💰 How to protect your time, energy and income as an illustrator
“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 🎙
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17:41
Is this normal in publishing… or am I being taken for a mug?
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 🎙
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22:01
“Help! I found my illustration style… and I don’t like it” 😩
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 🎙
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22:11
The joy of not finishing (all) your online courses
Quick note before we start: In this episode we use the words "women" and "creative women" but we know these things don’t just affect women, and not everyone relates to binary gender labels. This chat is based on our lived experience and isn’t meant to exclude anyone. You’re always welcome aboard, however you identify. WE LUV YA. xx Good ShipHow many unfinished online courses have you signed up for and then abandoned or forgotten about them? 👀 Yep, us too. Oh well.In this episode, we’re talking about why creative women often don’t finish - or even start - the online courses they sign up for. Before you run away, please know this: it’s not laziness. It’s ✨life✨. And maybe the course still helped by osmosis, even if you only managed to watch one video.The guilt of not finishing courses (and why it’s rubbish)How art courses can still be useful EVEN if you just skim themCommunity, confidence, and cheerleadersWhy we’ve never ever chased people to “complete” our Good Ship coursesOur 1:1 mentoring competition winners (congratulatioooons Rachael, Emma, Jacqui & Catiebell!)Bias in picture booksThoughts on why creative women sign up more than menTimestamps:00:00 – Soooo… do you finish your art courses?01:30 – Skimming, skipping, and still getting value03:00 – Courses as permission slips and energy boosts04:00 – Lifetime access = a soft place to land05:30 – The joy of community (and a few sneaky sales mentions)07:00 – Meet the new picture book mentees!08:00 – Why women take more courses (and don’t finish them)10:00 – Editorial vs picture book world: who gets seen?13:00 – AI, weird shall illustrations, and missing credits14:00 – Where are all the obvious places illustrators get seen now?See you soon!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 🎙
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15:27
The curse of "Final Artwork"
BE MORE WONKY In this episode:Why quick sketches usually have more life in 'em than polished piecesHow perfectionism kills creativityBeware of the pause button (when you're doing graphic recording / live illustration)What to do when you're scared your work isn’t “worth the money”Tips for keeping final artwork fresh and looseHuman vs AI: what if the secret is just… being wonky?Timestamps, if you're into that kind of thing00:00 – Can sketches be “the” illustration?01:00 – The gap between sketch and final art02:00 – Helen’s owls05:00 – What kills good work06:00 – The hourly rate mindset07:00 – Simple marks 4eva08:00 – Sketchy = human (and that’s a good thing)09:00 – Tips for keeping your work feeling fresh10:00 – Live illustration = brave, imperfect, magic11:00 – Be more human, more wonkyByeeee 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’re here to offer no-nonsense advice for illustrators and image-makers navigating a creative career. At The Good Ship Illustration, we are all about finding your creative voice, standing out from the crowd, building career-longevity, and being yourself. We're Helen Stephens, Katie Chappell and Tania Willis - 3 full-time bread-winning (mmm, bread) illustrators working in 3 separate niches of the illustration industry. Between us, we've clocked up over 70 years of experience and illustration wisdom, and we're here to share it!You’d love your creative work if only you could find more time to do it, make more money, and feel confident with what you make. We believe you DO have what it takes, illustration needn’t be scary, and we’re with you all the way, along with the rest of the crew in our online community.
Netherlands