LOVED "Make Art That Sells," Part 1

I'm back!  Remember me?  I know, it's been awhile, but don't you worry, I've still been living in artsy land over here.  I've just been in my little learning/research mode a lot lately (ok, I admit, I tend to get stuck in that phase from time to time).

I did want to pop on here for a minute, though, and tell you all how much I LOVED my latest ecourse that I took!  I mentioned it last time, but I'll tell you again.  It was called "Make Art That Sells" taught by Lilla Rogers.

Isn't the banner even so dang cute?

I can't even say enough good things about this course!  I looked forward to the posts every day.  There were amazing assignments, great videos, wonderful classmates, an incredible community of talented, supportive artists....  The Flickr group alone was worth the money!  Let me tell you, there is some amazing talent out there!  It was just a constant stream of awesomeness coming out of that course! 

In fact, I think that one of the best things I learned from the course is that I have a lot to learn.  Honestly, it really helped me step up my game, and realize that I need to give it everything I've got, if my stuff even stands a chance out there in this art-filled world.  It was great, though, just what I needed.

So, you wanna see some of my assignments?  It was tough, because we had an assignment due each week, so I was on a deadline.  It really helped me stay focused, but, of course, that last night before each one was due, I would always stay up way too late, putting my finishing touches on it.  And you know how us artists are - a piece is never really "finished."  I could've just kept fiddling and embellishing forever.  So, yeah, it was good I had a cut-off point.

Anyway, here is some of my lovely work:

This is my plate design - a bouquet of donuts.  Who wouldn't want a bouquet of donuts?

And here's my layout for the "Children's Book Illustration" week.  Whew - this was a toughy, but I still had fun.  : )

This is from "Collage" week, and the first time I ever illustrated a bird in one of my pieces.  I had a lot of fun with all the different textures on this one, and learned some new techniques.

K, this one has to make you smile, right?  For inspiration this week, we were supposed to turn to things that we collect.  Well, I really love Superman and Hello Kitty, so combine those two and, viola!  Super Kitty is born.  A special thank-you goes out to my kitty cat Pixie for letting me use her cute, fluffy face in my work.  : )

So, there you have it. I really loved the course, so much, and guess what?  Part 2 is starting up in October!  Yay!