We’re excited to announce dates for the next run of Make Your Mark Bootcamp coming in January 2025 and this is your official invitation to apply!

Are you craving structure, creative direction and an exciting way to boost your illustration practice this year? 

We’re delighted to announce dates for our upcoming extended Make Your Make Bootcamp programme starting on Monday 13th January and running for six months until Thursday 17th July 2025.

Apply Now 

Covering some of the biggest challenges that illustrators face — from building your business, to branching out into new areas, to finding your voice, connecting with your values and harnessing your true creative potential.

Scroll down to get the scoop – artists who enrol before 31st October can lock in some awesome bonuses!

Make Your Mark Bootcamp brings together the best bits of our flagship programme and 28 Day Challenges, with new additions and refreshed content including mastermind sessions, practical workshops, creative briefs and industry mentoring with illustration commissioners from publishing, editorial and advertising.

Find your voice, craft your story, develop your portfolio, build your business and get hired!

Open to artists, illustrators and creatives worldwide. Check out our FAQ here.

Applications open now until Wednesday 20th November

What’s included?

Our six month bootcamp includes x 12 core modules, x 4 illustration masterclasses, x 4 industry talks with art directors and 12 months inclusive access to Inkygoodness Collective Membership* commencing January 2025.  Sessions will be recorded for lifetime access. 

Who is this program for?

This program is designed for:

• Professional and emerging artists, illustrators and creatives.

• Creatives who are established in their practice but need extra support.

• Those who have a level 9 or 10 (out of 10) commitment to their creative development and are ready to “do the work.”

• People who work well in groups, who are willing to give as much as they get, and be vulnerable, honest, and supportive.

We’ll be bringing in industry speakers to set you creative briefs to work on throughout the programme across editorial, publishing, packaging, branding & much more.

To compliment the programme we’re inviting six artist & illustrators and four industry mentors from industry to host masterclasses and talks as part of our official Make Your Mark Bootcamp line-up!

We’re delighted to be joined by six leading artists and designers for Make Your Mark Bootcamp and will be announcing our first speakers & mentors in early September!

Masterclasses will be available inclusively for artists enrolled on Bootcamp. Those wishing to attend our Masterclasses only will have the option to purchase our new All-Access Masterclass pass or tickets to access individual Masterclasses later this year.

Previous Inkygoodness speakers include Flying Eye Books & Owen Davey; CEO & Founder of The Bright Agency Vicki Willden-Lebrecht, UK based illustrator and animator Hannah Jacobs, Portugal based illustrator Danii Pollehn, Children’s illustrator Ella Bailey, visual artist and illustrator Marc David Spengler, award winning illustrator Lisk Feng, and Aardman Director & Designer Gavin Strange – and you’ll get access to recordings of all these sessions and many more inside our Creative Resources Hub!

Let’s meet your mentors…

Confirmed Speaker & Mentor: Mark Conlan

Mark Conlan is an illustrator hailing from Dublin who recently returned to Ireland after 15 years living in Melbourne’s sunny southern suburbs.

His characteristic whimsical style is both unique and playful, accentuated by his bold use of colour in full spectrum and limited palettes. Mark’s ability to distil a concept down to its visual essence is what sets him apart, affording him the privilege of working with some of the worlds most recognisable brands.

Mark joins Make Your Mark Bootcamp as a speaker and mentor, and will present a Masterclass on Thursday 5th February 2025 as part of our official line-up, alongside joining us for mentoring sessions in April 2025.

Born in Cannes in 1981, Lucas Beaufort is a French visionary artist-painter living in a world surrounded by imaginary characters, kind but mischievous monsters, who help him build a positive image on the world and guide his choices every day. His vibrant, colorful work is inextricably linked with the cultures of street art and skateboarding; two of his abiding passions.

The Cannes native first became known for his jaunty style and drawings over skate magazine covers. Today, you can enjoy his abstract characters on murals all over the world. Lucas approaches drawing the same way he approaches skateboarding — full of energy, joy, and fearlessness. Citing artists Zio Ziegler, Andy Rementer, Geoff McFetridge and Jeremyville amongst his influences, Lucas has collaborated with global brands including Wemoto, Finisterre, Tignes, Opinel, W London and many more. His best selling book HEART celebrating 40 years of skate shop history was published in 2022.

Lucas joins Make Your Mark Bootcamp as a speaker & mentor, and will present a Masterclass on Wednesday 27th November as part of our official line-up, alongside joining us for mentoring sessions in January 2025.

Lucy represents a range of artists at Plum, but with a focus for ages 7+. She brings a variety of publishing experience to her role, having worked previously at Seven Stories, Waterstones, The Moon Lane Group and New Frontier Publishing. She is particularly drawn to pencil-like textures, neon palettes, and artwork with dark vibes or cute dogs! She loves the joy illustrated books can bring and the impact they have on people’s lives.

Lucy joins Make Your Mark Bootcamp as a speaker & mentor, and will present an Industry Talk on Illustrating for Picture Books on Thursday 11th February! Lucy will also be setting our Bootcamp cohort a creative brief to illustrate their first (or next) children’s book cover.

Module Content

All sessions in UK time (GMT)

Kick off & Welcome Event  – Monday 13th January @ 7pm GMT

M1 – Self Development (1 week)

Live class Wednesday 15th January @ 10.30am GMT

Get into healthy habits to nurture your mental and physical health and wellbeing. In our first session you’ll learn the practice of self discipline and how to adopt a daily routine to stay focused.

• Laying the groundwork

• Nurturing emotional well-being

• Building your routine

• Developing confidence

• Mindset tools & exercises

M2 – Taking the Leap (1 week)

Live class Thursday 23rd January @ 6pm GMT

• Defining your goals

• Setting intentions

• Taking action

• Sticking at it!

M3 – Finding Your Voice (1 week)

Live class Wednesday 29th January @ 10.30am GMT

Figure out your values, your story and what makes you unique as we explore what it means to be an illustrator and how to hone your authentic artistic voice.

• Rediscover your artistic self

• What makes you unique

• Developing your style

• Connecting with your values

• Crafting your story

M4 – Commercial Illustration (6 weeks)

Live classes alternate between Thursday evenings @ 6pm and Wednesday mornings @ 10.30am, starting Thursday 6th February.

Covering 6 core markets including:

• Editorial Illustration (06.02)

• Publishing Market (12.02)

• Toys, Games & Picture Books (20.02)

• Design, Advertising & Brand Collabs (26.02)

• Fashion, Apparel & Textiles (06.03)

• Greetings, Gifting & Licensing (12.03)

• PLUS: Midway Reflection & Discussion Workshops (20.03)

As part of this six week module we will also be joined by guest speakers across the creative & illustration industry. More info dropping soon!

M5 – Creative Development (4 weeks)

Live classes alternate between Wednesday mornings @ 10.30am & Thursday evenings @ 6pm, starting 26th March 2025.

• Dive into industry standard creative briefs on editorial, publishing, branding, packaging & more!

• Mentoring & Group Sessions

• Plus Live Workshops with our co-hosts for extra support along the way!

M6– Craft Your Passion Project (6 weeks)

Live classes alternate between Wednesday mornings @ 10.30am & Thursday evenings @ 6pm, starting Wednesday 23rd April.

• Creating mood boards, research & ideation

• Sketches and visual development

• Crafting your project

• Present your final projects

• + Workshops with our co-hosts for extra support along the way!

M7 – Curate Your Portfolio (2 weeks)

Live classes alternate between Wednesday mornings @ 10.30am & Thursday evenings @ 6pm, starting Wednesday 4th June.

• Designing your branding

• Refining your portfolio

• Curating your website

• Presentation tips & tricks

M8 – Self Promotion (2 weeks)

Live classes alternate between Wednesday mornings @ 10.30am & Thursday evenings @ 6pm, starting Wednesday 18th June.

• Building your brand

• Self promotion toolkit

• Social media tips & tricks

• Selling & marketing

• Cultivating opportunities

M9 – Licensing, Contracts & Getting Paid

Live class Wednesday 2nd July @ 10.30am GMT

• Finding illustration jobs

• Illustration agencies

• How to write a contract

• Pricing & negotiation

• Protecting your work

M10 – Money Mindset

Live class Thursday 10th July @ 6pm

• Uncover what’s holding you back

• Shape your reality

• Change how you relate to money

• How to stay money positive

• The Key to Financial Freedom

• Money Mantras

M11 – Building Resilience & Emotional Wellbeing

Live class Wednesday 16th July@ 10.30am

• Ditching perfectionism

• Overcoming negative self talk

• Handling rejection

• Learning to say no

• Cultivating a positive mindset

M12 – Presentation Week

Come together in small groups in our final week to share the work you have completed on Make Your Mark Bootcamp in presentation sessions at the end of the programme!

Creative Briefs

We’ll be bringing in industry speakers to set you a variety of creative briefs to work on throughout the programme across editorial, publishing, packaging, branding & much more! Details dropping soon.

Buddy Groups

Join a buddy group to meet artists and illustrators on the programme to get extra support, share your work and build connections.

All artists who enrol will also benefit from the following bonuses…

Bonus #1 – Press & PR Toolkit (Zoom)

Learn how to be your own publicist! Essential tips on planning your own marketing strategy with advice on copywriting, useful phrases and tone of voice for press releases and best practice for reaching out to magazines, blogs and press for features as an artist or illustrator.

This module will be delivered as part of the programme in June 2025.

Bonus #2 – Lock in 12 Months Access to Inkygoodness Collective

Artists enrolled on Bootcamp also benefit from 12 months inclusive access to Inkygoodness Collective on our Community Plan (worth £299!).

Free period will commence Thursday 2nd January with nothing to pay until Monday 5th January 2026. 

Membership also includes access to our Creative Resources Hub with cheat sheets, workbooks, video recordings & guides to support your creative development.

PLUS: Unlock this EXTRA early bird bonus when you enrol before 30th September!

Bonus #3 – Creating Art That Sells (Zoom)

Artists who enrol before 30th September will unlock a bonus live webinar scheduled for Thursday 5th December on Creating Art That Sells (Value £149)

Turn your passion into profit and learn how to make art that sells inside our free webinar, with case studies, tips, insight and advice on harnessing Pinterest and Patreon to connect with your audience, create demand and craft a successful online launch! Guest speaker TBA.

A link to register will be sent out to all artists enrolled in early November with a choice of attending a morning or evening session.

Dates

Make Your Mark runs 13th January – 17th July 2025. Live Sessions are hosted every week and alternate between Wednesday @ 10.30am; and Thursday @ 6pm suit different time zones.

All sessions are recorded for replay access. Timings BST/GMT.

Fee

Payment options

• Pay in Full – £699
• Split Payment – £749 (Pay £349 + one payment of £400)
• Payment Plan – £749 (Pay £149 + four equal monthly payments of £150).

Inkygoodness Collective Members qualify for a discount of £100 when they enrol. Applicable to members who join before 31st October only.

Inkygoodness Collective Membership

Make Your Mark Bootcamp includes 12 months inclusive access to Inkygoodness Collective on our Community Plan (worth £299!).

Open to artists, illustrators and creatives worldwide, Make Your Mark alumni are especially welcome to get on board – we’ll be giving you a special discount to join the programme.

Starts Monday 13th January 2024.

Ready to go? Apply Now!

Successful applicants will be notified within 3 days of their application and invited to secure their spot with a deposit. Applications close midnight Wednesday 20th November. Enrol before 31st October to access our bonus masterclass.

Branding illustration for Make Your Mark Bootcamp created by Martina Leonard