Hi!

I’m Mike Lowery and I love to share fun facts.  I’m also really looking forward to coming up to the Surtex show in NYC from my home base of Atlanta.

Stop by Booth 517 to say hello and to learn more fun facts.

In the meantime, check out more of my work here.

See you at Surtex!

Mike

Happy Weekend!

We received Trina’s book in the mail and couldn’t be happier to share her new work and portfolio for Surtex with you!

Watch Lilla opening the blurb book here…

Stop by Booth 517 at Surtex to see more beautiful work from Trina!

xo,

Reine

Hi,

In the midst of the Surtex excitement, there are also so many other neat projects happening with the studio! Suzy Ultman’s new growth chart is now out and just in time for Spring with Land Of Nod. It can even be personalized. What a great gift!  It can be found and ordered here: http://www.landofnod.com

Lovely work Suzy!

xo,

Reine

Hi!

We’re having so much fun in the studio getting all of these beautiful blurb books in the mail.  Today, we received the talented Rebecca Bradley’s.  It’s brimming with exquisite and rich new pieces that are filled with possibilities for placement on a range of products.

Here is a sneak peek of the portfolio with Lilla & Joanne.

Check back tomorrow for more Surtex books!

xo,

Reine

Hello!

I’m Flora….  Please get to know me better here:

I’m so excited to be exhibiting at Surtex this year.  Please stop by Booth 517 to see more of my work!

Here is a sneak peek at my portfolio:

Can’t wait to share more of my work with you at Surtex.

See you there!

xo,

Flora

Hi!

I’m Rachael Taylor, a British surface pattern designer and illustrator. I LOVE colour and spontaneity within my artwork and my aim is to create “patterns to make you happy!”. I’ve been fortunate enough to work on a number of great client projects for exciting product applications.

This year I really want to push my portfolio further and expand my range in the children’s market from accessories, clothing and nursery décor to pushchairs! I’m a dedicated designer who loves nothing more than a challenge and time to get creative. I love a cuppa with just a splash milk and a chocolate biscuit on the side. Below is a sneak peek at some of my newest work! Including, new products (iPhone 6 cases with Artscase, RT apron collection, duvet with DENY Designs, clock with DENY Designs and glassware for Ritzenhoff).

xo,

Rachael

Hi Lilla!

In addition to getting ready for Surtex, I’ve also been busy working on many exciting new projects!  Some include: the book cover for an Italian publisher, a series of t-shirts for “Live Happy” magazine and I’ve been busy doing a lot of lettering.

I’m really enjoying creating with the blackboard lettering style! I find it really satisfies my need for balance.  Stay tuned because I’m now working on some wine labels and I can’t wait to share them with you when they’re done. Below is an early look at my portfolio for Surtex.

Ciao,

Marco

Bonjour l’Amérique!

I’m a passionate French illustrator.  I love drawing, painting, creating amazing characters and poetic expressions.
I just finished the most exciting project I’ve ever done which is a pastry book called “GOURMANDISES- Crisp Recipes”.

I’ve also done a lot of other amazing projects this year: books, stationery, fashion, advertising, 3D animation with my ladies…
2015 has been such a busy and exciting year!

Can’t wait to share my latest work with you at Surtex. Here is a sneak peek now….

xo,

Adolie

Happy May 1st, everyone!  The countdown is officially on as we get closer and closer to Surtex.  We’re so excited about the portfolios we’ve received from our artists and we can’t wait to share them with you! We’ll start today with a sneak peek of Sarah Walsh’s portfolio.  She shared with us that her dream job would be a fabric/clothing collection for the modern but fun kid, and she’d love to do a children’s book (she’d be amazing).  Here’s a sneak peek of Sarah’s portoflio.

Here’s a little video of her talking a bit about her work: 

We can’t wait to share more sneak peek videos with you. Check back daily.  See you at the show!

xo,
Reine

As a one-off special assignment in our current Make Art That Sells Bootcamp class, we recently challenged class participants to design a poster for our upcoming LIVE event in Brighton, UK, in June, ‘Make Art That Sells: The Global Art Gathering’. We were absolutely blown away by the response, and it was a difficult decision for Lilla, her studio ladies and our guest judge Judy Stevens, founder of Artists Open Houses Brighton.

After much deliberation they decide that the winner would be KATIE VERNON, whose stunning poster design completely captured the character of Brighton, a buzzing creative city on the South Coast of England.

KATIE VERNON

This is what the judges said about Katie’s piece:

Style

• It was definitely one of the most original pieces shown. It stood out from the others.
• The style is highly evolved and rendered in a consistent manner throughout the poster. The icons on the body are very beautifully painted.
• Reflects the vibe of Brighton, the Event and the MATS brand.
• The black line art is very cool. Minimal color palette adds sophistication.
• The hand-painted blue watercolor of the bathing suit is beautifully done and a is pretty foil to the more intense tattoos. We see the paint edges and subtle color modulations of the traditional media

Concept

• Edgy yet witty (Eye heart ART, Lilla as mermaid).
• An artist’s tattoos deliver the information about the event both literally and figuratively (in words and pictures). She’s wearing summer clothing—a bathing suit, perhaps—which communicates summer on the beach in a non-clichéd way. No seagulls or sailboats, not that that’s necessarily bad, but here it’s very fresh, which adds to the delight.
• The woman is holding three brushes which communicates that she is an art maker.
• The artist in the poster is very bad-ass (with nice lipstick).

Well designed poster

• The important info reads well very large (as a poster on the street) or very small (as postcards or on the web).
• The text is delivered in a hierarchy that matches the importance of the information (website info, etc., is smallest text)
• A great read quickly, but plenty of smaller details to reward a more careful look. I teach that your art needs to read well small for various purposes (such as web use). Here, the design reads well small: The woman’s shape is very graphic. The background yellow contrasts well against the silhouette of the body. The “Global Art Gathering” text is among the largest in any poster—and will read well from a distance—yet it doesn’t overpower the poster.

Plus, we just freakin’ loved it.

Katie wins $500, a 1-1 portfolio review with Lilla and a free place on the 2015 Global Talent Search (which will launch soon – stay tuned! Katie’s posters will be put up all over Brighton, and postcard-sized versions will be distributed in cafes across the city – congratulations Katie!

NOTE: There are only TWO places left for this event, which promises to be a special day of industry insight, advice, inspiration and community building. If you want to snap up one of the remaining two places, hurry and book here.

We were so impressed by the entries that we wanted to give special recognition to several others too. Each of the runners up will receive a free place on the 2015 Global Talent Search

The judges said about these entries: “There were loads and loads of fantastic pieces.

Here are just a few of the many that delighted us! These all exhibited strong compositions, were masterfully executed, and presented unique styles. The information was communicated clearly and in a way that was compelling as a poster. There was a quality of delight in each that would engage the viewer.”

MARTINA NG

DORIS LEE

JANE NEWLAND

KENDRA BINNEY

MARIA PARRISH

MEGHANN RADER

SANDRINE MONNIER

Congratulations all!