Final MATS Bootcamp assignment

Wow, this was a great experience. I feel I created a few really good pieces over the past few months for MATS Bootcamp. July's theme was create a piece of art based on your favorite drink. I love coffee even though you could also assume from my piece I also enjoy tea.

A few thoughts on my MATS Bootcamp experience:

  • I realized I really love illustration. It brings me a great deal of joy. Of course it probably depends on the subject matter but it is just so fun taking an idea, to a sketch, into Illustrator and finishing up with special details and touches in Photoshop. Even though I work full time and have two young kids to care for, I found I didn't mind giving up my preciously scant free time to work on my assignments.

  • I was inspired to try a different medium, the brush pen. OK, so it may not seem like such a far deviation from the usual ballpoint/gel pens I usually use but the technique is different and I found it really challenging to get the hang of it at first. Also there is much more room for errors and little blips and blops, a lot less control. This was actually very freeing. I was so used to having full control over my lines and making them with precision but the brush pen has such a fluid feel.

  • I was able to connect with so many talented artists in the MATS Bootcamp class. I feel that I pushed my work even further after seeing everyone else's great pieces.

  • My artwork received a lot more exposure than I had anticipated. My Behance stats really sky rocketed up and I also was contacted for a couple local freelance illustration jobs.

Overall, I'd recommend the class to anyone who wants to:

  • build their porftolio

  • network with many wonderful artists

  • is interested in freelancing but not sure if you're ready

  • wants to have lots of fun without too much pressure or financial investment

I also entered the Global Talent Search. We'll be getting our first assignment in August. I'm really excited. I'm a little pessimistic about making it to the top 50 only because I've seen the quality of artists that were in MATS Bootcamp but I welcome the challenge.