of style (a way of drawing that runs through their whole body of work), and were joyful to look at (meaning people will feel happy when they see it)
• My top 5 were chosen because of their overall sense of style and design color, and typography. All had an interesting, eye-catching, unexpected take in their work and for me that made my choices. I looked at details and techniques. I felt that each of these artists would be very sale-able, and a designer that could tackle a project.

We also asked them “What general advice would you give to those who didn’t make your top 5 about how to make their work more commercially viable?” Here’s their advice:

• Try to make your work stand out from what is in the market already.
• When you have a challenge like this, give us a fresh, surprising solution.
• Think about the overall composition.
• Get words involved; they’re the secret weapon of great illustration. Or, create a picture that shows a little “narrative nano-second” – a moment that has sense of timing. It’s better than a scene that is just standing still.
• Simplify. Don’t make it too busy for something like a tote bag. This particular assignment naturally called for a strong central image.
• Consider what people want to carry around every day. Totes are meant to be fun, simple and functional additions to your wardrobe and everyday life.
• Remember your audience’s age. Is a market bag used by a teenager or an adult? What style would most appeal to your client’s customer?
• Think about what would appeal to a wide range of people – don’t indulge in eccentricity too much. Be quirky if the brief allows and have your own ideas – but also think whether it would appeal to the mass market.
• Put a LOT of effort in
• Truly challenge yourself to be unique in style – not a version of other popular illustrators or styles. Use your imagination to create a unique way of showing an idea or telling a story.
• Ask yourself what makes your design stand out…and be able to articulate it.  If you can’t, then you haven’t challenged yourself enough.

Congratulations! 

Congratulations to everyone! We are thrilled that our judging panel, comprising some of the top art directors and creative professionals in the industry, selected a set of Finalists which includes FOUR graduates of Make Art That Sells. It was clear that the course helped them develop commercially-viable art, choose amazing colors and present it professionally. We cannot wait to see the work that comes out of the next class (beginning October 7 2013!)

Gratitude

Huge thanks to everyone who entered the competition, and especially to the 50 semi-finalists who put so much time, energy and love into their submissions. We are sorry that you cannot all be in the Final, but hope you have enjoyed taking part, and that the exposure has been valuable to you. We would also like to thank everyone who voted, and all our judges who took so much care selecting their choices and sharing their thoughts.

What happens now?

The Finalists will be sent their third and final assignment later today by email. They will be asked to submit their entry by Monday 23 September, and in the meantime will have a 1-1 Skype call with Lilla so they can find out more about each other. After that Lilla and her team of agents will select the winner, who will be announced here on the blog on Thursday 3 October 2013. And then a whole new phase of their art career will begin…

Several great things are happening with our Global Talent Search and I want to share them with you, before we reveal our Finalists later today.

Lots of artists – the 50 semifinalists – are receiving amazing exposure to top industry leaders – our panel of judges – who often MAKE careers. Our judging panel includes people like Ingrid Liss of Demdaco, manufacturers of Kelly Rae Roberts’ gorgeous licensed products, to Marie Perkins, author of the highly regarded Print and Pattern blog. Beth Kempton, my producer, and I have brought these judges together to view the work of the 50 semi finalists and to thoughtfully select the top 5 finalists, looking for quality, originality, and marketability. In many cases, they even viewed the websites of the artists. It’s probably safe to say that many of these artists may never have gotten that kind of exposure without this competition, and we are thrilled for them.

I am reminded of the American Illustration Annual, in the 1980’s, was then the brand-new, revolutionary juried book, and with its team of incredible judges, brought together and provided exposure to so many brilliant knowns and unknowns. (I am grateful that it helped to give ME a start).

Competitions are a powerful tool for showcasing top and new talent – just look at like the Grammys, Oscars, and Tonys.

It’s pretty awesome.

It’s also hard that not everyone can win, but everyone knows that when they enter, and I just hope that the experience, the exposure, the excitement and the focus are all beneficial for everyone who has taken part.

As for my agency, Lilla Rogers Studio, we get a brand-new fabulous artist to represent and our industry is uplifted and energized by exposure to much great talent. And hopefully a lot more gifted artists get the exposure and work that they deserve. That has to be a good thing.

Xoxo
Lilla
Ps. A personal benefit is that I was fortunate to work closely with the brilliant Margo Tantau, VP of Creative at Midwest CBK, to create the final challenge and I must say, it’s pretty awesome! Margo gets her dibs on the winner (my next artist!) and together they get to create a branded line of stunning products for her company. Win-win-win.