Lilla Rogers Studio

What Lilla Rogers Studio does

Lilla Rogers Studio is a founder-owned personal creative education brand built on the 40-year career of its namesake founder. Originally established in 1994 as a New York-based art agency that represented illustrators globally, the business operated for 30 years with high-profile clients including MoMA, Anthropologie, Disney, IKEA, Target, Condé Nast, Penguin Random House, and Chronicle Books, reportedly brokering $300M+ in commissioned artwork before the agency was closed in 2024. The company has since refocused entirely on teaching, mentoring, and personal art creation.

The core operating asset is the Make Art That Sells (MATS) online teaching platform, co-founded in 2013 with Beth Kempton, which has accumulated 30,000+ students over 12+ years across self-serve courses, Assignment Bootcamps, and a high-touch Inner Circle mentoring program capped at 12 participants. Complementary offerings include weeklong luxury art retreats in European villas (France, Portugal, Italy) via a partnership with Uptrek.com, local in-person Sketchbook Journaling courses at Maxima Hive in Arlington, MA, keynote speaking, direct illustration commissions, and book sales (notably 'I Just Like to Make Things' published by Quarry). Distribution runs through owned channels (makeartthatsells.com, Substack, Framer-built website) and third-party platforms (Creativebug), with marketing driven by a 30,000-student referral network, university speaking circuit (Parsons, SVA, MassArt, RISD), and podcast appearances.

The business operates without external funding, proprietary technology, or AI tooling, relying on Lilla Rogers' personal brand and industry relationships as the primary asset. Revenue is generated through a mix of subscription-style course access, one-time premium retreat tuition, professional services for speaking, and licensing/commission income. Customer concentration risk is minimal given the long-tail individual student base, but the enterprise is structurally capped by founder capacity and carries single-point-of-failure key-person risk.

Name

Lilla Rogers Studio

Legal name

Lilla Rogers

Website

https://lillarogers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lilla Rogers Studio is a founder-owned creative education brand built on Lilla Rogers' 40-year illustration and art-agency career, operating the Make Art That Sells platform (30,000+ students), Inner Circle mentoring, European art retreats, and in-person courses for aspiring and mid-career illustrators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA), Full-Service Artist Management (MPAIAGAA), Design & Maker Skills (Graphic Design, Calligraphy, Lettering) (EDAAAGAJ), Digital Arts & Design (Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation) (EDAMAAAB)

Keywords

• Illustration education
• Art mentoring programs
• Online art courses
• Creative retreats
• Illustration agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Online Courses - Make Art That Sells: Online courses and mentoring programs delivered through makeartthatsells.com and Creativebug. Includes the Inner Circle 6-week intensive mentoring program (limited to 12 participants), Assignment Bootcamp series, and various topic-specific courses.
2. European Art Retreats: Weeklong luxury art retreats in European locations (France, Portugal, Italy) organized through Uptrek.com. Includes accommodations, meals, art instruction, and excursions. Priced as premium all-inclusive experience.
3. In-Person Local Courses: Local in-person workshops such as Sketchbook Journaling classes held at Maxima Hive in Arlington, MA. Five-week course format with weekly sessions.
4. Speaking Engagements: Keynotes, panel discussions, workshops, Q&A sessions, and live art demonstrations for events, conferences, universities, and organizations. Available for in-person or virtual events.
5. Illustration Commissions: Direct illustration commissions for clients interested in commissioning work from Lilla Rogers herself. Contact via [email protected].
6. Book Sales: Author of 'I Just Like to Make Things' book published by Quarry. Also illustrated 'The Chicken Soup Book' for Chronicle Books.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lilla Rogers Studio sells creative education for artists and illustrators, delivered through the Make Art That Sells online platform, the Inner Circle 6-week mentoring intensive, weeklong European art retreats, in-person Sketchbook Journaling workshops, and Creativebug-hosted courses. The studio also accepts direct illustration commissions and books speaking engagements, all built on the founder's three-decade track record as a top art agent.

Product overview

Lilla Rogers Studio operates as a personal creative education brand offering a portfolio of teaching products. The core platform is Make Art That Sells (MATS), an online learning platform offering structured courses on commercial art and illustration. This platform is complemented by Inner Circle, an exclusive 6-week mentoring intensive for deeper personalized guidance. The product line also includes in-person offerings: European art retreats organized through Uptrek.com and local workshops like Sketchbook Journaling in Arlington, MA. Content is further distributed through Lilla's Art Chats on Substack, a freeform video chat newsletter. Lilla Rogers has also authored the book 'I Just Like to Make Things' and teaches courses on the Creativebug platform. The overall portfolio serves artists and illustrators seeking to build commercially successful creative careers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Make Art That Sells (MATS): Online teaching platform offering courses for artists and illustrators, with over 30,000 students worldwide.

Products and services

• Make Art That Sells (MATS) Online learning platform offering structured courses for artists and illustrators on how to develop a commercially viable art style and build a successful illustration career. Self-serve enrollment, with global reach and 12+ years of accumulated content.
• Inner Circle Mentoring Program A 6-week intensive small-group mentoring program with a maximum of 12 participants, featuring twice-weekly group sessions and a private 1:1 career discussion with Lilla Rogers, focused on evolving participants' creative careers and artistic growth.
• European Art Retreats Weeklong luxury art retreats held in European locations (France, Portugal, Italy) organized through Uptrek.com, including accommodation in villas, meals, art instruction, day trips, and mentoring sessions with Lilla Rogers. Retreats sell out consistently.
• Sketchbook Journaling (Arlington, MA) A 5-week laid-back in-person course held at Maxima Book and Gift shop (The Hive) in Arlington, MA, covering sketchbook art with watercolor, gel pens, colored pencils, and journal prompts for all skill levels.
• Assignment Bootcamp: Lettering An online course teaching hand lettering techniques, designed to boost participants' portfolios with instruction from Lilla Rogers.
• Creativebug Courses (Treasure Hunt Your Artistic Style / Treasure Hunt Your Writing Style) Courses taught by Lilla Rogers on the Creativebug platform, including 'Treasure Hunt Your Artistic Style' and 'Treasure Hunt Your Writing Style' — 10-day guided courses for discovering creative direction, sold through Creativebug's audience.
• Illustration Commissions Direct illustration commissions for clients seeking work from Lilla Rogers herself, covering editorial, advertising, publishing, packaging, and product illustration. Booked via [email protected].
• Speaking Engagements Keynotes, panel discussions, workshops, Q&A sessions, and live art demonstrations delivered for events, conferences, universities, and organizations, available in-person or virtually. Booked via [email protected].
• "I Just Like to Make Things" Book A book written by Lilla Rogers sharing insights from her four-decade creative career, published by Quarry with cover design by Suzy Ultman.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000+ students taught
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Uptrek.comcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUptrek.com is the exclusive partner organizing Lilla Rogers' European art retreats. They handle all logistics including venue selection, accommodations at villas, meals, and excursions. Retreats have been held in France and Portugal, with upcoming retreats in Italy. The partnership enables Lilla to focus on teaching while Uptrek manages the travel and hospitality experience.
• Beth KemptoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeth Kempton is the co-founder of Make Art That Sells (MATS) online teaching platform. Connected with Lilla at age 59, they launched MATS which is now in its 11th+ year. Beth serves as producer for courses and has been instrumental in building the platform.
• CreativebugminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCreativebug is an online learning platform that hosts Lilla Rogers' courses including 'Treasure Hunt Your Artistic Style' and 'Treasure Hunt Your Writing Style'. Courses are sold through Creativebug's platform to their audience.
• Maxima Hive (Arlington, MA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaxima Book and Gift shop in Arlington, MA hosts Lilla's in-person Sketchbook Journaling courses in their dedicated Hive event space. The partnership enables local in-person teaching in the Boston area.
• Katie StackminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIllustrator and student Katie Stack co-hosts 'Lilla's Art Chats' on Substack with live videos. The partnership provides freeform content sharing where Katie asks questions that the audience wants answered, complementing the structured MATS courses.
• Guest Expert Co-Teachers (Margo Tantau, Zoe Tucker, Riley Wilkinson, Tamisha Anthony)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLilla collaborates with various expert co-teachers for specific course topics: Margo Tantau for home decor, Zoe Tucker for picture books, Riley Wilkinson for toys and games, Tamisha Anthony for style and Black history. These partnerships expand course offerings beyond Lilla's primary expertise.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Domestika: Large online learning marketplace for creative professionals offering courses in illustration, lettering, and design. Comparable because it competes for the same aspiring-illustrator audience that Lilla Rogers targets through MATS, but at a much larger scale and lower price points.
• Skillshare: Subscription-based online learning platform with extensive illustration, design, and creative courses. Comparable because it serves the same self-directed learner segment seeking illustration and creative-business education, though it operates as a broad marketplace rather than a personality-led brand.
• School of Visual Arts (SVA) Continuing Education: Major art school offering continuing education and certificate programs in illustration and design, where Lilla Rogers also lectures. Comparable because it serves the same aspiring-illustrator audience seeking structured, credentialed creative education.

Direct peers

• CreativeLive: Online learning platform focused on creative entrepreneurs, artists, and makers with personality-led instructors. Comparable because it sells premium courses to aspiring creative professionals and overlaps directly with MATS on illustration, art business, and creative-career topics.
• Creativebug: Online learning platform for art and craft that already hosts Lilla Rogers courses including 'Treasure Hunt Your Artistic Style.' Comparable because it targets the same maker/artist learner segment and acts as both a partner and a competitor in illustration education.

Regional players

• The Illustration Conference (ICON): Biennial professional conference for the illustration industry featuring workshops, portfolio reviews, and speaker programming. Comparable because it operates in the same illustrator professional-development niche where Lilla Rogers speaks and where her target students seek career advancement.

Emerging players

• Illustrators' Studio (by Brainstorm): Illustration agency and community platform connecting illustrators with commercial work. Comparable because it sits at the intersection of illustration representation and artist development — historically the core of Lilla Rogers Studio's agency business — though operating at smaller scale.
• Lisa Congdon: Independent illustrator, artist, and educator who was once represented by Lilla Rogers' agency and now sells online courses and licensed art. Comparable because she represents the alumna trajectory Lilla actively cultivates — a working illustrator building an independent teaching and licensing business.

Others

• UPPERCASE Magazine: Independent print and digital magazine for the creative community, where Lilla Rogers is a regular columnist. Comparable because it operates in the same illustration-and-craft audience ecosystem and serves as a distribution and brand-building channel for her work.
• Uptrek: Boutique retreat and travel company that partners with Lilla Rogers to operate her European art retreats. Comparable because it is the operational backbone for the retreat revenue stream and an indicator of the kind of niche creative-retreat competitors operating in the same space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lillarogersstudio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lilla Rogers Studio