Illustration Business Masterclass

Eliminate the confusion when creating your portfolio, finding clients, and running your illustration business. so you can find clients and make money with your art.

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Create or die!
(Or maybe just be grumpy?) 

Does creating art sometimes feel as important to you as breathing? 

Did you decide to take that magical creation feeling and turn it into a career? Then you realized you had to market yourself, talk with clients, and do taxes. 

I created the Illustration Business Masterclass to fill in all the gaps between drawing your first sketch to watching money arrive in your bank account after getting paid for your dream illustration job.

Click Here to Get Started

Turning your love for art into a career can be hard.

Are You Ever Frustrated When…

  • You aren’t sure if your illustration
    looks professional?
  • You have to figure out what to put into
    your portfolio?
  • You have to guess what projects are best to spend your time on?
  • You wonder if your art is good?
  • You aren’t sure how to improve your skills or where to focus?
  • You have to find clients?
  • You don’t know how much to charge?

In the masterclass, you can…

  • Take the guesswork out of creating an illustration by learning a step-by-step process that you can customize to fit your creative style.
  • Learn what clients and art directors are looking for so you know exactly what should go in your portfolio.
  • Know exactly how to achieve your dream by setting clear goals for creating and marketing your portfolio.
  • Get help at any stage of the process with feedback from the critique group.
  • Improve your artistic abilities with art demos, character design lessons, and illustration tips.
  • Join Manelle for monthly chats where you can ask questions and get direction for each step of the journey.
  • Get new lessons about marketing, working with clients, or illustration every month.

Fill Your Portfolio With
Quality Content

Make a plan for how to fill your portfolio with artwork that will speak to your potential clients. Use the critique group to improve your art as you work.

Find Your Dream Client and Get Illustration Work

How do you show your portfolio to the right people? Inside the masterclass, you’ll find resources to help you research clients and market your art.

The key to making great art is having fun.

Filling a portfolio and finding clients requires structure and planning, so we’ll talk about how to enjoy the process while you work toward your goals.

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Hi, I’m Manelle

I’m an illustrator and author with over 15 years of experience. I’ve illustrated over 20 books, worked as an in-house designer, and spent years learning to navigate the illustration industry. After graduating with my illustration degree, I thought I was ready to jump into the world of free-lance children’s book illustration but quickly learned there were a lot of things I didn’t know. 

How do you know if your portfolio is good? When you have a portfolio, what is the best way to show it to clients? After you have a client, how much should you charge?

I’ve spent years figuring this out, and I’m thrilled to share everything I know with you.

12+ illustrated books

I’ve illustrated more than ten books with traditional publishers and
self-published eight.

15+ years of experience

I graduated in 2004 with my art degree and have experience with design, book illustration, teaching, social media marketing, and more.

10+ years running illustration events

My work with art directors at conferences gives me extra insight into what they are looking for.

What others are saying about Manelle’s classes.

People are already having breakthroughs from Manelle’s videos and classes.

I loved your tutorials on Etchr and I’m here to learn more about your work.
This was SO helpful! -Thank you!! I struggle so much with lettering in my paintings.
This is so interesting!.. it’s really cool seeing it evolved through all your trials. 🙂 Fascinating! Thank you!
Thank you so much to share your story. It helps so much to understand that we have to focus on our heart and not our head. 🙂
I like the timelapse videos and I just had a look again to check which was my favorite and honestly, I love them all.
I love these little tips! They all seem to address the same things that halt my progress and your tips are simple but really helpful!
I’m working on a little personal project so I’m super interested in seeing the process behind your Mermendium.

Stop guessing what comes next in your illustration career.

Inside the Illustration Business Masterclass, you can find lessons to guide you on each step of your journey.

I Want In!

What’s inside the masterclass?

The illustration portfolio masterclass already has over 50 lessons, with more added every month.

This isn’t a membership with random art classes, it’s a framework designed to help you fill, present, and market your portfolio.

And, with monthly live lessons, Q&A calls and the critique group included, you’ll have the opportunities you need to ask questions and get feedback on your projects.

We start with a strong foundation.

Part I: Start Here
  • Introduction
  • Course goals
  • Your improvement as an artist.
Part II: Critique Groups are Awesome!
  • Why critique groups?
  • Giving critiques
  • Getting critiques
  • Our critique group
  • Making changes
Part III: What is a portfolio?
  • What is a portfolio and why do you need one?
  • Amazing personal projects.
  • What goes in your portfolio?
  • When is your portfolio ready?
Part IV: Creating an illustration Step by Step.
  • Better brainstorming
  • Composition
  • Thumbnails
  • Concept art
  • Taking photo reference
  • Thumbnail to sketch
  • Value studies
  • Color studies
  • Printing on watercolor paper
  • Painting
Plus more lessons about…
  • Character design.
  • Lettering
  • Sketchbooks
  • and Line Quality
Plus lessons on portfolios, websites, and marketing, are coming in the next few months.

Get Started Today!

Choose the plan that’s right for you. These special introductory prices are only going to last until April 11, and they are never coming back.

Most Flexible

$69/month (beta rate)

Renews every month.

(Cancel Any Time)

Join Now
Best Value

$690/year (beta rate)

Includes two free months.

(Save $138)

Join Now + Save

This program is for you if…

  • You have an art degree but figuring out how to create a portfolio and market it to dream clients wasn’t something they taught you in art school.
  • Or you are a self-taught artist who dreams of making money with your art but you have no idea where to start.
  • Or, if you’re returning to the world of illustration after a long break and need some direction on what to do next. 

This program is NOT for you if…

  • You aren’t interested in turning your love for art into an illustration career.
  • You are looking to learn about selling prints or original art in an Etsy shop. The focus is on creating a portfolio and finding and working with clients.
  • You aren’t committed to stepping out of your comfort zone, making goals, and working hard.
+ Free Bonus

Art Helps People– Learn why you should stop feeling guilty for spending time on your art.

Creating art is not one size fits all.

Because as artists we each have a different way of working, and because as people we have multifaced lives, the illustration portfolio masterclass was designed so you could work at your own pace.

  • Use the goal-setting worksheets to set your own schedule.
  • Stay as long as you need until you’re comfortable working with clients on your own.
  • You can cancel at any time.
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Popular questions

Making a commitment like this isn’t something to take lightly (and I hope you won’t). Let’s make sure you have all the info you need before jumping in.

This course is a membership model so you can come, work through the lessons at your own pace and leave the membership when you’re ready to take on the world of free-lance illustration world on your own.

Critique group access, Live lessons, and Q&A calls, (4th Saturday of each month.) over 60 Video lessons, worksheets, and illustration assignments to help you fill your portfolio with amazing art.

Of course! But the value you’ll find inside is unlike anything else. This class will support you as you create and market your portfolio. Then guide you through the process of negotiating and working with clients. There are hours of video content, worksheets, and a supportive and helpful community of like-minded artists.

Good question. Inside the course, you’ll find a form to submit questions. Plus there’s a calendar of upcoming modules so you can see when new lessons will be available.

Yes, after signing up you have 14 days to request a refund. Just send an email to illustration@talesfantastic.com.

Still Have Questions?

Send me a message using this form.

How long have you been dreaming of working as an illustrator?

Stop struggling to figure out what to put in your portfolio or what to charge potential clients.

Imagine having a detailed map showing you exactly how to get from your sketch to getting paid for your illustrations.

Start now, and turn your dream into a reality.

Get Started Today!

Choose the plan that’s right for you. These special introductory prices are only going to last until April 11, and they are never coming back.

Most Flexible

$69/month

Renews every month.

(Cancel Any Time)

Join Now
Best Value

$690/year

Includes two free months.

(Save $138)

Join Now + Save