Category: new licenses
Guess who I’m interviewing next? Plus Helen Dardik’s art on baby wear!
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Here’s our Annual Curated Gift Guide or luscious products by our artists. From pretty puzzles, to elk trays to Anthro glasses.
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Our artists’ art for chocolate packaging, a kindness calendar, and even art for a van.
We’re super excited to show you some recent projects by our artists.
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Meet Katie Vernon. See why art directors from Porsche to Anthropologie love to commission Katie.
Here’s why we went nuts the very first time we saw Katie Vernon’s work: We loved her original style and her mastery of watercolor mixed with a dollop of charming weirdness, and we think this is why so many art directors–from Porsche to Anthropologie–commission her work.
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You are about to see the cutest dog-in-a-chair illustration.
We’re delighted to show you work one of our busiest artists, Rebecca Jones. Below, enjoy her newest books, illustrated toys, games and tableware for kids, and the even her latest fabric collection.
Contact us to assign or license–we’re happy to help!
Illustration for puzzle by Crocodile Creek
Animation by Natasha Dewitz
I love to drink tea, stare out of my studio window and draw and paint the imaginary creatures that wander by.
–Rebecca Jones
Doggies! Available for license as of this writing
Books
Campbell Books
Just released! Buy it here.
Series of coloring books for Nosy Crow
Buy them here
Stationery & other fun products!
A mix of greeting cards for various companies
Fika packaging
Galison/Mudpuppy unicorn puzzle
Buy it here
Rebecca Jones’ work is applicable for so many types of products
Tableware for Crocodile Creek/Petit Monkey
Illustration for puzzle by Crocodile Creek
Puzzle illustration for Galison/Mudpuppy
Buy it here
Bolt Fabric Collections
Clothworks “Dreaming of Snow” Collection available now
Clothworks “Oceans Away” Collection
Available Spring 2020
Clothworks “Dreaming of Snow” Collection
Buy it here
Beautiful birds
Available for license as of this writing
Check out Flora Waycott’s lovely illustrated recipe for hot apple cider, and more Thanksgiving treats
Wishing you a happy holiday full of food and thanks and cider! Enjoy these illustrations by our artists.
Contact us to assign or license–we’re happy to help!
Available for licensing as of this writing
Available for licensing as of this writing
Branding for Starbucks
Available for licensing as of this writing
Greeting Card for Lagom Design UK
Available for licensing as of this writing
Print for Bruce McGaw Graphics
Available for licensing as of this writing
Greeting card for Compendium
Want to know what our artists think makes a great art director?
I recently asked our artists what they think makes a great art director. What kinds of things help artists thrive and do their best work? Read on to see their responses!
Contact us to assign or license–we’re happy to help!
Fully illustrated biography of Anne Frank (Penguin Random House)
Buy it here
Lilla: Anke, can you tell us what makes a great art director?
Anke: I like it if I get inspiration from the AD but then have the freedom to create and can feel free to reach out if I need to–like having a frame for a project but freedom within it. If an AD wants changes I like it if they say something like, “this looks great already but could you change this or this?”
I think it’s important that the Art Director is available when you’re in the middle of a project so that you don’t have to wait too long for the answer, so you can keep working right away.
Lilla: Can you give us an example of a comment by an art director that was especially meaningful to you?
Anke: For the Anne Frank book I mostly worked with the designer Janene Spencer. After we finished the project, she wrote an email to me. One thing she wrote, was that I’m an amazing person to work with. It made me so happy and proud to read this. The AD Alice Todd has been so nice too. Always so kind in her words and thanking me so much for my work. I loved it as it was a lot work and it gives you a really good feeling during the project if everyone is being so kind and thankful. I’m the same the other way round as I like this vibe so much and it makes all our days just so much nicer.
Sarah Papworth
Part of a series of illustrations for an article on the 2019 fitness and nutrition forecast for The Washington Post. These were done with a mixture of pencil lines and watercolor.
Lilla: Sarah, what things are most important to you when working with an art director? What makes an art director great in your book?
Sarah Papworth: Friendliness is probably number one. And good organisation for a project, especially if it’s a long project. For me, these two things really help with making a job enjoyable and less stressful.
Lilla: What do you enjoy most about working with art directors? How do you find it beneficial?
Sarah: It’s fun working with different art directors, as I learn so much from their vast knowledge and experience in their field. And it’s wonderful working towards an idea/vision together. I always feel grateful for their help in getting a piece to look it’s best. Sometimes you can’t see the changes that are needed in your own work, so a fresh pair of eyes is amazing. It’s definitely a team effort.
It was great working with Victoria Fogg at the Washington Post on the Local Living pull-out cover (above). Victoria had seen my portfolio and knew which direction she wanted to go with, and that she wanted to feature the little people in the illustration. My style is quite flexible, and I use a lot of different mediums, so having the art direction and a brief to work to means I can be focused, but also play around within those borders.
One of the many illustrations by Sarah Papworth for the fully-illustrated text
I Know A Woman by Kate Hodges (Quarto Group)
Buy it here
Above: This was a much longer project, 84 illustrations in total, with a tight deadline. Working with Melissa Hookway at Quarto on my first book was a brilliant experience for me. I learnt to work quicker, and how to keep up the pace and enthusiasm working through a long project.
Melissa was super-organised. She created a spread sheet to track our progress, and gave me briefs for each portrait, which meant I could really focus on drawing and getting the illustrations to look as good as possible in a short amount of time.
Cover of the Weekend/Going Out Guide for The Washington Post
Lilla: Jennifer, what makes a great art director?
Jennifer: I love it when an art director takes the time to provide critical feedback and challenges me to do my best work. We’re a team with a shared goal of making an amazing product. It’s great when we can collaborate on something we’re both really proud of!
Katie Vernon for Anthropologie
Lilla: Katie, what did you like about working with your art director at Anthropologie?
Katie: I love when an AD has a unique vision for turning my illustration into a beautiful product.
Here’s why these artists get so many exciting commissions. A new animation, a piece for Disney/Hyperion plus whole bunch of gorgeous personal pieces available for licensing
Today I’d love to give you a tour of some recent pieces by our artists and a little bit about why they attract so many commissions.
Contact us to assign or license–we’re happy to help!
Animation by Natasha Dewitz
We love Sarajo Freiden’s appealing art, and in particular, how she depicts characters. Sarajo has illustrated a number of books and loads of articles–we’re talking The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe–and a huge mix of work for brands like All Bran, Klutz, and Godiva Chocolatier because of her lively characters, juicy color and fresh style.
Clairice is regularly commissioned to illustrate book covers, magazine headlines, and pretty gift products because she creates such beautiful typography, interspersed with her charming illustrations. I’m talking Celestial Seasonings packaging, a Clarkson Potter coloring book, Crate & Barrel ornaments, a whole bolt fabric line, even a rom-com map for Entertainment Weekly!
Flow Magazine (France)
Two of the most amazing things about Tara’s work and why she gets so many commissions–greeting cards, licensed product lines with Anthropologie, a gratitude planner for Scholastic, an illustrated book on Emily Dickinson–are her absolutely stunning color palettes and her beautiful way with paint. I find her art calming.
Personal piece, available for licensing
One of the striking elements of Bonnie’s work is her loose, bold black line that seems to dance with an uninhibited freedom. Her strong line is one of the reasons why she gets so many book cover commissions–her line reads well small which is important on book sites such as Amazon.
Disney|Hyperion
Flora Waycott’s brand-new book is now available! Buy your copy on Amazon or Indiebound and enjoy drawing lots of wonderful things via Flora’s charming step-by-step illustrations.
It would probably be easier to chat about what kinds of jobs Helen has not been commissioned to illustrate! From wine glasses to chocolate packaging, to book covers and magazine illustrations, Helen, who boasts almost 300K Instagram followers, is always in demand. Her style is wholly unique, sporting exuberant color that is broadly appealing.
Personal piece, available for licensing
Another artist that gets a vast array of commissions is Carolyn Gavin. From wine labels, temporary tattoos, chocolate packaging, puzzles, home decor collections, apparel, magazine illustrations, and loads of packaging illustrations for L’Occitane, she’s worked in pretty much every category you can think of. Her paint is luscious. See why she has almost 400K followers on Instagram. Yeah, you read that right.
Collection for Ooh La La Fabric
Here’s another artist with a wholly original style, and the ability to illustrate concepts in a delightful way. This is exactly why she has illustrated THREE children’s books for James Patterson in the Big Words for Little Geniuses series.
Bigger Words for Little Geniuses (Jimmy Patterson Books)
Besides her work–a sloth!–for the beloved quirky company Blue Q, Kate has done ornaments for Crate and Barrel, designs for Hasbro’s Baby Alive, bags for Publix stores, and loads of greeting cards, but maybe my favorite is her surface design for garden pots and birdhouses. She gets work in these markets because her work has an appealing, accessible charm with a touch of quirkiness. Her colors are like candy, and her imagery is a delight to peruse.
Personal piece, available for licensing
In addition to a card deck for Chronicle, print ads for Ivory soap, and reusable bags for Safeway, one of Linda’s most meaningful commissions was a recent series of covers for Oncology Nursing Magazine. There is an ethereal quality to Linda’s work that has great appeal.
Personal piece, available for licensing
Featuring Mara Penny: check out TWO of her newest, fully illustrated books and her huge bolt fabric collection
Today, we’re delighted to feature our artist Mara Penny, who lives in Oakland, California. I fell in love with her work a few years ago when I spotted her in my courses at Make Art that Sells. She brings a joy to her work and fresh color palettes that are irresistible.
Dive in below and check out TWO of her newest, fully illustrated books and her huge bolt fabric collection (and a peek inside her home!)
Check out Mara’s fully-illustrated brand-new book, Like a Girl (Sterling)
Publishers Weekly writes, “Penny works in stylized collages that distinctively capture the likenesses of the women, who encompass people of varying backgrounds and abilities.”
Above: From Like a Girl(Sterling)
Animation by Natasha Dewitz
The Practical Witch’s Spell Book (Running Press)
The cool part about Mara is that she is able to paint such beautiful and magical subjects as you can see here, in her fully-illustrated book, The Practical Witch’s Spell Book. Her magical style was one of the many things that attracted me to Mara’s work initially, and I was eager for her to get a book that would showcase that part of her work, and so I was delighted when she was commissioned to illustrated this book.
A complete introduction to modern magic and witchcraft with spells and incantations for love, happiness, and success. See interiors below.
One of Mara’s dream projects was to design a bolt fabric collection, and so we were over the moon when she was commissioned to create several lines for the esteemed bolt fabric company Moda. She was asked to illustrate all 50 the United States.
Below, enjoy her first line from the Southwest region, called Desert Song. Mara illustrated the State Birds, State Flowers, and State Maps of Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona for this collection.
Above: Mara was asked to create four different colorways for each pattern, which was a treat for this master colorist!
Mara’s studio
Mara Penny writes, “I have a gallery wall next to my desk that includes a portrait of my grandmother (top left) when she was about my age. That oil painting was my security blanket when I was very little. It was unframed and I would drag it around the house with me. The edges are roughed up and dog-eared. She was an artist, and the first oil painting she made was of an olive tree that hangs next to my desk. My daughter’s name is Olive so it’s a full-circle moment!”
How does an artist illustrate Eva Hesse with string and lettering? Lots of lettering by our artists.
Want to see the various ways in which seven top artists create beautiful and brilliant lettering? Read on.
Fun Facts: Did you know that agent Kim Fleming is fluent in French, and agent Joanne Hus is fluent in Spanish? Yup!
Contact us to assign or license–we’re happy to help!
Animation by Natasha Dewitz
“Let’s keep asking questions”
Clairice Gifford’s typographic illustration for Flow Magazine (France)
From the sketchbook of the genius Helen Dardik
Julia’s sketchbook from my MBA course
Lovely serif uppercase lettering from Marenthe’s sketchbook
We love this innovative lettering treatment from Sarah’s book “I Know An Artist” (Quarto)
Trina created delicate serif upper and lower case lettering in this gardening illustration for Baltimore Magazine.
