The Good Ship Illustration

This week, we're STIIIIIILL talking about Bologna Children's Book Fair (for the last time, we promise 😅)  - this episode was supposed to come out as soon as we got home, but the technology gremlins have been fighting with us every step of the way. BACK OFF, GREMLINS. You'll hear at the very end that we went on talking for three whole blimmin' episodes before we realised the microphones had conked out.We chat about having a stand and exhibiting for the very first time, our Best-Stand award, given to us by the one and only Chloe Savage (sponsored by ham™️), meeting the most brilliant people, and...Mega Duck! Timestamps, for the timestamp fans:00:00 – Back from Bologna! The brain dump begins 01:00 – What it was like having a stand for the first time 02:30 – The Best Stand Award wot we won04:00 – 1,500 stripy bags, tattoos, and the ham situation 06:30 – Meeting podcast listeners in real life 07:00 – A lovely chat with Steve Anthony (Mr. Panda!) and his route into illustration 09:00 – The Cambridge School of Art stand and Good Ship grads10:00 – Katie interviewing people on the stand with mega microphones 11:30 – Holly's observation about illustrators 13:00 – Why picture book people are the best15:00 – The Illustrators' Survival Corner16:30 – Meeting new people and being mistaken for a publisher 18:00 – Jo Overend and the Mega Duck story / Walker Books22:00 – Lisa Loffredo, the Nami Concours shortlist, and a very good group photo 24:00 – The Good Ship Illustration as a showcase for talent (a big idea brewing...) 26:00 – Our Bolognese Palace 28:00 – Tania on nonfiction illustration31:00 – How to research publishers from home 33:30 – Whoops, the microphones weren't recording. Goodbye Bologna!Links & people mentioned:🎨 Steve Antony (Mr. Panda author-illustrator): https://www.steveantony.com/🎨 Cambridge School of Art MA in Children's Book Illustration: https://www.aru.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/childrens-book-illustration 🎨 Jo Overend on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joverendillustration/ 🎨 Lisa Loffredo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisaloffredo_/ 🎨 The Bologna Children's Book Fair: https://www.bolognachildrensbookfair.com/ 🎨 The Bookseller (check out the April issue, useful for agents and publishers list): https://www.thebookseller.com/Byeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)p.s. Heard Jo's story and feelin' a bit inspired? Good! If you want to find your own creative voice and start putting yourself out there, come and fly your freak flag with us. https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflagCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

It's all fun and games until someone mentions FINAL ARTWORK. (Arghhhh)Sound familiar? Thought so.So we get stuck into Inky's question: how do you get out of your own way and switch off the overthinking brains? All three of us wrestle with this in different ways.Also mentioned: expensive paper + a shared fantasy about buying a tiny round Father Ted caravan to draw in. Pour yourself a decaf tea and get comfy. 🫖Timestamps, for the timestamp fans:00:00 – The question from "Inky" 02:00 – Why your best work happens when you're distracted 03:00 – Helen's voice coach revelation 05:00 – The "kiss of death" of the final piece 06:00 – First violin nerves and propranolol 07:00 – Why Katie does live illustration 08:00 – ADHD, body doubling and visual timers 09:00 – Tania's surprise panic attack 10:00 – The fear of expensive paper 11:00 – Cheap sketchbooks, and never stretching paper 12:00 – Working on five versions at once 13:00 – Pia Bramley's drawings in the New York Times 14:00 – The dim light box trick 15:00 – Gluing over mistakes 16:00 – Why scaling up kills a drawing 17:00 – The blobby technique, and INCUP 19:00 – Tania loses her portfolio on the bus 20:00 – Katie's secret competitive streak 22:00 – Are illustration competitions worth it? 24:00 – Getting into the zone 25:00 – Rain, gas fires and working audios 27:00 – The dream caravan studio 29:00 – Dressing gowns, woolly hats and working caves 31:00 – Working around kids, and burnout 33:00 – Larks vs owlsLinks mentioned:Pia Bramley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piabramley/Picture Hooks (mentoring and competitions for picture book makers): https://www.picturehooks.org.uk/The Blindboy Podcast: https://theblindboypodcast.ie/Byeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)p.s. You're v welcome to make your best work ever and come and bask in your weirdness with us here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflagCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Ooft, this is a good one. This week we're discussing illustration scamsWe've all had them land in our inboxes, we see 'em in the Good Ship community (too) regularly, and TBH you need to know what to look out for. 👀Plus: Salty Dog is in actual bookshops and the Waterstones staff read it and couldn't stop laughing. Weyyy! 🎉Timestamps, if you like that sort of thing:00:00 – Why we're talking about scams (community posts, industry warnings, and everyone's inbox)01:30 – The Mr. Takeshi email - the famous one doing the rounds right now03:00 – Copy and paste a paragraph into Google. Reddit will know.04:00 – The overpayment scam04:30 – "I'm deaf, so please only email me"05:00 – Katie's hacked email story06:00 – Tania's mysterious hotel chain job08:30 – Vanity publishers10:30 – Real publishers don't advertise for illustrators on their homepage12:00 – Rebecca Green and legitimate self-publishing (not the same thing!)14:00 – "Dear Helen, I've written a book, please illustrate it" ...not a scam, but still a no16:00 – AI emails from Francis. Every single daaaay. Still can't unsubscribe.18:00 – "I'd like to buy three pieces of your artwork".20:00 – 🎉 Salty Dog is in Waterstones! And the staff loved it!21:30 – The terrible/brilliant fake Photoshop of Helen and Katie in the bookshop23:00 – Could Salty Dog become a Yoto card? (We think yes, and yes we are biased)Links mentioned:📚 Salty Dog by Helen Stephens and Katie Chappell - find it in all good bookshops: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/salty-dog-and-pals-the-storm-other-stories🖼️ The AOI (Association of Illustrators) — good source of scam warnings: https://theaoi.comByeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

This week we're answering a brilliant voice message from @shanaramadesigns.Shana asks about Russian illustrator Victoria Semikina: how does someone learn to draw in that gloriously exaggerated, expressive way? And why, when she does it, does everyone love it, but when Shana tries it, art directors ask her to tone it down?NO FAIR.Happy listening :) And hellooo to Victoria - we've been chatting this week and there *might* be a special video coming to the Freak Flag course from her. EEEE!Watch this space! https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflagTimestamps, for the timestamp fans:00:00 – Crying over Christian Robinson's new book 'Dad' (it needs a warning label)01:30 – Shana Rama's question: how do you learn to draw in an exaggerated, expressive way?03:30 – Victoria Semikina: fine art, printmaking, jazz parties, and accidentally becoming an illustrator05:30 – Why drawing from life filters through your personality, and why that matters07:30 – "Just be yourself even harder"09:00 – Finding publishers who love you as you are10:00 – British art education, the A-level folio problem, and Frieda's story15:30 – The exam board vs actual creativity, and feeling for students without artist parents17:00 – Victoria's sketchbooks the gap between rough and final is tiny (mmmm)18:00 – Embodying a pose while you draw: Tania channeling Tudor barmaid energy Links mentioned:🎨 Victoria Semykina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoria_semykina/📚 Christian Robinson's book 'Dad': https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/christian-robinson/dad/9781035088393Byeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)p.s. Doors to the Live Illustration Course are now open for enrolment! This live round kicks off on 1st June. See you in there :) https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/lic Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

This week, our Katie's chatting with Helen and Tania about her favouritest thing and specialism/niche: live illustration. What's it like to arrive at a fancy corporate event with an iPad (or a board and some paint), when someone says "ok, draw everything"?It's a proper deep-dive into the live illustration world, from the adrenalinny (new word) thrill of drawing in real time, including the crying-in-toilets. Is AI a threat to graphic recorders? Spoiler: being a human is, somehow, now a USP. 😂There's also a crackin' question from Joanna about being asked to work for free for a live illustration agency, and we have Thoughts.Timestamps, for the timestamp fans:00:00 – Intro and is live illustration under threat from AI? Katie's honest take02:00 – Being a human = a selling point04:00 – Hand-drawn work is more exciting to clients05:00 – Infographics, AI, and the kinds of work that aren't worth worrying about08:00 – Why Katie loves working live09:00 – Helen on the same feeling during school visits and drawing on stage11:00 – The different flavours of live illustration: corporate, fashion, wedding, events...12:00 – Joanna's question: should I work for free for a live illustration agency?14:00 – How to build your portfolio without getting trapped in the free-work loop15:00 – SEO for live illustrators17:00 – Helen's local museum project: well-paid, rooted in place, in the collection for 20 years21:00 – What Katie teaches in her course: synthesising information, calming your brain, and knowing what to leave out23:00 – How to turn corporate speak into images without just drawing a lightbulb 💡25:00 – Katie's favourite technique: using the page as a visual timer27:00 – The early fear vs the hard-won confidence (and yes, the toilet crying 😅)31:00 – You'll never feel ready, so just start charging anyway32:00 – The live illustration course opens on 15th May!Links mentioned:The Live Illustration Course: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/licByeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)p.s. Curious about live illustration but not 100% sure if it's for you? Come and join Katie for a free Live Illustration Masterclass, it's a good place to start! https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/LIMCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

This week, our Katie is chatting to Nicola Allan, an artist, writer and consulting astrologer based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. After 12 years working as a lawyer, Nicola pivoted to illustration and has since built a brand that weaves together everything she loves: The Wild Way.Nicola's a brilliant example of what happens when you stop trying to choose between the things you're drawn to and just bring them aaaall along for the ride. We chat about slowly switching from a regular job to illustration, why crowdfunding is such a powerful way to test if your idea has legs before you make all the things, and how to weave your obsessions (in Nicola's case: astrology) into work that's unmistakably yours.Plus the maths of email lists vs. social media, why you should start promoting WAY earlier than feels comfortable, decans and scribes, trusting your gut, and the idea that ideas themselves will find someone else if you don't act on them. Mmmm.Timestamps, for the timestamp fans:00:00 – Nicola's wiggly path from law to illustration to astrology 01:00 – Early days of greetings cards and Not On The High Street 02:00 – Why a slow transition beats quitting cold turkey 03:00 – Remote lawyering from Mexico 04:00 – Pandemic, dogs, and the chance encounter that became Nicola's first tarot deck 05:00 – Why Nicola walked away from a publisher to crowdfund instead 06:00 – The Kickstarter campaign that ended up on their front page!08:00 – Coming back to Scotland on a whim and never leaving 09:00 – The Wild Way oracle deck and the 36 decans 12:00 – Katie's reading and the literal scribe in her chart 13:00 – More years studying astrology than law, apparently 15:00 – Recurrence transits and creative breakthroughs in the birth chart 16:00 – Why 2026 and 2027 are big collective years 19:00 – Everyone's wired differently (phew)20:00 – Self-publishing the Wild Way 22:00 – Coming up: a 78-card Wild Way tarot deck on Kickstarter in June 23:00 – Top tips for first-time crowdfunders 26:00 – Start small: a calendar, an enamel pin, anything 28:00 – Email list maths 30:00 – Trusting your gut and listening to the little voices 32:00 – Ideas have a lifespan and will find someone else if you don't act 33:00 – Trust yer gutLinks mentioned:The Wild Way: https://www.the-wild-way.com/Find Your Creative Voice: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflagThe Wild Way on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewildway_Nicola on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicola__allan/Byeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)p.s. If you loved Nicola's "take all your weird interests and weave them into something only you could make" then you'll probs get excited about our Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag course, a safe little cocoon to figure out what work is properly yours and start basking in your weirdness. Come and fly your freak flag with us! https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflagCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Here's part two of our Bologna interviews. Thank you so much for listening, and if you managed to come and find us at Bologna Children’s Book Fair, thank you. We had so much fun meeting everybody, and we’re hoping to do that again one day because it was cool. Okay, see you soon. Enjoy listening to these brave people🚢🚢🚢⏱️ Timestamps for our timestamp fansLauren00:00 – Part 2 hiya 00:40 – Lauren: flew in from Chicago for her first Bologna 01:20 – Corporate job, layoff, creative reset 02:00 – Why she chose The Picture Book Course over a Masters in illustration 03:00 – Actually doing the work (not just watching 👀) 03:40 – Approaching a publisher… 04:20 – “Can you send me this book?” (!!!) 05:00 – Bravery > having it all figured out 05:40 – No agent, just going for it :) Yves06:20 – Yves and his genius portfolio move 06:45 – Printing your portfolio as a book 📚 07:30 – How he uses it in reviews 08:00 – Printing panic 08:40 – New style feedback 09:10 – Feeling excited to create again (!!) 09:40 – “You just have to keep going” Links an' that wot we mentioned:Yves Kervoelen on Instagram: @yveskervoelen/ Lauren Cox on Instagram: @kareuoneart/Courses:The Picture Book Course (the one Lauren mentioned)Find Your Creative Voice: Fly Your Freak Flag Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Interview #1 is with Paulina Zawiska and Kate Osmond.Interview #2 is with Lorna Burt (begins at 05:30)Bon apetit! We just announced the winners of our iPad giveaway and art supply shop vouchers - come and celebrate the winners with us over on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thegoodshipillustration/ Timestamps:00:00 – Welcome to Bologna (the audio isn't perfect but neither are we 🤪) 00:30 – Paulina’s third time… still overwhelmed 01:30 – The illustrator wall and comparisonitis 02:00 – Kate’s first time and top tips for arriving 02:30 – Portfolio reviews: exciting or terrifying? 03:15 – Should you approach publishers at the fair? 04:00 – First Bologna experiences: sensory overload 04:45 – Making a plan (being brave) 05:00 – Good Shippers in the wild 🥹05:30 – Lorna’s story 06:30 – “You need bears” 07:00 – The work that felt most you = the work that landed 08:00 – Not all feedback is equal 09:00 – Researching portfolio reviewers before you listen to them 10:00 – The danger of trying to fit the mould 11:00 – Letting your “weird” lead the way 12:00 – Using courses to reset when you wobble 13:00 – From fashion designer to children’s book illustrator 14:30 – Fast-tracking your learning vs figuring it out alone 15:00 – Pitching storiesIn these interviews we talked about the Find Your Creative Voice course, fly your freak flag! As well as the Picture Book course and last, but not least: Illustration Business Club. (Doors to illustration business club will open again in September/October so get your name on the waiting list if you want to join in next time.Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Ever worried your work looks a bit too much like somebody else’s? 😬 This one’s for youuuu.In this episode, our Helen chats with the brilliant Martin Salisbury about plagiarism. The temptation to borrow a bit too heavily when you’re surrounded by endless beautiful work online is real. Hopefully this conversation helps you fly your own freak flag :)Timestamps:00:00 Hello Martin Salisbury01:00 Instagram has changed creative influence03:00 Art school before the internet04:00 Drawing from life and finding your voice06:00 Start with drawing07:00 Materials, experimentation and “botching it”09:00 How publishers and agents fuel sameness10:00 Confidence, privilege and access12:00 Competitions rewarding over-influenced work14:00 Imitation and lack of awareness16:00 Copycat styles18:00 Learning from artists without copying19:00 Taste, culture and creative voice20:00 Everyday life and visual language21:00 Sketchbooks and what’s behind polished work23:00 School art and loss of originality26:00 Finding your voice matters29:00 Awkward work feels more alive30:00 Writing and drawing from your own ideas31:00 Trends and short-lived careers33:00 What publishers want35:00 Ambition38:00 Helen’s journey and taking time out43:00 Place and lived experience in your work44:00 Moving on from imitation45:00 Martin’s upcoming bookMartin Salisbury is Professor of Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art, where he leads the renowned MA Children's Book Illustration Programme. He has previously chaired the International Jury at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, and been a member of the jury at the Global Illustration Awards in China. Mr Salisbury is the author of a number of books on the practice and theory of illustration, which have been published in numerous languages around the world.Links mentioned in this episode:Martin Salisbury on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/profmartinsalisbury/ Cambridge School of Art MA in Children’s Book Illustration: https://www.aru.ac.uk/arts-humanities-education-and-social-sciences/cambridge-school-of-artMartin’s book Illustrator Sketchbooks - https://www.thamesandhudson.com/products/illustrators-sketchbooks?srsltid=AfmBOorX15ljDyYAhbjtRgg0jWBuOL5Gpg0GWh2lMPDwQ5WvkvcGsITjMartin’s books Children’s Picturebooks and Play Pen - https://www.laurenceking.com/products/childrens-picturebooks-second-edition?srsltid=AfmBOopfucbQXUzJtWZA1WTMWxKntifcuVquG8WpR7vk5GmmSECaHtn0Find Your Creative Voice: Fly Your Freak Flag with The Good Ship Illustration - https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflagByeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Absolutely knackered just thinking about Bologna? Same 😅Here are our Bologna Children’s Book Fair survival tips. Whether it's your first time or you're a seasoned Bologna Book Fair-er. Exciting news: The Good Ship Illustration is exhibiting this year in Hall 25, and we’d love to see you there!This episode:What even IS the Bologna Children’s Book Fair?Whether you reeeally need to goThe biggest benefits of visitingWhat to pack, what samples to take, and how to prepare wellHow to manage your expectations / social battery / overwhelmThe best bits beyond the fair itself, including food, bookshops and wandering round BolognaFollowing up afterwards and making the most of the contacts you makeTimestamps:00:00 Intro, replay announcement, and come find us in Hall 25!01:00 What is the Bologna Children’s Book Fair?03:00 Should you go?05:00 Benefits of visiting the fair06:00 Talks, workshops and folio reviews07:00 Bologna itself, food, sunshine and bookshops08:00 The illustrator’s wall and what to stick on it09:00 Accommodation tips and booking early11:00 Tickets, discounts and Good Ship lanyards12:00 Managing expectations and not turning it into a military operation16:00 What to prepare and what samples to take19:00 Dummy books, sketchbooks and standing out20:00 The Bologna Illustrators Exhibition22:00 Feeling overwhelmed, comparitis and pacing yourself25:00 Practical survival tips, from snacks to spare batteries28:00 Why the last day can be surprisingly good29:00 Rest, museums, gelato and giving yourself permission not to do it all30:00 Following up after the fair31:00 Final tips, meetups and lanyard spottingLinks mentioned in this episode:Download and print your Bologna lanyard here!!Bologna Children’s Book Fair websiteIllustrator Survival CornerInuit bookshop, BolognaByeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

This week, our Katie is chatting to Carys Wright - a London-based writer and illustrator, hardcore Good Shipper, and all-round excellent example of what can happen when you follow the creative thread, even if your path looks a bit wiggly.Carys went from acting and theatre into illustration, and we chat about how sketchbooking helped her find her creative voice, and what it’s looked like to keep building an illustration career alongside marketing work and baby. (No mean feat!)There’s chat about markets, picture books, digital vs traditional materials and finding your way back to your own weirdness. Mmmm.Timestamps, for the timestamp fans:00:00 – Intro to Carys Wright and her creative journey so far02:00 – Sketchbooks, childhood drawing, and getting back into a regular practice04:30 – From acting and theatre to illustration07:30 – Lockdown, Fly Your Freak Flag, and following the drawing thread properly09:00 – Early illustration jobs, theatre clients, and picture book ambitions10:30 – Mentoring, competitions, and building confidence through deadlines11:30 – Illustrating her first book for the Lord Mayor of London12:30 – Motherhood, maternity leave, and drawing with a baby in the background16:00 – Portfolios, perfectionism, and letting things evolve18:00 – Staying connected to your weirdness while doing client work19:30 – Digital tools, Procreate, and not panicking about how you make the work23:00 – Opening an online shop, doing markets, and live portraits26:00 – Other ways illustrators can work, from events to corporate projects28:00 – AI, humanity, and why weird human imagination still matters30:30 – Wearing lots of creative hats and letting your interests overlap33:00 – Coming to illustration later can actually be a strength35:00 – It’s not too late, you’re not behind, and yes, you should still startLinks mentioned:Carys’ website: https://www.caryswright.com/Carys on Instagram: @carys_adventures_with_a_penCarys’ Substack, Adventures with a Pen: https://adventureswithapen.substack.com/Byeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)p.s. Want to find your creative voice too? Come and fly your freak flag with Good Ship. We'd love to have you sailing with us! Read all about the course here.Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Nobody is born knowing how to pitch.(Katie here) I've been known to pitch once, hear nothing, and decide 'Oh well. Never mind.' Then never reach out ever again. 😅So you can imagine my SHOCK and INCREDULITY (is that a word?) when Kira told me that she will reach out 7 times to a brand before giving up. Whaaaaaat!?Kira Matthews (aka Kira the Bold), is like confidence in a bottle. She's mastered pitching and landing work with names like Squarespace, Ganni, and lots more. If contacting publishers and/or potential clients makes you do a little bit of sick in your mouth, this episode will definitely help! At the very least you'll feel inspired to send more than one follow up email.In this episode, we chat about:What to do when the work… just stops coming inWhy pitching can feel so scaryThe real reason people don’t hear back. (And nooo, it’s not because they hate you)Why one email is basically just saying helloHow to follow up without being annoying (or feeling like you are)Timestamps:00:00 Meet Kira (Queen of Pitching 👑)01:00 From fashion styling to building a business02:00 When the work disappeared… and what she did next03:00 Learning to pitch (while still being terrified)05:00 Fear doesn’t go away. You just get used to it06:00 The 3-year journey to landing Squarespace08:00 Why most people give up after one email09:00 The stories we tell ourselves about rejection10:00 Why you need to follow up (a lot more than you think)11:00 How to make each email actually count12:00 Applying this to illustration and getting your work seen13:00 Inside Kira’s talent agency experiment15:00 Why smaller creatives need to pitch more, not less17:00 Agents, money, and what’s really going on behind the scenes19:00 Why agents aren’t a magic solution20:00 Sales: the bit everyone wants to avoid23:00 Why follow-up feels rude (but isn’t)24:00 Rejection challenges and building resilience26:00 Rejection = start of the conversation28:00 Momentum, energy, and creating your own opportunities30:00 The actions that actually lead to results31:00 Telling people what you do (important!!)32:00 Katie’s rejection challenge story34:00 Auditing your time and what’s worth it35:00 Kira’s final pep talkLinks & stuff wot we mentionedKira’s website: https://www.kiramatthews.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirathebold/Weekly pitch tips newsletter: https://kirathebold.myflodesk.com/m0elc4qip7The Good Ship Illustration https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freebies Byeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

This week we're pulling up a chair at Helen's kitchen table to finally spill the beans on Salty. Salty Dog and Pals is the book that started as The Picture Book Course branding and somehow ended up as a 2-book deal with Walker Books.The big question: How do you write a zillion short stories with your pal in 10 sessions flat?We chat about the origins of Salty (and which printmaker Bernard the duck is named after), the brilliant questions from the editors at Walker Books, why Kitty is basically Tania 😆, and the Nissen Hut story that didn't make it into the final draft no matter how hard we trieeed!p.s. Salty Dog & Pals (Helen & Katie's new picture book) is now available to pre-order and will be in shops from May. To say thank you, all pre-orders get access to a picture book MASTERCLASS. You can sign up for your free picture book masterclass here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/salty-dog-and-pals-the-storm-other-storiesIt's instant access, so no need to wait.(And if you've already pre-ordered, thank you!)Rough timestamps for our timestamp-fans:00:00 – Where did Salty Dog come from? 01:00 – From course mascot to Walker Books character 03:00 – Bernard the duck, and colour palette chat 05:00 – The thumbnail template that started it all 07:00 – The Jarvis format: not a picture book, not a chapter book 09:00 – Writing at the kitchen table: how it worked 11:00 – The Walker Books character questionnaire (we read it out) 13:00 – Who is Bernard, really? (William Hanson + Cameron) 15:00 – Kitty is Tania (reckless, chaotic, beloved) 17:00 – Lindisfarne, upturned boats + Helen's grandparents' Nissan Hut 20:00 – The story that was too violent to make it in 22:00 – Titles first, stories second 24:00 – What the editors actually did (magic, basically) 26:00 – Procreate vs paper + the cover saga 28:00 – Pre-order Salty Dog and Pals + free masterclass! (You can sign up for your free picture book masterclass here.)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

This week we're dragging ourselves away from our hypothetical gardens and custom urn businesses (lol) to have a proper sofa-chat about the big question: what would you do if you weren't an illustrator?Specifically: Is your identity too wrapped up in your work? What happens when things go quiet on the work front?COMMUNITY IS MAGIC. That is all. Happy listening.p.s. Salty Dog & Pals (Helen & Katie's new picture book) is now available to pre-order and will be in shops from May. To say thank you, all pre-orders get access to a picture book MASTERCLASS. You can sign up for your free picture book masterclass here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/salty-dog-and-pals-the-storm-other-storiesIt's instant access, so no need to wait.(And if you've already pre-ordered, thank you!)Rough timestamps for our timestamp-fans:00:00 – What would you do if you weren't an illustrator? 01:00 – Tania's custom urn business plan (trademark pending) 03:00 – Katie's nanny agency pivot 05:00 – The famine panic spiral ("day three with no enquiries: my life is over") 06:00 – Identity and rejection: when your work IS you 08:00 – Service illustration vs the author-illustrator beast 10:00 – Picture book advances, royalties + why multiple income streams matter 12:00 – Artist dates and keeping your ideas fed 15:00 – The real deal: what makes author-illustration different 16:00 – Katie & Helen's picture book Salty Dog & Pals (!!!) + the Walker Books Irish jig 18:00 – Live illustration: when the job you loved becomes just a job 20:00 – Community as salvation 22:00 – Good Ship origin story + the Christmas fair era 24:00 – Isolation is corrosive (and what to do about it) 25:00 – Finding your people: local groups, Instagram communities + Pencils on ToastCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

This week we’re wrapped up in some blankets havin' a proper sofa-chat about Instagram.Specificallyyyy:Should your Instagram be your portfolio?What's the difference between a snazzy website folio and the mad addictive world of social media? We also get into showing your human face, illustrators following illustrators, AI-era credibility, and why you absolutely do not owe the algorithm/tech bros your nervous system.Rough timestamps for our timestamp-fans: 00:00 – Blankets 01:00 – Instagram as a folio: should it be? 03:00 – The golden algorithm years (remember those?) 05:00 – You don’t own Instagram 06:30 – Portfolio pressure vs social sharing 08:00 – The 360° artist: personality, process + presence 10:00 – AI, visibility + being human 12:00 – Showing your face. Do it! 14:00 – Content creator burnout (no fanks) 16:00 – “Held hostage by consistency” rebellion 18:00 – Who is Instagram actually for? 20:00 – Community vs clients 22:00 – Annuals, competitions + the old-school ways 24:00 – Bologna Book Fair chat 26:00 – Books as permanent portfolios 28:00 – Sales pages vs old-school static folios 30:00 – Final takeaway: use Instagram, don’t let it use youCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

This week we roll headfirst into the interestin' world of aphantasia.It all started with conversations inside Find Your Creative Voice and The Picture Book Course - when Good Shippers were telling us, “I can’t see ANYTHING in my head.” Which sent us down a rabbit hole of aphantasia, imagination. And does everyone experience it the same way?Nope.In this episode, we chat about:What aphantasia isThe “apple test” 🍎Emotional memory vs visual memoryWhy some creatives need reference and others work 100% from imaginationWhether Google has made our “mind palace” lazyNot being able to picture things can be a creative advantage. We promise.Smells, textures, music and sensory imaginationSynesthesia (colours for days of the week?)Why your wobbly memory-bike drawing might be better than a perfect diagramHow imagination changes from childhood to adulthoodBlind drawing experiments we neeeeed to try at Art ClubTimestamps for our timestamp fans00:00 – Elephantasia? Aphantasia? However you say it…02:00 – The apple spectrum and vivid vs blank imagery03:00 – Reading fiction without mental pictures05:00 – Emotional memory and creepy seaside steps07:00 – Mental collage vs drawing from scratch10:00 – Drawing bikes from memory11:00 – Why aphantasia might make you a better designer14:00 – Idioms, haystacks and giant bears16:00 – Smells, lemons and sensory imagination17:30 – Synesthesia and coloured weekdays20:00 – Wolves, dreams and Google as reference23:00 – Teenage bedrooms and peak memory moments25:00 – Is creativity in your head or your hands?28:00 – Blind Art Club challenge incoming 👀What about you?Can you see the shiny apple? Or is it more of a murky apple-shaped idea?We’d genuinely love to know. Come over to Instagram and tell us how your brain works. We're nosy.Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Permission to play can change EVERYTHING!This week we’re chatting to Anna Mac - artist, printmaker, illustrator, product designer, sleep counsellor, mum of twins, and hardcore Good Shipper who's been sailing with us since 2020.In this episode, we talk about scenic creative routes, why permission to play can change everything, creative voice vs paying the bills, and why sometimes felting a jumper is juuuust what your brain needs.Rough timestamps for our timestamp-fans:00:00 – Intro + course news01:00 – Anna’s background: fine art, printmaking + retail product design03:00 – Social work → creative rediscovery05:00 – Sweden influence + graphic print inspiration06:00 – Lockdown pivot + 100 day project energy07:00 – Finding creative voice even when you’re already “successful”09:00 – Taste is everywhere (home, clothes, environment)11:00 – Confidence, feedback and trusting your own eye13:00 – Agent life + picture book submissions14:00 – Balancing creativity, family life and part-time sleep counselling16:00 – Creative hobbies that are just for you17:00 – Creativity as a way of being (Rick Rubin chat)19:00 – Personal manifestos vs New Year’s resolutions21:00 – Listening to your gut when making work23:00 – Journalling + morning pages (ish, not perfectly)25:00 – Visual diaries and recording life through drawing27:00 – Stories we tell ourselves about who gets to be creative28:00 – Rejection collections + persistence mindset30:00 – Rejection rituals (tea, brownie, gallery trip recommended)31:00 – Creative voice is never “finished”32:00 – Lifetime access + coming back to learning later in lifeStuff mentioned:Anna's website - www.annamacstudio.com Anna's Instagram - @annamacstudioFind Your Creative Voice: Fly Your Freak Flag courseThe Artist’s Way – Julia CameronThe Creative Act – Rick RubinGood Ship Illustration Monthly Numbers Tracker (freebie) - To help you keep on top of your monthly numbers and track progress in your creative career.Byeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Anna is an illustrator who works from her home studio in Perthshire, Scotland.She has a background in fine art and printmaking and spent several years creating design-led product collections for the retail market.  Client commissions included heritage retailers and international buyers, and her work has sold in shops and galleries in the UK and abroad.Anna combines printmaking techniques, drawing and collage to produce her work, with a focus on children’s illustration.  Anna also loves to work with lino, and she uses this approach to create prints and book covers.Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Here's the audio replay from our AI workshop last week. There are slides too - the full replay with slides is available to watch HERE (but it goes away today. We're putting the workshop inside Find Your Creative Voice: Fly Your Freak Flag.) There's a PDF handout to download there too. Go grab it before it disappears!https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/aiworkshop The audio isn't perfect, but neither are we 😅🚢 In this episode we cover:Why brands are craving human-made work more than everThe weird, wonky human stuff AI can’t copyCopyright, licensing, and why clients still need real illustratorsHow your life experiences = your creative advantagePrompts to help you find your “brain treasure” ideasWhat you *can* controlTimestamps00:00 Workshop intro + why everyone is panicking about AI 01:00 The good news 04:00 Why companies still need human illustrators 07:00 The “AI ick” and why audiences can feel it too 10:00 The power of personal voice and life experience 12:00 Human prompts to help you mine your own ideas 15:00 Anti-AI backlash in branding and marketing 17:00 Obsessions, hobbies, and niche interests = creative gold 20:00 Why we don’t teach “house style” illustration 23:00 Copyright, campaigns, and protecting creators 26:00 How AI is (and isn’t) affecting different illustration fields 29:00 Advice for grads and early career illustrators 32:00 Radical incrementalism and not fixing everything at once 35:00 Finding community without spending loadsLinks & things mentionedJustice for Creators campaign (their AI report is on there too)Association of Illustrators resourcesCreative Lives in ProgressGood Ship Art Club + freebiesOur full AI workshop replayAaand last but not least... Find your creative voice!Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag - a shiny new live round begins on Monday the 16th Feb. When you join on or before Valentine's Day, our gift to you = an instant download of our mock briefs PDF so you can start your portfolio building straight away, no faffing about and waiting. Read all about it here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflag Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Pssst, while you're here... On Tuesday 10th February 2026 we're running a live workshop! https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/aiworkshop Standing out in a sea of robots: being an illustrator when AI is everywhereThis workshop's perfect for you if you:Call yourself an illustrator, image-maker (or want to)Feel a bit wobbly about AI and what it means for your style and creative workWant to stand out in a sea of slop Know you're brilliant, but struggle to articulate what makes you differentAre ready to stop worrying and start being more unapologetically YOU.Let’s get weirder, eh? 🤖------------------------------------OK! On with the show(notes)!"Unfortunately, I was good at maths."-Tara Tayyebi FardTara is a Persian illustrator, humorist, architect and violinist currently based in Belgium.She grew up reading stories, playing music, keeping a stack of diaries, and offending people by drawing them all fat.Tara spent most of her adult life studying and working in architecture, and has been whining about it ever since. She now holds a masters degree from Amsterdam School of Art, which she happily keeps in the depths of her wardrobe.In 2023, Tara jumped aboard the Good Ship Illustration, rediscovered her love for drawing and gradually started her career as an illustrator. Two years later, she signed with her agent, Lucie at Luddington Creative; working on picture books, doing commissions, live event illustration and making personal work.Tara pivoted to a career in illustration after 10 years of being an architect.In this episode, we chat to Good Shipper Tara about finding her creative voice, why being properly herself is what led to her dream clients, why being unsuccessful can be weirdly freeing, aaaaand **deep breath** how consistency and creative jealousy can be big flashing neon signs to help you figure out what you DO want to do.Rough timestamps for our timestamp-fans:00:00 – Intro + free workshop mention02:00 – Architecture → illustration pivot moment05:00 – Childhood clues + diaries + sketchbooks08:00 – Being annoyed = excellent character research09:00 – 60 weeks of Substack and what that builds10:00 – Illustration loneliness vs illustration community reality12:00 – Making work when the world feels a bit bleak14:00 – Commission hamster wheel vs personal work15:00 – Dream clients happen when you show your actual personality17:00 – The “what you love / what you’re good at / what pays” overlap19:00 – Planning for creative brains (menus > rigid schedules)23:00 – Creative jealousy = useful information, not failure26:00 – The regret test (8-year-old you vs 80-year-old you)27:00 – Can illustrators make money? Also: you can be bad at any career 😌Stuff mentioned:Tara's Substack: https://substack.com/@tarastimeout Tara's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tara.tekentafel Tara's website: https://www.taratayyebifard.com/Good Ship Illustration Monthly Numbers Tracker (freebie) https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/numbers Come fly your freak flag with us! We're MEGA EXCITED to get started on a shiny new live round and shower you in brand new bonuses, including co-working every 2 weeks, and monthly live Q&A calls:FIND YOUR CREATIVE VOICE:https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflagCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Are you joining in with #WalktoSee?In this episode, we chat about how our Helen's hashtag Walk to See started, how it works, (there are basically no rules 😆), and why monthly prompts are muuch gentler on the brain/energy levels than daily prompts.In this episode: 00:00 What Walk to See is 01:30 The only “rule” 02:30 Why the format changed 03:30 How often you actually need to draw 04:30 January’s prompt 05:30 Interpreting “wet” 06:30 Why daily challenges can be a bit much 07:30 Community stuff 08:30 Being seen on Instagram 09:30 Sharing / being shared 10:30 Drawing in the rain 11:30 Drawing in the dark 13:30 Walk to See GIFs 14:30 How to get a gold star 15:30 Imperfect drawingsHow to join in:Draw something from life <-- that's the only rule!Take a photo.Share it on Instagram using #WalkToSeeWet to join in with February's walk to see!Byeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) 🚢✨Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Ahhh this ol' chestnut. You know it. We've aaall been there. You sit down...you need to work. But you get absolutely nowt done. Instead, you do absolutely everything else... then panic-work at the last minute, or just never get round to it.You're not alone! Most illustrators we speak to will have their own weird and wonderful tricks to get into work mode.In this episode, we talk about fear, procrastination, perfectionism, and all the daft (+ useful) ways we trick ourselves into starting anyhoo.Rough timestamps for our timestamp-fans:00:00 – Bribery02:00 – Fear & perfectionism03:00 – The 20-minute rule04:00 – Drip drip drip05:00 – Warming up still counts!06:30 – Calling it “the bad version”07:30 – Drafts & sleeping on it08:30 – Why big projects feel terrifying09:30 – HAVE FUN OR ELSE11:00 – Tell the logical bit of your brain to shhhhh12:30 – Tricks for focus that work14:00 – You like drawing, remember? 😅15:00 – Keeping the life in your work16:30 – Spread yourself aboot (don't put too much pressure on one bit of work)17:30 – Your tricks - please share what helps YOU! We are nosy. We want to hear what helps you concentrate and get some creative work done.Byeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) 🚢✨Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Let’s talk about the big hairy thing that no one really wants to talk about… copying.In this episode, we discuss inspiration, and how social media has changed things so much for illustrators. Trying on someone else’s illustration hat for too long can derail your creative career.This one’s especially for you if you’ve ever felt like someone's getting a bit toooo inspired by your work, or you've though“Ach, easy peasy. I could do that style!”(And then felt a bit weird about it.)We talk about:Why illustrators now mostly look at other illustrators for inspiration (and why that’s tricky)How social media has changed taste, trends, and originalityThe danger of trend-based work and being easily replaceableWhat actually makes a personal creative voice memorableWhy copying someone’s style can feel successful… until it doesn’tRebecca Green, ethicsBeing inspired vs copying and where that line really isDon't sand off all of your personality!Typos, wonkiness, we luv 'emA human made the workWhat to do if you think you’ve been copied (or fear you have)Authenticity 4evaByeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) 🚢✨Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Sign up for the 2026 planning party HERE: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/planningparty This is a wee replay from last year (with a new intro to tell you the new dates for our planning party) -------------------Are you raring to set goals, or are you feeling more “no plans, just let me lie down” this year? We chat about:Why some years are for sprinting, and others are for walking.The power of visual goal-setting.How to make goals human-sized, doable, and fun, without freaking yourself out.Here's a Good Ship permission slip to do your 2026 goal-setting in a way that works for your brain/energy-levels/life.Get your space on the 2026 planning party HERE: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/planningparty Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

What a treat of an episode! Today we’re chatting with Good Shipper and picture book author–illustrator Amber Au.Amber talks about how drawing became part of her recovery from an eating disorder and how her therapist encouraged her to send her illustration work to her first ever client. Aaand how - in two whirlwind months - she was suddenly winning awards, signing a three-book deal, and being invited to meet editors at Bologna. Whaaa!?What a blimmin' brilliant reminder to do the things. Even when you don't feel "ready". In this episode we cover:How Amber rediscovered drawing through her food diaryWhy starting with your local community can snowball into big opportunitiesHow to survive mixed feedback Competitions, and finding your peopleBeing a self-taught illustratorDiscipline, rest, and cultural expectationsPicture books, packaging, and branching out into multiple income streamsAmber's Bologna experience… including editors fangirling over her work (!)Rough Timestamps00:00 – Introducing Amber and her illustration journey 01:00 – Awards, exhibitions, and feeling overwhelmed 02:00 – From nutritionist → illustrator → private tutor → illustrator again 03:00 – Using a food diary as a creative lifeline 04:00 – Getting encouraged to approach her first client 05:00 – Community, grassroots beginnings, and early work in Hong Kong 06:00 – Entering competitions and the door-opening magic that followed 07:00 – The leap from self-taught to picture book maker 08:00 – Finding a clear voice without formal training 09:00 – Discipline, rest, and the cultural pressure to always “do more” 10:00 – Blue Tomato beginnings 11:00 – Mixed reviews, conflicting opinions, and staying true to your vision 13:00 – Bologna meetings and signing with Little Tiger 15:00 – Knowing which advice is actually useful 17:00 – Copying as learning vs developing your own voice 18:00 – Style influences: Hong Kong comics, European picture books, texture, mark-making 19:00 – Procreate, iPad life, and her work habits 20:00 – Diversifying income: packaging, food illustration, prints 21:00 – New opportunities, restaurants, markets, and thinking strategically 22:00 – Picture books, nonfiction, and future plans 23:00 – Final encouragement: “You’ll never feel ready. Do it anyway.”Links & things mentionedAmber’s blog: The Pencil BakeryBologna Children’s Book Fair (We're going to be there in 2026 - we've booked a stand! Come and say hello if you're visiting Bologna.)Inkling AgencyLittle Tiger PressBlue Tomato (Amber’s upcoming book)p.s. We have a little rest at this time of year, so the podcast is having a rest too. We'll be back in January! 🎁Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

If you're an illustrator with access to the internet and you have eyeballs, you might've seen Lisa Congdon's work. Lisa started blogging her collections and illustrations back in the good ol' days, and even remembers Instagram back when it was good. (Remember that? It was nice, wasn't it?)In this episode, Katie asks Lisa about consistency and how to keep on keepin' on when the world is the way it is. We also meander through topics like ADHD, collections, comparison, agents - whether or not she has one - and last but not least, daily projects that change everythinggg.In this episode we cover:Ceramic mushroom collection 👀The “messy middle” bit of being an illustratorHow consistency has served her wellSurviving financially in the early yearsWhy not being a perfectionist was her secret super powerInstagram in 2025How to know when to work with an agentThe magical domino effect of following excitementSquishing comparison and staying in your own laneVery rough timestamps in case you want to skip to a certain bit00:00 – Welcoming Lisa! How a decade of calendars sparked the consistency conversation 01:00 – Hyperfocus, collecting tigers, cycling five times a week, and going “all in” 02:30 – Early days: Etsy, commissions, pet portraits, and figuring out a style 04:00 – Most illustrators quit 05:30 – ADHD, Capricorn energy, and learning to be organised 07:00 – Posting imperfect work online and why it mattered 08:30 – Sharing finances, getting an agent, and diversifying income streams 10:00 – “A Collection A Day” and the power of daily projects 11:00 – Agents: when they help, when they don’t, and how pricing works 13:00 – The hardest job she’s ever done and how her agent stepped in 14:00 – Instagram then vs. Instagram now 16:00 – Why video doesn’t light her up 18:00 – The comparison trap (yes, even Lisa feels it!) 20:00 – Following your gut over the algorithm 21:00 – The daily project that led to a bestselling book 24:00 – Chronicle Books, chance encounters, and the magic of just...showing up!? 26:00 – The domino effect of doing what excites you 27:00 – Human Design chat 👀 28:00 – Byeee LisaLinks for this episode:Lisa Congdon: https://lisacongdon.comLisa's Books: https://www.chroniclebooks.comFollow Lisa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacongdonCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

In this episode, our Tania chats with multi award-winning illustrator Jill Calder about 30+ years of illustration, and how she’s explored pretty much the entire “illustration atlas” without losing herself along the way.Stuff we cover:Staying recognisably Jill across 30+ years of illustrationMoving from editorial to corporate to heritage workBuilding a career with both illustration and hand letteringBig, bonkers corporate jobs (including handwriting as other people!)Making the leap into children’s books later in her careerThe reality of nonfiction vs fiction picture books (time, fees, and headspace)Colour palettes, maps and Google Earth “walks” for picture atlasesWorking with Jackie Kay on Coorie Doon and handling deeply emotional textBringing wild, playful colour to I Love You Every ColorKeeping energy and looseness in final artworkWhat Jill’s working on now – including a brand new picture book with Gecko PressRough Timestamps00:00 – Tania introduces Jill and why she’s a Good Ship favourite02:30 – Early days: art school, editorial work and the 90s newspaper scene05:00 – “By chance, someone took a risk on me…” – moving into design & corporate jobs07:30 – Becoming “the handwriting person”11:30 – The wildest job ever15:00 – Champagne, iPads and the very fancy side of ad agency work16:30 – Exhibition days, analogue work and why looseness matters18:00 – Stumbling into children’s nonfiction with Robert the Bruce21:00 – Picture atlases, strict colour palettes and Google Earth walks22:30 – Nonfiction vs fiction picture books – fees, length and workload26:00 – Collaborating with Jackie Kay on Coorie Doon and illustrating big feelings29:30 – I Love You Every Colour – an illustrator’s dream text31:30 – Two very different books in one year: soft dreamland vs riot of colour33:30 – Handling emotion, light and character across spreads34:30 – New project: Cass and the Beast for Gecko Press35:30 – Keeping rough energy in final artwork (and managing the stress of it!)37:00 – Where Jill pops up inside Good Ship courses and Facebook groupsStuff we mentionedJill Calder – illustration, lettering and booksFind Your Creative Voice – Fly Your Freak Flag (Good Ship course)The Picture Book Course (Good Ship course)Robert the Bruce – nonfiction picture bookCoorie Doon – written by Jackie Kay, illustrated by Jill CalderI Love You Every Colour – written by Carolyn Rose, illustrated by Jill CalderUpcoming: Cass and the Beast – written by Clare Mabey, illustrated by Jill Calder (Gecko Press)Byeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Y'know when you feel like your work is neeearly there… but it's missing a lil something-something? This podcast episode is all about that. Overcoming that.How the heck do you put more humanness into your work?🧠 What we talk about in this one“Accomplished” isn’t the same as “alive”How generic styles can creep in without us noticingThe danger of trying to look like “a picture book illustrator”Why you need to make work that freaks you out a tiny bit 🤪The power of real memories and emotionsIdeas that stick: why some stories stay with usHow character, tension, and contradiction shape good storytellingLetting your real obsessions lead the way 🐌Yessss, research in bookshops is absolutely definitely part of the job🕰️ Timestamps00:00 – Aaccomplished work with no heart 01:00 – “Picture book style” stereotypes and why they’re dangerous 02:00 – Generic vs personal: how to tell the difference 03:00 – Making work that stops an art director mid-scroll 04:00 – Emotion in drawings (and penguins) 05:00 – True stories - using your real life 06:00 – The Nissen Hut 07:30 – Sticky ideas 09:00 – Plots built on tiny universal moments 10:00 – A “Smile in the Mind” 11:00 – Writing craft: thesis / antithesis / synthesis 13:00 – Character dynamics and why Bernard is… Bernard 🦆 14:00 – Films to study (hello, Groundhog Day) 15:00 – How Helen learned to write 16:00 – Why sitting in a bookshop absolutely counts as work 17:00 – Picture books now vs the 90s 18:00 – Jill Calder, Libby VanderPloeg, and holding onto your voice 20:00 – Don’t perform 21:00 – Honesty wins🔗 Stuff & People Wot We MentionedA Smile in the Mind - Tania's design book recommendation by Beryl McAlhone & David StuartMade to Stick (the kidney-harvesting myth book Katie mentioned!) - Chip & Dan HeathGroundhog Day - filmJill Calder: https://jillcalder.comLibby VanderPloeg: https://libbyvanderploeg.comEmily Howorth-Booth’s writing workshops that Helen lovesGood Ship Illustration courses: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.comCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

This week on The Good Ship Illustration Podcast, we’re chatting all things experiments -  we get particularly excited about FAILED experiments. In the words of that there Bob Ross, "we don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents". 😆Behind the scenes, Helen gave Tania a haircut just before we recorded this episode. Can you hear Tania's new hair?Timestamps for our timestamp fans: 00:00 – Mmmm new ideas  01:00 – Katie’s “scaling the business” experiment that didn’t work 02:00 – Undoing things that aren’t fun anymore 03:00 – Helen’s new plan 05:00 – Tania’s in the boot of the car 06:00 – Helen’s failed online school visits experiment 08:00 – Moving from digital art back to paper 09:00 – Helen’s Substack paywall experiment (inspired by Blindboy)12:00 – The birth of The Good Ship Illustration 🚢 13:00 – Haircuts 14:00 – Art Club’s accidental success 15:00 – Why experiments matter (and how to run one properly) 18:00 – Creative defiance and why being told what to do ruins everything 😂 20:00 – From accidental experiments to a whole careerLinks & Stuff We Mentioned:The Good Ship Illustration on Instagram (the Art Club replays are here!)The Picture Book Course Sticker snail mail bonus ends 21st November 🎟️Byeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

First, before we jump into the show notes, here's the link to sign up to the Picture Book Pitching Masterclass we've got happening soon! 🗓️ When: 17th of November at 1 pm UK time💰 Cost: Freeeee🚢 RSVP here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/pbpm How do illustrators actually get their picture books published? And what really goes on at Bologna Children’s Book Fair? This episode is all about pitching, portfolios, publishers, and… how we each pronounce the word plaster? 😅Here’s what we cover:Bologna Book Fair!  ✈️How to submit to the Bologna Illustrator Exhibition (deadline alert! They extended it to the 6th November! Sorry, we said the wrong date in this episode, but do let us know if you managed to submit something so we can high-five you.)The Picture Book Pitching Masterclass with Helen and Jane Porter 🎓 https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/pbpm  How to pitch your book ideasOvercoming the terror of sharing your work 😬Building resilience to rejectionThe “myth of being discovered”Our excitin' Bologna Book Fair plans...🕑 Timestamps 00:00 – Bologna excitement (and confusion) 01:00 – What really happens at the fair 02:00 – Snail mail sticker packs & upcoming Picture Book Masterclass 03:00 – Helen’s no-rules pitching philosophy 06:00 – Regional accent chaos: “masterclass” vs “plaster” 07:00 – Getting seen by publishers (and why Instagram still matters) 08:00 – Facing the fear of rejection 10:00 – Mindset hacks: why what others think is none of your business 12:00 – Myths about being “discovered” 13:00 – Good Ship’s Bologna stand & plans for 2026 15:00 – Why every illustrator should go at least once 16:00 – Global publishing inspiration 🌍 17:00 – Dreaming up a “Gone Fishing” Good Ship stallLinks we mentioned:The Picture Book CourseFree Picture Book Pitching Masterclass – 17 November, 1pm UK timeBologna Children’s Book FairByeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

This week we’re interviewing another creative for the podcast. Hooray!Catherine Rayner is an award-winning author and illustrator based in Edinburgh, whose books have sold over two million copies and been translated into 35 languages. She’s written and illustrated 25 picture books and collaborated with legends like Julia Donaldson, Michael Morpurgo, and Michael Bond. Winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal (and shortlisted six more times!), Catherine also paints, runs a greetings card and babywear range, and can usually be found in her studio surrounded by ink, animals, and Post-it notes.Phew.In this chat, Katie asks Catherine about:What an average week in the studio looks likePlanning everything using a wall calendar and Post-it notes Working with Julia DonaldsonShort deadlines and thriving on a wee bit of panicBeing a mum and illustrator at the same timeInstagram, rejection, keeping your creative confidence aliveA pep talk for newer illustratorsRough timestamps for our timestamp fans: 00:00 – Meet Catherine! 03:00 – Post-it notes, assistants, and studio life in Edinburgh 10:00 – Julia Donaldson, ear-cleaning(!?) + friendship 17:00 – Jason Donovan and creative boldness 20:00 – 100 rejections, persistence, and finding your people 23:00 – Instagram tips and why numbers don’t matter 29:00 – Motherhood, burnout, and how it really gets easier 36:00 – Catherine’s parting wordsLinks mentionedCatherine Rayner’s websiteFollow Catherine on InstagramByeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

We've decided to play around a bit and do some INTERVIEWS. Ooooh. First up is artist and YouTuber Sandi Hester, who recently moved from the US into a 100-year-old fixer-upper house in the UK.Katie (gently) grills Sandi about what it’s been like moving country and keeping her creative practice alive through chaos, health challenges, and renovation dust.Sandi shares how painting has become her lifeline, why perfectionism is joy’s worst enemy, and how she’s learned to quiet the “blobbity blob” of negative self-talk that plagues so many creatives.Nice.💬 In this episode, we talk about:The big move from America to EnglandHow painting became Sandi’s release and restful place during years of illnessBuilding the “muscles of creativity” to keep making art no matter what’s going onThe “blobbity blob” of self-talk and why you can’t judge your art in the momentGoing back to her older, more figurative painting style after moving to the UKRunning a YouTube channel as a full-time job and how it replaced the gallery routeWhy being messy and human built more trust with her audience than a polished version ever couldThe unseen workload behind one 20-minute YouTube video (and why she can’t start a Patreon!)How perfectionism stops us from creating and why “the best you can do today” is always enoughWhy creatives should enjoy the journey instead of chasing the destinationLearning to separate your self-worth from likes, follows, and algorithm robots 🤖Her advice to artists: stop stressing, stop comparing, and just enjoy the paint sliding across the page🕰️ Episode Timestamps00:00 – Introducing Sandi Hester and her big move 02:00 – Creating through renovation chaos and hard seasons 05:00 – The “blobbity blob” of mental chatter 07:00 – Letting go of perfection and learning to just play 09:00 – Returning to figurative painting (and why everyone thinks England “transformed” her work) 10:00 – Choosing YouTube over galleries and showing real life online 12:00 – Filming through health struggles and letting people see the messy truth 15:00 – The hidden full-time workload behind one short video 17:00 – Lowering the bar so you can actually make things 19:00 – Teaching thought process over technique 21:00 – How the YouTube algorithm punishes missed uploads (“Feed the beast!”) 24:00 – Doing good work without being salesy 27:00 – Staying the course even when you feel like bubblegum under a chair 29:00 – Why the journey is the fun part 33:00 – Re-training your inner critic 35:00 – Final encouragements and gratitude🌈 Links mentionedBits of an Artist’s Life – Sandi’s YouTube Channelsandihester.com@sandihesterart on InstagramBits of an Artist’s Life on SubstackByeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) 🚢🎨Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Hi there, Helen here.This is a special episode of the podcast because we had six of our Good Shippers - that’s people who’ve done our courses - selected as finalists in the Bologna Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition!Which is pretty amazing news. It’s really difficult to be a finalist because the competition is so high. Last year there were 4,374 people who entered, and only 324 were selected to be finalists. So for six of them to be Good Shippers is SO exciting.Now that the fair’s finished, I thought it would be lovely to catch up with them and hear how it all went. In this episode, you’ll hear from Emma Simpson, Lisa Loffredo, Amber Au, Sam Jones and Kate Leiper.A special mention to Charlotte Durrance, who was also a finalist but couldn’t make it to the recording. Congratulations to all of you!V Rough timestamps in case you like that sort of thing:[00:00] Helen introduces the six Good Shippers who made it to Bologna 🎉 [00:02] Emma Simpson [00:11] Lisa Loffredo [00:18] Amber Au [00:25] Sam Jones [00:37] Kate Leiper Other links mentionedFind Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag courseThe Picture Book courseDPictus ShowcaseBologna Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition info on how to take part  – Entries usually open in July and close in NovemberTiffany Leeson – Creative Director at Farshore BooksKen Max Wilson – Writer, illustrator and publisherPicture Hooks – Helping illustrators access the world of children’s publishing (based in Edinburgh, open to all emerging illustrators)🎉 If you’d like to apply for the Bologna Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition, the doors are usually open from July until November. Get your work ready and go for it!We're cheering you on.Taraa! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Our Helen’s #WalkToSee hashtag on Instagram is baaaack with a new monthly prompt. After seven years of #walktosee there are now over 120,000 drawings on there and counting!In this episode, we chat about Helen’s relaunch of #WalkToSee (with new monthly prompts), drawing from life vs. photos, why small sketchbooks are weirdly hard, aaand rediscovering messy materials and carbon paper.Special guest: an enormous chunk of charcoal.If you'd like a gentle kick up the butt to do some drawing from life, then join in! In this episode:The story behind #WalkToSee and why Helen's relaunched itHow to join this month’s prompt: #WalkToSeeWeather ☁️🌧️Why drawing from life feels more “alive”Sketching in public = good panicSmall sketchbooks or massive sketchbooks... which camp are you in?Materials that make drawing fun again (paint sticks! Sharpies! toilet roll!)The autumn urge to make something just for funApple presses, lino cuts, carbon paper and whisky samplesTimestamps: 00:00 – Helen on starting #WalkToSee back in 2018 02:00 – Why hashtags stopped working and how she brought it back 04:00 – October’s prompt: #WalkToSeeWeather 06:00 – Drawing tiny and feeling rusty 08:00 – Sharpies, paint sticks and rediscovering fun materials 10:00 – Drawing in public (and how to avoid chatty strangers) 12:00 – The “panic” energy in real-life drawing 15:00 – Autumn creative urges and sneaky side projects 17:00 – The joy of carbon paper and slow stationery 19:00 – Studio updates, new neighbours and collaboration 20:00 – Katie’s apple obsession 🍎 21:00 – Tiny whisky bottlesLinks & things mentioned:Join in on Instagram: #WalkToSeeWeatherHelen’s Instagram: @helenstephenslionand ours @thegoodshipillustrationThe Good Ship Illustration: www.thegoodshipillustration.comByeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) 🚢Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Deadlines... yeah yeah yeahhh, but what about doing illustration stuff just for YOU!? This week we chat about squishing in personal projects when client work always feels much more urgent.We are gathering ourselves after a very exciting Illustration Business Club launch. Phew! Definitely time for fun non-worky projects around here.(Rough) Timestamps if you want to skip to a certain bit00:00 Question: “How do you make time for personal artwork?”01:00 Why deadlines are easier than self-led projects02:00 Fine art drive vs. illustration mindset03:00 Projects we have managed to finish (and why)05:00 Creativity that doesn’t look like ‘work’07:00 You’re probably doing more than you realise08:00 The power of art clubs + sketching friends09:00 Big projects that turn into ‘scratch records’10:00 Permission to make things simple (or stop entirely)12:00 Sorting hat trick for choosing ideas14:00 Productivity16:00 Parking ideas and bullet journaling18:00 Craft supplies, hoarding, and deferring projects20:00 New paints, new studios, more art clubs21:00 Psssst...you’re probably already doing more than you thinkByeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

First things first, DOORS CLOSE TONIGHT! We start on Monday.https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/business Be lovely to see you in there. Psssst, this is the lowest the price will ever be, and we're not opening the doors again until September 2026. 🚢🚢🚢Right. Podcast shownotes. Yes. Where were we?Here's a very quick lesson on copyright and licensing before you listen to this episode 🤓Copyright = you own the work. Licence = permission your client buys to use the work in specific ways (where, how long, which media, exclusive or not).Ok, lesson's over. Thanks for coming. If you'd like to earn more without drawing more, then keep your copyright, license the usage, and price it properly. It's juicy, not boring. We promise!Timestamps, if you want to skip ahead to a certain bit00:00 Why giving away copyright is a no-go01:00 Licence basics you can actually use02:30 Picture books: advances, royalties, reversions04:30 Foreign rights & special sales (how the money flows)06:30 Trust, statements, and chasing missing royalties07:30 Licensing agents & exclusivity windows09:00 Advertising uses: above/below the line (cost jumps)10:30 Building a simple “menu” clients can pick from12:00 Case study: the map that earned double via licensing14:00 Live illustration: online use vs print/murals16:30 Excluding branding/merch in your standard licence18:00 Merch options: flat fee vs % royalty20:00 Originals, ownership, and cautionary tales22:00 Why this stuff makes your work pay betterCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

🌎✏️ The Illustrator’s Income Atlas - exciting free workshop announcement!🗓️ 24th Sept | ⏰ 1pm UK | 📍 OnlineLet's sit down together and map out your illustration income. You'll leave with a plan (a map, woohooo) you can stick on your wall and use.Save your spot and SIGN UP HERE!https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/atlas Ok, on with the shownotes 🤓We’ve taken our Business Course, given it a fresh lick of paint, and made it eeeeven more fun.It's now called Illustration Business Club...And the doors open tonight! (19th September 2025).You don't need your shoulderpads. Just bring yourself and a bit of an open mind to learn how the money-and-business side of illustration works. In this episode, we talk a bit about why we’re saying goodbye to the word “course” and what this shiny new Illustration Business Club is gonna look like. You're in for a treat - it’s eeeven better. By the way, if you're already in the Business Course, you don't need to do anything. You'll be inside Illustration Business Club automagically. Phew!Lifetime accessCommunity perks: private Facebook group + co-working every 2 weeksNice open chats about pricing, clients, and feesIt'd be lovely to see you in there!Timestamps, for our timestamp fans.00:00 Big news: the Business Course has changed01:00 Why “club” feels right (and way more fun)02:00 All modules unlocked: learn at your pace03:00 Community: private group + live calls04:00 What art school didn’t teach you05:00 Honest conversations about money + fees06:00 Adding new income streams07:00 Pricing insights: Katie & Helen’s two perspectives08:00 Guest interviews + insider knowledge08:30 Bonus: live Q&A with copyright lawyers09:00 How to join the Illustration Business ClubLinks mentionedJoin the Illustration Business Club HERESign up for our free income workshop HERECome and be our Instagram pals HEREByeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

🌎✏️ The Illustrator’s Income Atlas - exciting free workshop announcement! 🗓️ 24th Sept | ⏰ 1pm UK | 📍 Online Let's sit down together and map out your illustration income. You'll leave with a plan (a map, woohooo) you can stick on your wall and use. Save your spot and SIGN UP HERE!https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/atlas Ok, on with the shownotes 🤓Why we secretly love working alone (almost all the time)This week we got a good question from an anonymous listener 'how do I deal with loneliness when working from home?'Sometimes we love it, sometimes we do not 😅In this episode we talk about:Why lots of us illustrators prefer working solo… sometimesShared studios vs. doors-that-closeHeadphones, boundaries, and avoiding “being watched” energyPartner-as-studio-mates 👀 Can it work?Using Zoom to humanise client relationshipsInstagram as a “virtual kitchen”Local micro-communities, Good Ship meet-ups, and regular check-insAssuming positive intent ❤️Rough timestamps, for people who like that sort of thing00:00 Anonymous listener Q: “How do I deal with loneliness working from home?”01:00 Tania’s Hong Kong years: craving team vibes02:30 Partners in the studio: the headphone solution04:00 Open-plan offices, self-consciousness, and wiggly energy05:30 The magic of a shut-the-door studio06:30 Home distractions vs. helpful pottering07:30 The dream setup: close to home, small, warm, tree view09:00 Commit to the space: move the “big computer”10:00 Cloud storage and keeping work in one place10:30 Instagram as water cooler… or a brain sponge11:30 Real-world chats that top up your social tank12:30 Online threads that turn into real communities over time13:30 Good Ship meet-ups: sketches groups and weekly Zooms15:00 Why creativity needs privacy and no-one-is-watching energy16:00 Lonely… but nice lonely (with planned people bits)16:30 Zoom with clients to reduce email-anxiety and “they hate it” spirals18:00 How to write and receive feedback without spiralling19:00 The rule that saves sanity: assume positive intent20:00 Quick answers: studios with doors, small communities, kinder storiesByeee for now. Let us know if you're coming to the workshop. WE ARE SO EXCITED!! Here's the link again in case you missed it:https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/atlas Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Which course should I do? 🎨📚We get asked this aaall the time: “Do I start with the Picture Book Course, Fly Your Freak Flag, or the Business Course?”There is no wrong order.Right now the Business Course isn’t open, but… ✨ The Illustration Business Club (our shiny new name for it) opens for enrolment on the 19th of September!We almost dropped the word “business” because we thought it might put illustrators off. When we asked our students though, the answer was a big NO. That word was exactly what motivated them to jump in and learn the nuts and bolts of building a creative career they love (and get paid for).Hooray! 🎉In this episode, we chat through how to know which course might be the best place for YOU to start, and how to avoid getting stuck in analysis-mode worrying about making the wrong choice.Here’s what we cover:How to know if you have found your creative voice yetConsistency = a magic ingredient for picture book charactersWhen does it make sense to start with Fly Your Freak Flag?...or dive straight into the Picture Book CourseOur creative car vs business car analogy 🚗 🤓Why the Business Course tends to work best after Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak FlagFreebies you can try if you're just not sure (Childhood Illustrated, the Colour Workshop, our Character Workshop and more)The veeeery high-tech decision tree that makes the which-course-should-I-do choice for you 😆Timestamps00:00 – The big question: Which course first? 01:00 – Do you know your creative voice? 02:15 – Why consistency matters in picture books 03:00 – Picture Book vs Freak Flag (gut instinct wins) 04:30 – The Business Course (and why not to mix it in too soon) 05:30 – Creative car vs business car analogy 07:00 – What to do if you are not ready yet (hello freebies) 08:30 – The one-hour live illustration masterclass 09:00 – Our decision treeLinks and goodies mentionedFind Your Creative Voice – Fly Your Freak FlagThe Picture Book CourseThe Business CourseFreebies Page (it's a long. Grab a cuppa.)Live Illustration MasterclassArt Club on Instagram - we're @thegoodshipillustrationByeeee for now!x The Good Ship IllustrationCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Pssst, this episode was originally published in 2023 and we’re sharing it again as part of our Good Ship Summer Camp series. It’s one of five episodes to help you fly your freak flag this summer. If you’d like to join in properly, there’s a free workbook an' everything!You can download the workbook here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/workbook Riiiight, pack up your art supplies. It’s the final week of our pretend Good Ship Summer Camp. This week's topic is panic. Mmmmm. Our favourite. (How to stop doing it.) In this episode:Why “no panicking” is our golden rule here at the Good Ship IllustrationPart-time jobs, anti-desperation energy, and creative freedomCat metaphors, war artist fantasies, and business meetings 🐈‍⬛Why shouting at yourself doesn’t work Cheesy notes vs reverse psychology for calming downCreativity and nervous systems (and when to just lie on the floor)Finding your pace, your people, and your processWant to join in? Download the free Summer Camp workbook hereTimestamps: 0:00 – Welcome to week 5: no panicking allowed 1:18 – You can’t force creative growth (sorry) 3:01 – Part-time jobs = creative freedom 4:08 – Don’t fill your portfolio with jobs you don’t want more of 5:05 – Recap of all 5 creative steps 5:44 – Why being kind to yourself actually works 6:06 – Walks, breaks, and giving your brain a breather 7:13 – Live deadlines vs long deadlines 8:03 – Katie's war artist career plan (sort of) 8:31 – Action step: write a cheesy note or one to rebel against 9:18 – Course doors closing soon – but no pressure 9:41 – Byeeeee from Summer Camp!Links mentioned: 📖 Download the free Summer Camp workbook 📚 Find Your Creative Voice – Fly Your Freak Flag course 🎧 Watch an Art Club on Instagram📺 Watch Art Clubs on YouTubeByeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) 🚢Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Pssst, this episode was originally published in 2023 and we’re sharing it again as part of our Good Ship Summer Camp series. It’s one of five episodes to help you fly your freak flag this summer. If you’d like to join in properly, there’s a free workbook an' everything!You can download the workbook here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/workbook Feeling stuck? Procrastinating wildly? Hiyaaa this week's episode is for you.PLAY!! It’s not optional. It can trick you into making your best work, and we are going to show you how to sneak it into your creative routine (even when you’re hiding from your sketchbook).In this episode:Why play isn’t just fluff, it’s a very necessary illustration fuelSneaky ways to outsmart your inner procrastinatorFake deadlinesMaking up your own artist residency (Tania-style)Colour workshops, art clubs, and triple reverse psychologyGetting into “the zone” via flags, bush digging, or hot chocolateOne treat per timer session 🍫Want to join in with our summer camp? Download the free workbook hereTimestamps: 0:00 – Welcome to Day 4: Play, or else! 1:09 – Why play is the secret sauce for good work 3:04 – Fear of starting and how to ease into it 4:15 – Urgency, novelty, and fake deadlines 5:16 – Tania’s Barcelona residency (ahem, made-up) 6:09 – Playing with colour: the colour workshop 🎨 6:42 – Being kind to yourself vs bullying yourself into work 7:08 – Treats, timers, and starting small 8:12 – Getting into the zone (flags, bush digging, Blindboy) 9:31 – Action step: do an art club session with us! 10:22 – Course doors close soon + one-to-one feedback info 11:04 – Last episode of the series tomorrow!Links mentioned: 📖 Download the free workbook 🎨 The Colour Workshop (free) 🎧 Watch an Art Club on Instagram 📺 Watch Art Clubs on YouTube 📚 Find Your Creative Voice – Fly Your Freak Flag course Doors are open right now! Come on iiiiin! Be lovely to have you sailing with us. 🎧 Blindboy PodcastByeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) 🚢Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Pssst, this episode was originally published in 2023 and we’re sharing it again as part of our Good Ship Summer Camp series. It’s one of five episodes to help you fly your freak flag this summer. If you’d like to join in properly, there’s a free workbook an' everything!You can download the workbook here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/workbook Feeling a bit wobbly about your work? You’re not alone. In fact, you’re very much in the club.In today’s episode, we’re talking about confidence – or the lack of it – and how community, creative voice, and good pals can make all the difference.In this episode:The niggly voice that says you’re not good enough (blergh)Why working alone is tough and how community helpsCreative confidence vs comparison doom scrollsWhy finding your voice removes the pressure to competeHelen’s career pivot from baby books to bold new work The bravery of letting your work be fast, weird and youHow to connect with fellow illustrators online (without being creepy)Want to join in with us? Download the free workbook hereTimestamps: 0:00 – Hello and welcome to *week* 3! 1:19 – “My work isn’t good enough” – how to quiet the voice 2:19 – Community builds confidence (and sanity) 4:32 – Competition, scarcity mindset, and the Bologna Book Fair 5:30 – Other illustrators are as important as art directors 6:17 – Instagram friendships + the power of being visible 8:37 – What if your style no longer fits who you are? 10:40 – Making a big change in your work (Helen’s story) 13:47 – Why clients want you, not just polish 15:38 – Pricing confidence + permission to go fast 17:23 – You don’t need to draw everything, just the right thing 18:11 – How to connect with other illustrators online 19:19 – A Pia Bramley fangirl moment ❤️ 20:00 – Our community (Facebook group, art club, and course space) 20:56 – Your action step: Make illustrator friends, not competitorsLinks mentioned: 📖 Download the free Summer Camp workbook 🖥️ Sketchbooker’s Friend Facebook Group - the free group is no longer active (you get ushered into a secret students-only group when you join any of our courses), but we do still have a Facebook page! And we love hanging out on Instagram. 📚 Our course: Find Your Creative Voice – Fly Your Freak Flag 🖋 Pia Bramley on Instagram 🎨 Molly Fairhurst on InstagramByeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) 🚢Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Pssst, this episode was originally published in 2023 and we’re sharing it again as part of our Good Ship Summer Camp series. It’s one of five episodes to help you fly your freak flag this summer. If you’d like to join in properly, there’s a free workbook an' everything!You can download the workbook here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/workbook Got limited time to draw? Children hanging off your leg? Perfect. You’re in exactly the right place. 😆This week's episode is all about actually drawing. Even when you’ve only got a receipt, a half-working pen, and 3 minutes to spare.In this episode:Why drawing in a rush can be a superpowerKatie’s eyebrow-threading sketch session What drawing from life teaches you about your creative voiceTiny tools, weird surfaces, and packing your pencil case like a proThe #WalktoSee hashtag and sketchbook magic ✏️Three-materials challenge, anyone?Want to join in with us? Download the free workbook hereTimestamps: 0:00 – Intro + a great listener question 1:01 – Can you find your voice if you have no time? 2:17 – Drawing quickly makes it better (promise) 3:29 – Eyebrow queues and standing sketches 4:12 – The value of drawing from life 5:17 – Pack your pencil case! 6:24 – Drawing on receipts and IKEA pencils 6:54 – Walk to See, and how to join in 7:12 – Three-material challenge tips 7:38 – A wet thing, a dry thing, and something with texture 7:51 – Sketchbooker’s Friend: the robot voice that lives on 8:35 – Action step: keep your drawing tools on you at all times 9:01 – See you tomorrow for Day 3!Links mentioned: 📖 Download the free workbook 🎧 Sketchbooker’s Friend audio guide 🖼 All about the #Walktosee hashtag on Instagram (started by our Helen) 🖍 Find Your Creative Voice – Fly Your Freak Flag course. Doors are open right now! Be lovely to see you in there.Byeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) 🚢Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Pssst, this episode was originally published in 2023 and we’re sharing it again as part of our Good Ship Summer Camp series. It’s one of 5 episodes to help you fly your freak flag this summer. If you’d like to join in properly, there’s a free workbook an' everything!You can download the workbook here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/workbook 🚢🚢🚢What if your creative voice isn't one you actually like? 😬In today’s episode, we’re chatting about that awkward bit of figuring out your voice as an illustrator, and why the weird stuff you’re secretly obsessed with might actually be the key to your best work.In this episode:What to do if your voice feels ickWhy “basking in your weirdness” mattersThat Ira Glass quote we always bang on aboutOver-art-directing yourself (oops)Katie’s Eminem phase Why being a people-pleaser is the worst career strategyYour homework for this weekWant to join in? Download the free workbook hereTimestamps: 0:00 – Hello from us! 0:47 – What if you don’t like your creative voice? 2:10 – Art direction, publishers, and breaking out of boxes 3:33 – David Bowie, freak flags and bravery 4:37 – Eminem, rebellion, and tired teenagers 6:01 – People-pleasing vs doing your own thing 8:31 – Future-proofing your illustration career 9:33 – Action step: pay attention to what you really love 10:35 – Come back next week for Day 2!Links mentioned: 🖍 Our course: Find Your Creative Voice: Fly Your Freak Flag📖  Download the free workbook 🎬 Moonage Daydream documentary (about Bowie)Byeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) 🚢Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

This week, we’re back with part 2 of our conversation with the brilliant Chris Haughton – illustrator, author, and passionate copyright advocate.Here's a link to part 1 in case you need to catch up!In this half of our Chris Haughton special, Chris shares how his first picture book came about, and we also chat about confidence, creative doubt, and why showing up again and again matters.And then… we go deep on AI. Copyright, ethics, government policy, and what we illustrators can actually do to protect our work. Chris is off to Parliament soon (!!!) and shares everything he’s learned so far.In this episode:How Chris got his first book deal without an agentStaying confident through rejection and doubtThe terrifying reality of generative AI and what we can do about itHow copyright works (and what’s at risk)The organisations fighting for our creative rightsTimestamps: 00:00 – How Chris broke into picture books (by accident) 04:00 – Animation, art school, and graphic style 08:00 – Building confidence through volume 10:00 – Words, images, and writing your own stories 14:00 – Why AI is a massive threat to illustrators 17:00 – Who’s fighting back (and how to get involved) 21:00 – Why we need all creatives on board🛟 Links + Resources mentioned in this episode:The Association of Illustrators (AOI)Simona's Substack: Against the BoxChris Haughton's websiteChris' Instagram✨ If this episode has ye all fired up (us too!) please do share it with your creative pals – and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next!Bye bye, x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

How do you make picture books if you secretly hate writing? Can you REALLY just punch holes in a bit of paper and call it a finished illustration?! 👀This week we’ve got a proper treat for you. This is part 1 of our chat with illustrator and picture book maker Chris Haughton! (Katie wasn’t there, but Helen and Tania held the fort and asked him all the juicy questions.)Chris shares his brilliantly wonky career path from graphic design to editorial, picture books and his latest deep dive into the History of Information. A total freak-flag project that he's been obsessed with for nearly 20 years.Chris tells Good Ship:How he ended up with a wildly colourful, unmistakable illustration style, even though he "couldn't do colour"How 10 years of editorial work shaped his picture book voiceWhat hiding Mummy Owl in a picture taught him about storytellingWhy your first sketch is usually the best oneDrawing peas and chopsticks with hole-punch confetti (amazin')🚨 This is just Part 1! Subscribe so you don’t miss Part 2. Part 2 will be released next week (on Friday 25th July.)Timestamps:00:00 - Intro from Katie, Helen & Tania01:00 - Chris introduces himself and how his style evolved05:30 - The origin of A Bit Lost and hiding things in the background08:00 - How a greetings card turned into a picture book idea10:00 - Chris' obsession with the History of Information14:00 - Drawing as a form of information technology 17:00 - Chris’s brief stint as a live scribe (!!)21:00 - Publishing headaches when your audience is "everyone"24:00 - Finding your style vs getting stuck in a style27:00 - Undo button = illustrator superpower31:00 - Hole-punched peasLinks an' stuff we mentioned:Chris Haughton's website: https://chrishaughton.comThe History of Information, Chris Haughton's bookHistory of Information lectures from UC Berkeley shared here via InfocoBuildFind Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag course from The Good Ship IllustrationKatie’s Live Illustration courseByeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Welcome to The Good Ship Illustration - the podcast for illustrators who are quietly working away in their sketchbooks thinking… “is it just me?”…it’s not just you!We’re Helen Stephens, Katie Chappell and Tania Willis - three full-time illustrators from three different corners of the industry (and three different age brackets ). We live in the same seaside town in the UK and started having cuppas and chats… and accidentally became illustration agony aunts.Now we record those chats for you! We answer your questions about confidence, tricky clients, pricing your work, creative block, picture books, publishing, and everything in between.✨ New episodes every Friday. ✨Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and do send us your questions!P.s. Fancy some freebies? Head to thegoodshipillustration.com for colour workshops, picture book templates, and other treats.Byeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)🚢🚢🚢Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Emily asked us why backgrounds can be so overwhelming. So in this episode, we share lots of low-pressure ideas to make them doable (maybeee even fun).Please enjoy Tania nearly falling asleep under a weighted blanket 🤣Podcast Episode Highlights:How to stop overthinking itColour tips and some good stuff Chris Haughton taught us NO ZOOMING IN ALLOWED 😠 John BurninghamOld Lady Baby(rough) Timestamps: 00:00 – Emily’s question: “Backgrounds scare me – help!” 01:00 – The Chris Haughton breakthrough about colour03:00 – Tonal tips: how to make your characters stand out 04:00 – Thin lines, wobbly pens, and keeping backgrounds soft 06:00 – The menace of digital zoom 😬 07:00 – Backgrounds = hints, not homework 08:00 – John Burningham, cut-out characters and painterly skies 10:00 – Embracing imperfection and storytelling over polish 11:00 – Blindboy’s advice: fail on purpose 13:00 – Art Club, recycled drawings, and happy accidents 14:00 – Upcoming Art Club news & picture book course teaser 15:00 – Weighted blankets, fancy deodorant, and Aesop air freshener 😌Links & stuff:The Picture book course details: www.thegoodshipillustration.com/pbMake sure you're getting our emails for Art Club invites: Scroll to the bottom hereBye bye bye x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

“Can you just do it for free?” NO. In this week’s episode, we’re talking about working for free, how to say no without guilt, and why having nice strong boundaries won't ruin your career (we promise). Tania shares a BRILLIANT script for saying no to unpaid work. Thank you Taniasan, we luv ya.Other good bits of note:How to stop feeling bad about saying no to cheeky requestsHow charity auctions can be a smarter way to give backFree pitching: where to draw the lineThat time Katie backtracked on a call (and the world didn't end)What to say when a client demands an answer right nowwwwThe biggest myth of all: “If you say no, they’ll never ask again”Timestamps: 00:00 – Biscuits first. We have our priorities in order 🤣 01:00 – “How do I say no to free work… nicely?” 02:30 – Quotas, boundaries, and rude assumptions 04:00 – Saying no to friends and students 06:00 – Turning FAQs into blog content 07:00 – A better way to support charities (without giving away your time) 08:00 – “I used to worry people wouldn’t like me if I said no…” 10:00 – Paid development work in picture books: what’s normal? 12:00 – The pitch trap and how to avoid it 13:00 – Katie’s mural pricing wobble (and recovery!) 14:00 – The power of taking your time to decide 15:00 – You’re not being too picky. You’re just not people-pleasing anymore! 16:00 – On "playing": why your language mattersOh! While you're here...You can join the Picture Book course here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/PBTaraaa, x Good ShipCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

When your project goes a bit pear-shaped you might wonder if that’s just how the illustration industry is.Well, this week we’re talking all about what's good, bad, and normal... and whether there are red flags you should look out for in your illustrator-publisher relationship.Highlights:Why it's never okay to get feedback on a Friday and be asked for a full redraw by Monday 🙃What’s typical in the picture book process (roughs, colour roughs, final art, etc)When changes are fine… and when they’re totally out of orderHow to set better boundaries (and how to stick to them)Our own early-illustration-career experiences, and what we'd do differently nowTimestamps: 00:00 – Is this normal? A horror story from an illustrator 02:00 – Unrealistic deadlines & being pressured to work weekends 05:00 – When publishers ignore your roughs completely 06:30 – What a healthy picture book workflow looks like 09:00 – Final artwork and why changing it is a big deal 12:00 – Bologna book fair: what gets shown 14:30 – When you can trust your publisher/designer (and when you really can’t) 16:00 – Agents behaving badly 20:00 – Why this doesn’t mean all of publishing is bad! #NotAllPublishersLinks an' thatOur picture book course doors are opening SOON! Keep yer eyes peeled and grab the freeebies here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/PBGot a question? Send it our way and we might answer it in a future episode!Bye for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Have you ever looked at your own work and thought… egh? When you work so hard to find your style* it can feel rubbish to realise you don't even LIKE IT 😅.*We're not big fans of the word style...but we have to use it so you know what we're on about. We have a WHOLE ENTIRE COURSE about finding your creative voice & flying your freak flag.This episode is allll about not-holding-the-bar-of-soap-too-tight.It's also about:What to do when your style feels a bit too safe or mainstreamWhy being too “good at drawing” can trap youHow to bring more you into your workWhether you need to know colour theory to be a proper illustrator⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – Lisa's brilliant question: “What if I don’t like my style?” 01:00 – Mainstream, safe, and not-quite-right: spotting the signs 03:00 – Flying your freak flag vs. pleasing the market 05:00 – Chris Haughton’s unusual route into publishing 07:00 – Why being “good at drawing” isn’t always helpful 09:00 – Getting stuck in the gun-for-hire trap 11:00 – Why clients want you, not your many styles 12:00 – Freya asks: do you need to know the colour wheel? 14:00 – Digital colour vs. painty messes 17:00 – How limitations can make your colour sing 20:00 – Create a family of colours (and avoid shouty guests) 21:00 – Final thoughts: soap metaphors & colour play🔗 Links mentioned:🎨 Our free genius colour workshop – grab it here!🐘 Emma Tripolone’s fab work (Emma was one of our 1:1 mentoring winners from... 🚢 The Freak Flag course!📚 Chris Haughton – Good Ship pal, designer and children’s book author-illustrator. We love 'im.Plus, coming soon we have a Chris-Haughton-treat for your ears. Stay tuned for that.Byeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙