Make Art That Sells

If you want to take part in our next FREE Art Challenge, make sure you’re on our mailing list! 👉 makeartthatsells.com/newsletter/

For our most recent FREE Art Challenge, the assignment was to recreate a gorgeous vintage souvenir plate.

Lilla couldn’t pick just one winner – so huge congrats to joint winners Erin Niehenke – whose entry is shown here – and Rainbow Wang, who each win a FREE place in Illustrating Children’s Books!

Guess My State Plate painting, illustration of a decorative plate featuring the phrase “Montani Semper Liberi.” Surrounding the text are small watercolor drawings referencing West Virginia, including a shaggy Bigfoot character, a banjo, pickaxe, trout fish, New River Gorge bridge, constellation, maple leaf, wildflowers, and native pawpaw fruit in warm autumn colors.

Underpainting of Big Foot in Yellow Ochre surrounded by small ink drawings of animals, a bridge, moon lantern, leaf, and mountains on a sketchbook page.

Overhead photo of a watercolor illustration workspace on a wooden table. A large sheet shows a shaggy brown Bigfoot character walking with a determined expression, surrounded by small ink drawings of Appalachian-inspired icons including birds, a fish, a bridge, a crescent moon lantern, a quilt star, a banjo, stars, and leaves. On the right are watercolor paintings of mushrooms and fruit, while torn sheets of paper with handwritten color swatches sit beside the main artwork.

Close-up of my hand using a small paintbrush to fill in the lettering “Montani Semper Liberi” on a watercolor illustration. Above the text are small drawings including a quilt star pattern, the New River Gorge bridge, a banjo, and a maple leaf in warm autumn colors.

Hi everyone — new here.
I’ve been hearing a lot of artists are gathering on Bluesky, so I thought I’d join and share some work.
Here is a Work in Progress from a @makeartthatsells.bsky.social prompt.
#illustration #artistsOnBluesky #illustration #wip #MATSArtChallenge9

Fantastic art by Make Art That Sells student Paloma O’Toole for our FREE Black art history course, Redrawing Black History.

If you haven’t already signed up for this incredible FREE class, take it now 👉 makeartthatsells.com/online-cours...

Stunning lettering for Assignment Bootcamp: Lettering by Make Art That Sells student Joanna Mahoney.

My week 2 assignment for @makeartthatsells.bsky.social kid book pitch class! Am enjoying these assignments that are the good kind of challenging & bringing out my fun characters that live inside. Stay tuned for more of Millie! 🦄🦅🎨✨💗 #childrensbookauthor #childrensbookillustrator #kidlit #picturebook

Happy International Women’s Day from the Make Art That Sells team!

Today and every day, we celebrate women across the globe. Our mission is to help women everywhere turn their beautiful art into successful, fairly paid careers.

#InternationalWomensDay #InternationalWomensDay2026 #IWD #IWD2026

Stunning art for Assignment Bootcamp: Lettering by Make Art That Sells student Lynn Lantz.

I’m so excited to be a part of Lila Rodger’s Kid Book class at @makeartthatsells.bsky.social & to be getting back into drawing characters & exercising my children’s book muscles again 💪🥰🦄🦅⛰️🎨🔮✨
#illustration #childrensbookillustrator #childrensbookauthor #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks #neurospicy

I've had gouache on my to-learn list for a while, so I was so happy to see it on this month's material list for @makeartthatsells.bsky.social Portfolio Club! I'm not quite comfortable with it yet, though this was fun to play with traditional again🎨
#illustration #gouache #Sicily #italy #bloodorange

Loving the @makeartthatsells.bsky.social Portfolio club! This design just came to me as I was imagining a fizzy, bubbly orange seltzer & wanting to draw fish for this challenge♓🐠🍊
#labeldesign #illustration #advertising #handlettering #tropical #fish #citrus #artsky #illustrationsky #design

Head over to our blog to read all about Lilla’s Thermos crisis – but be warned, it’s a high octane read 😱

👉 makeartthatsells.com/blog/

Gorgeous art for Assignment Bootcamp: Lettering by Make Art That Sells student Heather Brewster.

Fab art for Assignment Bootcamp: Lettering by Make Art That Sells student Dave McMahon.

Illustrating Children’s Books starts April 27th! If you want a career in the dreamy world of children’s book illustration, then you don't want to miss this incredible course.

Find out more and sign up now 👉 makeartthatsells.com/online-cours...

Art for class by MATS student Robyn Wallace.

And if you’re not on our mailing list – sign up now to join in with the next FREE Art Challenge! 👉 makeartthatsells.com/newsletter/

Image shows one of Lilla’s favorite pieces of art for the last challenge, by Make Art That Sells student Christy Obalek.

If you’re on our mailing list, check your inbox for this month’s FREE Art Challenge, with a fabulous new illustration assignment from art agent Lilla and the chance to win a FREE place in Illustrating Children’s Books, which starts April 27th!

Lilla will pick one entry to win a FREE place on her iconic Illustrating Children’s Books course!

If you’re not already on the list, sign up now 👉 makeartthatsells.com/newsletter/

Image shows one of Lilla’s favorites from our last challenge by Frankie Levy.

Hurry HURRY – our next FREE Art Challenge drops TOMORROW but you have to be on our mailing list to take part!

You’ll get a FREE illustration assignment from top art agent Lilla Rogers (and we think you’re going to LOVE this one!), plus a week to complete it.

The Art Challenge is completely FREE, but you have to be on our mailing list to take part!

If you’re not already on the list, sign up now 👉 makeartthatsells.com/newsletter/

Image shows one of Lilla’s favorites from our last challenge by Anna O'Neill.

It’s nearly time for our next FREE Art Challenge!

You’ll get a FREE illustration assignment from top art agent Lilla Rogers in your mailbox on March 1st, and you’ll have one week to complete it.

Lilla will pick one entry to win a FREE place on her iconic Illustrating Children’s Books course!

You’ll work step-by-step through art agent Lilla’s 100+ page downloadable workbook, plus you’ll get weekly LIVE Zooms with Lilla and brilliant children’s book art director Zoë to keep you accountable and on-track.

HURRY – registration closes TODAY! 👉 makeartthatsells.com/online-cours...

🚨 LAST CHANCE – REGISTRATION CLOSES TODAY!

Have you ever wanted to write a picture book but didn’t know where to start?

Art agent Lilla breaks it down into gentle structured steps in her innovative picture book writing course designed especially for artists and illustrators, My Kid Book Pitch.


Are you ready to get your idea out of your head and onto the page? Then HURRY, registration closes TOMORROW! 👉 makeartthatsells.com/online-cours...

Image shows art for class by Make Art That Sells student Mandy Sloan Meador.

Art agent Lilla designed My Kid Book Pitch for artists, illustrators, daydreamers — anyone with a story inside them. She breaks it down into gentle, structured steps so you build everything from character to story arc, even if you’ve never written a story before.

Write a picture book story in just four weeks in My Kid Book Pitch.

You’ll work through Lilla’s step-by-step Write a Story recipe, designed to help you discover your unique voice, and live Zooms every week to keep you on track.

Registration closes Thursday! 👉 makeartthatsells.com/online-cours...

Illustrated book cover by Rachel Devlin showing a cracked blue & white porcelain anatomical heart shaped vase with white daisies, floating above a background of a stormy sea landscape, rocky coast and lighthouse. The title reads ‘Her Porcelain Heart’ written in red over a cream ribbon across the heart.

A heart & some flowers for Valentine’s Day 💝💐

Imagined book cover for @makeartthatsells Lettering Bootcamp. I imagined an epic historical novel of eternal love, yearning over oceans, stormy seas, all overdramatic 😍😆

I dream of doing real book covers so this was a dream project ☁️🥰☁️
#illustration

So beautiful!

Want to write a success story like this? Then hurry HURRY, My Kid Book Pitch 2026 is on NOW, and registration closes SOON!

Write your winning picture book story 👉 makeartthatsells.com/online-cours...

Kimberly’s debut is due out in fall this year – and not only that, but her SECOND author-illustrated picture book has been picked up by Little, Brown, and is due summer 2027. Huge congrats, Kimberly!