Podcast
The Good Ship Illustration
Hosted by The Good Ship Illustration · EN
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)
🚢🚢🚢
91episodes
Episodes
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No, you *don't* have imposter syndrome - an interview with Lauren Currie OBE
5d ago00:39:46Summary readyWhat's the point in making all this gorgeous work if you don't have the confidence to share it, eh? EH!?Who better to grill on this subject than Lauren Currie, OBE.Lets gooo:Timestamps, for the timestamp fans:00:00 – Intro 01:00 – Confidence = the elephant in the room for creatives02:00 – Lauren on why confidence matters so much, especially for women and marginalised people 05:00 – The shite UN statistic 07:00 – "What would a mediocre middle-aged man do?" 09:00 – Confidence is a team sport, not a solo endeavour 11:00 – Carrying responsibility for how everyone else feels 12:00 – 10 people whose opinions actually matter (and why it's not Jeanie from school's mum's dentist) 14:00 – Imposter syndrome16:00 – The 1970s research that labelled women with a "syndrome" instead of looking at the system 19:00 – Why self-doubt is healthy21:00 – Confidence is a muscle 22:00 – Lauren's art25:00 – Old lady faces27:00 – Should you have a separate art Instagram? 28:00 – The Barcelona art show story32:00 – Why 'just' 20 people seeing your work is a LOT of people 33:00 – Lauren's advice for illustrators who are scared to share their work 36:00 – On hiding38:00 – We need your art!!Links and books etc. mentioned:Lauren's website: https://www.laurencurrie.co/artUpfront: https://www.weareupfront.comBe Upfront by Lauren CurrieWe Need Your Art by Amy McNee https://www.amiemcnee.com/order-we-need-your-art-book-amie-mcneeThe Good Ship Illustration: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.comFind Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag course: 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 🎙
SummaryHelp, I’ve forgotten how to draw 🫠
2w ago00:41:09Summary readyThis week's podcast is a sneaky peek into the live Q&A calls we do for our Find Your Creative Voice; Fly Your Freak Flag students. (They happen monthly at the moment.)WHADDA CHAT.In this episode, we talk about:Pursuing boredom The Artists' WayWhy finding your style doesn’t always feel fun and easy and natural (Instagram's lying to yooou) What to do when you have hundreds of project ideas and no clue which one to choose How to handle agent/client feedback without immediately throwing your laptop into the sea Galleries are better when you don’t try to “eat all the paintings” Pens, colour, sketchbooks and abandoning black linework Quentin Blake, Mr Bingo and free flapjacks. Just a normal day, really.If you'd like to join us, go for it! Enrolment is open right now, and our next live call is happening on Thursday the 16th of July at 7pm UK time.Timestamps00:00 Art block00:55 Morning pages02:00 Wide margins04:30 Boredom06:00 Creative sparks08:15 Creative identity10:20 Comparison11:30 Constraints13:30 Page layouts15:15 Deadlines17:15 Oblique Strategies18:30 Slow looking21:00 Drawing from home22:30 Quentin Blake Centre26:45 Too many ideas31:10 Feedback37:30 Coloured linework39:45 Closing thoughtsStuff we mentioned & links (so many this week, woah)The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron Make Every Day Creative by Marion Deuchars David Hockney (RIP)Brian Eno’s Oblique StrategiesQuentin Blake Centre - Thank you for inviting us to the preview day, team QB!Derwent Pencil MuseumPicture Hooks https://www.picturehooks.org.uk/The Catchpole Agency http://www.thecatchpoleagency.co.uk/Muji fine linersEmma Carlisle / Sarah Dyer https://www.emmacarlisle.com/ https://www.sarahdyer.com/The Good Ship Illustration Art Clubhttps://www.instagram.com/thegoodshipillustration/?hl=enFly Your Freak Flag https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflagThe Good Ship Illustration colour workshophttps://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/colourCome 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 🎙
Summary"I spent ages on the detailed stuff...but they liked the quick sketch." An interview with the brilliant Alice Bowsher
3w ago00:28:08Summary readyThis week our Katie is chatting to Alice Bowsher, who's work she would like to bite (In a good way. The same way you want to bite very cute babies. Is it called cuteness aggression?)Anyways, there's chat about creative career paths, Glastonbury bags, cardboard bedrooms, Walker Books, baby board books, and the very very important role of biscuits. Mmmm.Timestamps, for the timestamp fans:00:00 – Intro to Alice02:00 – From fine art to graphics to illustration04:00 – The YCN internship, signing with an agent, and learning how the industry works06:00 – Grand Matter, how commissions work "I'm definitely an agent person"09:00 – Pricing and getting over the guilt of making it look easy11:00 – Social media, Instagram vs Substack - Substack feels like old school Tumblr14:00 – What happens when a brief comes in?17:00 – Alice's cardboard bedroom19:00 – Sketchbooking21:00 – The Glastonbury Guardian bags and seeing your work out in the world22:30 – Hobbies, exercise, biscuits, and the new-parent juggle24:30 – Baby board books for WalkerLinks mentioned:Alice's website: https://www.alicebowsher.co.uk/Alice on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alicebowsherAlice's Substack, Easypeeler: https://alicebowsher.substack.com/Grand Matter, Alice's illustration agency: https://grandmatter.com/Fold out guinea pig birthday cards for Wrap: https://wrapmagazine.com/products/guinea-pig-surprise-fold-out-cardWe briefly mentioned Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag so here's the link to that too in case you want to bask in your weirdness and make your best work ever: 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 🎙
SummaryAnd the award for Best Stand at Bologna Children's Book Fair goes to...
4w ago00:35:19Summary readyThis 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 🎙
Summary"Help! I love my rough illustrations and panic on the final piece. How do I get out of my own way?"
Jun 500:33:57Summary readyIt'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 🎙
Summary⚠️ Illustration scams to watch out for
May 2900:25:08Summary readyOoft, 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 🎙
Summary'They keep asking me to tone it down.' Flying your freak flag in their faces 🚩
May 2200:20:16Summary readyThis 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 🎙
Summary"I used to cry in the toilets before every job (and then I'd go draw)" - a live illustration chat with Katie
May 1500:33:51Summary readyThis 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 🎙
SummaryYou don't have to pick just one thing - an interview with illustrator-astrologer Nicola Allan
May 800:34:21Summary readyThis 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 🎙
SummaryThis illustrator got a book deal lead on DAY ONE of Bologna… 😳 (part 2)
May 100:10:22Summary readyHere'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 🎙
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