Thoughts on Illustration

Pre-order Drawing is Important: ⁠⁠https://geni.us/DrawingisImportant⁠

Mike Lowery is an internationally recognized picture book illustrator and author, as well as fellow teacher and daily drawer. Mike joins me to talk about the business of illustration, finding his style, the impact of AI on the illustration industry, keeping a sketchbook habit, and using social media for illustrators.

In this Episode
The business of illustration: The difference between making art for its own sake and making art that actually does something.
Finding Mike’s style: How an art director’s preference for Mike’s sketches over his “final art” style redefined his whole approach.
AI and the industry: Mike’s hesitantly-offered but well-considered assessment on AI’s impact on illustration today.
Daily Drawing Practice: Mike’s advice for keeping a sketchbook, whether on the daily or on the road.

This conversation covers some of the big shifts of 2025-2026 in the illustration industry, but also goes into super-practical, hands-on tips that will make a difference in your illustration practice today.

Links and Resources
Mike Lowry’s Website: https://www.mikelowery.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikelowrystudio 
Free E-book: Instagram for Illustrators (Scroll all the way down) — https://www.mikelowery.com/classes 
Work Mentioned: 
Random Illustrated Facts- https://www.mikelowery.com/random-illustrated-facts
No Sam series - https://www.mikelowery.com/portfolio/nosam

Help Shape my Future Signature Course!
My big goal this year is to create my first self-hosted course for illustrators. But I can't do it without your help! Please take my 5-minute survey at the following link. As a thank-you, you'll get 20% off the full price of the course when it launches.

Signature Course Survey — ⁠Google Form Link⁠ ⁠https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHIixGnxIA9gLl4WLXtxb4JsTfj5FjU6l1T9Sm0Cv2DjnDWQ/viewform?usp=header⁠

Tom’s Links
Work: ⁠tomfroese.com⁠
Classes: ⁠tomfroese.com/teaching⁠
Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mrtomfroese⁠

Get your FREE Illustration Training Plan Worksheet (PDF) — tomfroese.com/freetrainingplan

"It’s a marathon, not a sprint"—but what does that actually mean for your creative career? In this episode, Tom looks back at his biggest insights from 2025 and explains why trying to "do it all" is the fastest way to stall your progress.
Using his experience as an ultramarathoner, Tom shares how to apply a training framework to your illustration practice to ensure you're building "functional strength" rather than just busy work.
The Danger of Dabbling: Why multiple professional roles create competing interests.

Training Blocks: How standard timelines help you build progressive fitness in your art.

Functional Strength: Identifying which habits support your main goal and which ones undermine it.

The Power of One: Why 2026 is the year of doing one thing exceptionally well.

[Download] FREE Illustration Training Plan Worksheet

[Read] 2025: The Year in Review (Substack)

[Listen] The One Big Shift for Social Media in 2026

I’m building a new signature course for illustrators and I need your input. Take this 5-minute survey to help me build it, and get 20% off at launch!👉 Take the Survey Here

Pre-order Drawing is Important: https://geni.us/DrawingisImportant

What does it actually take to build a sustainable life in illustration—without burning out or chasing every new platform?
In this episode, I’m sharing a conversation where I was the guest on Design Icons, produced by Noun Project. Nick Power’s questions gave me a chance to step back and reflect on my career honestly—what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what I’m still figuring out.

We talk about:
Lessons learned from a decade+ as an illustrator
Creative plateaus and my worst year for client work
Why style is about reliability, not aesthetics
How constraints shape better work
Visibility, sustainability, and what actually moves the needle

This one covers all the classic interview questions, but it gave me a chance to reflect on the basics in a real, honest way.

→ Support the podcast on Patreon: patreon.com/tomfroese
→ Explore Noun Project: thenounproject.com

Become a paid supporter on Patreon— ⁠https://patreon.com/tomfroese⁠
What if social media isn’t actually social anymore—and what if that changes how creatives should use it?
In this monologue episode, I reflect on a growing realization I’ve been wrestling with for years: social media has quietly shifted from a space for sharing and connection into something much closer to corporate media. And many independent creatives have been doing a lot of unpaid work for big tech without fully realizing it.
I talk candidly about my own experience building audiences on Instagram, YouTube, and this podcast—and why the familiar promise of “just keep sharing and it will pay off” no longer feels like a fair trade. I unpack the gambling-like dynamics of algorithms, attention, and hope, and explain the one big mindset shift I’m making as I head into 2026.
This episode isn’t about quitting social media. It’s about rethinking our relationship to it, getting clearer about what we’re actually selling, and using these platforms more intentionally—as business tools, not creative homes.
🙏 A huge thank-you to all paid supporters on Patreon and on Spotify. Your support makes these thoughtful, independent episodes possible.

IN THIS EPISODE
Why social media now functions more like corporate media than a social space
How algorithms turned “sharing” into a gamble
Why the old promise of free publicity no longer works for most creatives
My own experience building large followings—and what I’ve actually gotten back
The shift from thinking like a content creator to thinking like a business owner
Why “look what I made” isn’t enough anymore
How clarifying your product and your customer changes everything
What this mindset shift means for creatives heading into 2026

LINKS
🎨 Inky.af — My class on creating expressive, inky illustrations using analogue techniques in Affinity (now free forever)
⁠http://tomfroese.com/teaching/inkyaf⁠
📗 Drawing Is Important — Book preorder available now
⁠http://geni.us/DrawingisImportant⁠

HOW TO SUPPORT
You can support Thoughts on Illustration by:
Sharing this episode with a friend
Leaving a comment
Leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts
Following the show / subscribing to this channel
Becoming a paid supporter here or on Patreon — ⁠https://patreon.com/tomfroese⁠
FIND ME ELSEWHERE
Website — ⁠https://www.tomfroese.com⁠
Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mrtomfroese⁠
Daily Drawings — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/drawingisimportant⁠
CREDITS
Music and cues by Mark Allan Falk:
https://linktr.ee/semiathletic⁠

The State of Illustration Report with Darren Di Lieto | Episode 65

What does the illustration industry really look like right now — beyond highlight reels, social media, and shiny success stories?
In this episode, I talk with Darren Di Lietto, founder of Hireillo and the author of the State of Illustration report. For more than a decade, Darren has been surveying illustrators around the world to better understand how we work, how we get paid, and how sustainable illustration actually is as a career.
We have an honest conversation about confidence, pricing, late payments, mental health, and the quiet pressures shaping illustrators’ lives today. We talk about who’s best positioned to thrive, where illustrators are struggling most, and why so many are being squeezed out early on in their careers.
I was surprised, and honestly a little bit depressed by the numbers in the report—but Darren helps me see some of the positive takeaways as well.
🙏 A huge thank-you to all paid supporters on Patreon — your support makes conversations like this possible.
IN THIS EPISODE
What the State of Illustration report reveals about the current health of the industry
Why confidence in pricing and negotiation remains such a challenge
Who seems best positioned to last — and who is most at risk
How late payments and income instability continue to affect illustrators
The impact of the cost-of-living crisis on creative careers
Mental health, anxiety, and confidence among working illustrators
What hope and resilience Darren sees in the data
Where the State of Illustration report might go next
SHOW LINKS
From Darren
State of Illustration report ($18USD — PDF download) — https://www.stateofillustration.com
Hireillo — https://www.hireillo.com
Darren's website — http://darrendilieto.com
From Tom
🎨 Inky.af — My new class on creating expressive, inky illustrations using analogue techniques in Affinity (now free forever) — http://tomfroese.com/teaching/inkyaf
📗 Drawing Is Important — Book preorder available now — http://geni.us/DrawingisImportant
SUPPORT THE PODCAST
You can support Thoughts on Illustration by:
Sharing this episode with a friend
Leaving a comment
Leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts
Following the show / Subscribing to this channel
Becoming a paid supporter on Patreon — https://patreon.com/tomfroese

FIND ME ELSEWHERE
Website — https://www.tomfroese.com
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/mrtomfroese
Daily Drawings — https://www.instagram.com/drawingisimportant
CREDITS
Music and cues by Mark Allan Falk — https://linktr.ee/semiathletic