It’s that time for Make Art That Sells Boot Camp! This is the second time I have joined this super fun and creative bootcamp! This time the bootcamp runs from January to May. It’s literally five months of fun and time to create many beautiful pieces for my portfolio. I think the bootcamp is my favourite course from Lilla Roger’s Make Art That Sells website. The reason I like her bootcamps so much is because you get all kinds of different briefs which are aimed towards all kinds of markets and also the course isn’t that expensive.

There are many different courses on MATS (Make Art That Sells) website but most of them cost £200 or more. At least in my opinion, they are worth the money and I would love to join the Home Decor and Mats B courses but I always feel a bit concerned about spending too much money on myself. So once a year I do a bootcamp and if I have some quiet time coming up following a busy period I’ll try to do another course.

For the first assignment, we first of all have to draw things in our bag.

Things In my bag are:

1. Bunny Gloves: I had my favourite bunnies gloves but lost them shortly after completing this project. I was super sad because I bought these bunny gloves many years ago and I won’t be able to find the same pair again.
2. Makeup bag: My makeup bag actually is not that cute. This is my dream makeup bag which I hope one day I can produce or maybe license it to another company, so I can see the design become live!
3. House Keys: I like put lots key chains on my key so I won’t lose my keys. I’m a very clumsy person and if I don’t do this way I will lose my keys all the time. I have 6-7 key chains in my house keys at the moment. My illustration is a bit of “simpler version” of my house keys.
4. Tea Bag: I like my tea and I always have them in my bag. Just in case!
5. Lip Balm: I’m from a sub-tropical country so the weather of UK is a bit harsh for my skin. It’s too dry and too cold so I always have a different kind of cream or lip balm with me.
6. Hand Cream: I love the smell of roses, lavender and other flowers. My hand cream at the moment is rose scent.
7. White Flower Oil – old Chinese lady favourite: My grandmother gave me this medicine. We use it for headaches, sea sickness, car sickness to mosquito bites. So if you have look at an old Chinese lady’s hand bag you will often find a bottle of white flower oil.
8. Crayons: My daughter likes to carry lots things when we go out and she will eventually dump all her things in my hands and I will have to put them in my bag. Crayons are the less gross objects she put in my bag.
9. Snacks: They are for me. I have busy life so I’m always on the run. It’s nice to have some chocolate or other snacks to help me boost my energy to face my duties and challenges.

The official assignment is we have to draw a famous lady’s bag contents and then design a children’s book cover. The famous lady I got is “Lilla Rogers”! Everyone based on their birth month they got a different lady to illustrate. My birthday is October so I got Lilla! I was feeling lots pressure because she is like the fairy god mother of the creative world, so I want to make her look and feel very “magical” to children.

I illustrated unicorn lip balm, telescope for looking for the hidden talented artists, magic wand pencil, inspiration potion and magic power bar..etc. Lilla likes crafting and sewing, so I also illustrated cotton reels and a pin cushion flying out of her bag. When I was looking for information about Lilla on her Instagram, I found she hosts an artist retreat every year and it’s in her home! She has a beautiful and huge garden! So I illustrate a flower seed bag in her bag too. I just guess she probably likes gardening.

I have to admit I would love to illustrate Betty Crocker for this assignment. But I like to challenge myself so I just tried my best to think about what’s in Lilla’s bag. I think the most difficult part of this project is I know Lilla but I feel like I don’t know her that well and I can’t easily just “google” her to see what’s her life story and what she likes..etc. So I think this is the most difficult part of this project. I’m intending to illustrate Betty Crocker’s bag a bit later for my portfolio.

This is my final presentation. I included my final image of my book cover and also created a 3D book mock up to show my potential client what my illustration will look like on the actual book.

I hope you like my book cover! Do you have any fun or interesting content in your bag? What’s your “must have” in your bag? I would love to hear from you. 😉