When you see a piece of abstract art in a hip mid century modern living room, or a floral pattern on a duvet cover in a romantic beach cottage, you think “yeah, I want that lifestyle, so I want that in my house!” That’s because those photos tell a great story. That’s why brands we all know and love don’t just show photos of clothes on a hanger, or images floating on a white background. They show their products in context, in a lifestyle you want. If you want to market your art, you need to tell a good story too.
My name is Carrie Cantwell and I’m an illustrator, surface designer and educator. But I’m not a professional photographer, and that’s okay! Want to know what I use to show off my artwork? Mockups! Mockups elevate your art. If you’re just starting your art career, mockups can help you fake it ‘til you make it.
I’ve partnered with Creatsy to give you 3 free amazing lifestyle mockups in this class. In this class, I’ll explain the psychology of aspiration, and why lifestyle mockups can really help you sell yourself to brands you want to partner with. I’ll show you the nitty gritty technical stuff like how to work with mockup files, how to scale things like patterns and art prints to make sure they look great on any surface, and I’ll show you how to adjust details like color accents in mockup photos to really help your art pop.
This is a great class to take after you’ve finished my SkillShare pattern class, because you can apply your patterns to real products. In this class, I’ll be using Adobe Photoshop, so it requires a basic understanding of the Photoshop interface. If you don’t have Photoshop, I’ll include a link to a free trial.
I’m giving you a free lifestyle mockup you can use right now in your portfolio, and you can use this file to follow-along with me in class. I’m also giving you a free bonus bundle with 2 additional mockups, some helpful tips for identifying which mockups work best for what industry, and resources to help you find even more professional-quality mockups.
