I've been immersed in the creation of the latest L illa Rogers Global Talent Search competition assignment. I am LOVING it! I realize how much I have learned and how far I have come. I'm going to bravely share my past submissions and go through where I was at the time - creatively and technically. I want to show, mainly myself, how very far I have come in five years!

My entry in the 2013 Global Talent Search

This make me cringe a bit. We had to design a journal cover with the theme of vintage playground. I did not know or even have Photoshop on my computer. I did not have my own computer or scanner! I had to carefully paint this with brand new gouache and then take it to Staples to have it scanned. I had just taken MATS A (the very first MATS class) and cried every week because I couldn't make my ideas look as cool as some of the more tech-savy artists. The only week I felt good about during that class was wall art because I was a fine artist, that's what I did. But, I completed this assignment with the know-how I had at the time and gave it my 110%. No, I did not make it through to the next round. But, I remember having fun. And I did love my palette. I admired the artists whose work rose above the crowd and used it as motivation to keep going. I knew my voice was forming and I just needed to keep working.

In 2014 we had to design a piece with the terrarium theme and hand lettering. I don't remember much about this brief. This year I had learned some photoshop from a generous and patient friend but I was still quite a novice. I hand painted this piece in sections. The background pattern was in gouache on paper and the terrarium and cup were done in acrylic on wood board. Again, I think my concept was original and my color palette was pretty good but my technical skills were not yet there. I Definitely did not include enough icons to chew on! No, I did not make it through to the next round. I could see the artists whose work was picked and could see why Lilla fell in love with their work.

In 2015 the theme was to design a cup, saucer and paper ware for a tea shop in London. I loved doing the research for this one and really let my imagination go. I had just started an obsession with drawing and painting moths so I went in that direction and used metamorphosis as my theme. Again, I really took my time with this and put in all my soul and energy into this piece. I remember loving the result. Again, I did not make it through the first cut. At the time I was crushed because I truly felt mine could hang with the fifty artists who got through. With time though, I have gained some perspective and can see that I wasn't quite there yet. I should have mocked up my tea cup and I should have included a whole lot more icons. I was going for simplicity and elegance and that's not necessarily what was selling at the time. Again, I kept going and building my skills with gouache, and Photoshop. I went to school to get a certificate in Graphic Design and I took a bit of a breather from the Make Art That Sells community so that I could find my own voice and explore things on my own for a bit.

I really do feel like a completely different artist now than I was then. My skills with Photoshop have gone from an awkward necessity to an integral tool in my tool box. I have also learned to use Illustrator in ways I could never believed I was capable of. I've honed my design skills and continued to push myself towards a more authentic voice.

I'm proud of my design this year. I will share it after July 9th. I think I've come a long way, Baby!

I want to say that I think it was a healthy choice to take a bit of a break from the MATS community to find my own way for a bit. I am thrilled to be back in the fold again. I have taken the Children's Book Illustration class and have signed up for the Money Badass class which starts in August. I'm back with a vengeance!

Oh! And I have fallen in love with my dip fountain pen! I just want to draw and hand letter with it all day long!!!