The Good Ship Illustration

The Good Ship Illustration
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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) 🚢🚢🚢

  1. 7h ago

    How to stay in touch with your illustration clients without being annoying - part 2 of our @MadebyJames interview

    James Martin (aka @MadebyJames) is baaack! Part one was your starter, and this week is the chonky main course. James did promise to come back with something v useful, and he kept his word. Buckle in for a step-by-step formula to help you build relationships with the people you'd love to work with.  There is absolutely NO cold emailing or cheesey self-promotion involved.  Timestamps, for the timestamp fans: 00:00 – Welcome back James, and why part two is all about the practical stuff  01:00 – A brand is really just a way of getting more opportunity  02:00 – What James means by "opportunity design"  02:45 – The book Obvious Adams  04:00 – Why you should ask your clients for feedback, not other creatives  06:00 – Why complicated marketing advice makes us feel silly  07:30 – Good business relationships take time (you can't skip straight to "here's my work, give me money")  09:00 – Sandboxes: pressure-free 20-minute conversations  10:45 – Introvert? Start your first sandbox with a friend  11:50 – Everything good in your life started with one conversation  13:30 – Physical mailers and the "effort heuristic"  15:45 – The 5-3-1 framework: five existing clients, three strategic relationships, one aspirational one  19:00 – Focusing on just nine people, and starting a relationship journal  21:30 – The time exchange library  23:30 – What to send when you're following the seven email rule  26:30 – Asking for a sandbox  28:00 – The "second portfolio": gifting a scrappy idea that solves their problem  30:45 – Reciprocity  33:30 – Getting ready for when they look you up: your bio, profile pic and a "how to work with me" PDF  37:00 – Cold emails are gross and they don't even work Links mentioned: • Part one of our chat with James was last week (we'll add the link here when we have it)  • James's Substack: https://madebyjames.substack.com  • James's free Super Duper Mentorship for emerging creatives: https://madebyjames.substack.com/p/join-my-free-mentorship-program  • James on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/made_by_james  • James's new book, No Bullsh*t Branding: https://www.quarto.com/books/9781577159452/no-bullsh-t-branding  • Obvious Adams by Robert R. Updegraff  • Hype Yourself by Lucy Werner: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/hype-yourself-a-no-nonsense-pr-toolkit-for-small-businesses-lucy-werner/b3b30df91155c107?ean=9781788601238&next=t&affiliate=11858&ref=hypeyourself.com  • Our episode with Kira Matthews (the seven email rule): https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-7-email-rule-pitching-your-work-to-illustration/id1526470404?i=1000757654276  Byeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration 🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com p.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

  2. Oct 16

    Is there any point becoming an illustrator now that AI is here? An interview with James Martin @madebyjames PART 1!

    Trigger warning: In this episode, James talks openly about his experience of childhood sexual abuse, as well as addiction (drugs and alcohol). It's mentioned briefly in the 06:52 to 11:00 section and discussed again from 45:23. There's also plenty of strong language throughout. Look after yourself and skip this episode/seek support if you need it. This week our Katie is chatting to James Martin, AKA @MadebyJames. He's a designer, author, Canva design advisory board member & creative partner at Lincoln Design Co. James is nice an' honest about the wiggly creative career road that got him to where he is today. We chat about the "gravity of average" and why everyone's starting to look and sound the same, an economist with two ice cream sellers on a beach 🍦, whether there's any point becoming an illustrator now AI is here aaaand why your weirdness is more valuable than ever. 😎 FLY YOUR FREAK FLAG!! ALSO, this is part one of two - next instalment is coming next week. Timestamps, for the timestamp fans: 00:00 – Welcome James Martin, aka Made by James, and a quick intro to who he is and what he does  02:43 – The world has never been more distracting  06:29 – James's journey: school, trauma, addiction, and finding his way to an art foundation  11:00 – Falling forward into graphic design  15:03 – Following your gut and doing more of what lights you up  18:09 – Writing No Bullsh*t Branding  21:11 – Ddopamine  25:06 – Is there any point becoming an illustrator now that AI is here?  29:54 – The "gravity of average" and how systems pull everyone towards the middle  32:53 – Hotelling's Law, ice cream sellers on a beach, and why opportunity lives at the edges  38:08 – Time, the long game, and "automate the predictable, humanise the meaningful"  41:44 – Bring back dilly dallying!  42:04 – Your weirdness as your difference: taste, story and point of view  45:23 – Feeling scared to be yourself, and why James chose to share his story  49:29 – Being real online vs oversharing, and sharing from the scar, not the open wound  52:24 – Gary V, 500 pieces of content a week, and the performance trap  53:11 – James's mission, his three-step plan, and eating your own dog food  56:10 – Round two is coming! Links mentioned: James's Substack: https://madebyjames.substack.comJames's free Super Duper Mentorship for emerging creatives: https://madebyjames.substack.com/p/join-my-free-mentorship-programJames on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/made_by_jamesJames's new book, No Bullsh*t Branding: https://www.quarto.com/books/9781577159452/no-bullsh-t-brandingByeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration 🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com p.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

  3. Oct 9

    Lessons from our 'failures' + Illustration Business Club doors close tonight!

    This week, you're stuck with Katie and Helen again, answering more of your businessy questions (Tania's back next week! Don't cry! She's coming back, really!) RIP to our dear friend and editor Deirdre McDermott of Walker Books, who died recently. Dee was a legend. We don't have the words to do her justice here, but we miss her very very much. 💛  And of course, Smelly Peggy too. Timestamps, for the timestamp fans: 00:00 – Helen and Katie are back  00:45 – Any consistency hacks? Katie's summer of posting every day  01:45 – Reposting old posts  02:45 – When your illustration work 'flops'  03:30 – Stop when the fun runs out  04:30 – Illustrator's boob  06:15 – 2012 washing powder  08:00 – The rise and pause of Katie's jobs board  10:45 – Being misunderstood online  11:45 – "Get over yourself"  13:00 – Helen's online school visit that didn't quite work  15:45 – Lessons  17:00 – Helen's year out  18:45 – Finding Your Creative Voice  19:30 – Remembering Deirdre McDermott of Walker Books Links mentioned: Illustration Business Club: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/businessFind Your Creative Voice: Fly Your Freak Flag (with Helen's video about her year out): https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freak-flagHelen's free online school visit: https://www.helenstephens.com/virtual-school-visitWalker Books: https://www.walker.co.ukByeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) p.s. It's the last day! The Illustration Business Club doors close TONIGHT, Friday 9th October, at 10pm UK time. There's an option to pay in 10 smaller instalments, and we'd love to see you in there before they shut. https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/business Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration 🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com p.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

  4. Oct 2

    Help! Posting my illustration work makes me cringe 😬

    This week it's just Helen and Katie here (helloo - Tania was off in Naples eating pizza for us. We were living vicariously through her.) Let's get stuck in and answer your excellent questions about marketing your illustration work.  "I just don't know where to begin!" and overcoming our arch nemesis: cringe.  Plus SLOTH FACTS. You're welcome. Timestamps, for the timestamp fans: 00:00 – Time off is good for you, and good for business  01:00 – Helen's short, intense work bursts on the latest Salty book  02:00 – Take the bus  03:00 – "Where do I start with marketing?"  04:00 – Trying on hats (and taking them back off)  04:45 – The creative car and the business car  06:00 – Brilliant work nobody sees vs brilliant marketing that needs more art car time  07:00 – Seven ways to get your work in front of picture book publishers  08:30 – Low-pressure Instagram and the overflowing camera roll  09:30 – If we were starting again: website, portfolio etc.  11:00 – Ditch the "aspiring", "wannabe" and "itty bitty" labels  11:30 – Cringe  12:45 – Caveman brains  15:00 – It's not meant to be easy  16:15 – "How do I get over myself?"  17:15 – Seeking validation vs showing up to share your goodies  18:00 – Illustration Business Club doors are open, plus the new 10-pay option  19:45 – Art Club, sloth ribs and a guinea pig Wild West village Links mentioned: Illustration Business Club: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/businessThe Association of Illustrators: https://theaoi.comSCBWI British Isles: https://britishisles.scbwi.orgNorthumberland Zoo: https://www.northumberlandzoo.co.uk/Byeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) p.s. Get your illustration business ducks in a row. 🐥 🐥 🐥 The Illustration Business Club doors are open now, with a new option to pay in 10 smaller instalments.  We'd love to have you sailing with us! https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/business Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration 🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com p.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

  5. Sep 30

    "I hadn't drawn for 21 years" an interview with Jo Overend 🐥

    Jo Overend is in da house (ship?) But first, Illustration Business Club is finally OPEN! It's been over a year since we last flung the doors open and we'd love to have you sailing with us! https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/business Jo is an author-illustrator, an OG Good Shipper, and the author and illustrator of Megaduck (her debut picture book with Walker Books) 🐥 When Jo started out, she hadn't drawn for 21 years. She posted her drawings anyway, eeeeven the ones she didn't like, and sometimes three to five Instagram posts a day (!!!) Timestamps: 00:00 – Hello Jo (and Megaduck, in giant cardboard cutout form)  00:23 – Megaduck's final artwork is done and handed over to Walker Books  01:03 – Getting final artwork finished alongside full-on childcare  01:56 – Setting the goal of a full colour dummy for Bologna  02:57 – Walking into shops with your prints (terrifying!) and taking the wholesale leap  03:37 – Why rejection is almost never about you  05:46 – Katie's human design corner: give people something to say yes or no to  06:10 – Sending Walker seven more book ideas without waiting for a meeting  07:01 – Posting real things to agents and publishers, and the "is it worth the stamp?" wobble  09:13 – Why genuine, thoughtful post gets remembered  10:10 – Agents and publishers actually WANT your follow-up email  11:42 – Jo's Illustration Business Club experience  12:23 – Getting stocked in her favourite shop, and growing into wholesale  13:12 – Community, competitions, and winning the Picture Hooks mentorship (plus a book deal the same week!)  14:34 – Tania's "friendly stalking" method for finding art directors  15:50 – "Have we met?" How Jo's postcards got there before she did  16:57 – Helen's broccoli theory of being seen  17:25 – The anonymous egg problem, and why a face (or a logo) builds trust  18:29 – Jo's advice for scared, shy, overwhelmed illustrators  19:04 – Not drawing for 21 years, then posting 3 to 5 doodles a day  22:02 – Megaduck news: US in February, UK in March, and Megaduck 2 on the way  23:07 – Trying all the little things: kids' workshops, wholesale and more  24:40 – Keep your radar open  25:16 – Where to find Jo, plus her Substack and Patreon plans Links mentioned: • Jo's website: https://www.jooverendillustration.com/ • Jo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joverendillustration/ • Jo's Substack: https://jooverendillustration.substack.com/ • Megaduck (US edition): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/835922/megaduck-by-jo-overend-illustrated-by-jo-overend/ • Picture Hooks: https://www.picturehooks.org.uk/ Byeeee for now!  x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)  p.s. Soooo much of what Jo talks about here ties in v well with what's inside Illustration Business Club. The doors are open right now and we'd love to have you in there with us! https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/business Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration 🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com p.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

  6. Sep 26

    Do I need loads of followers to get illustration work?

    Fancy getting into your business car for a bit? Illustration Business Club doors are open until 9th October 2026, and you get lifetime access, so you can go at your own pace (pudding first, broccoli later). We'd love to have you sailing with us https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/business /// We recorded this podcast LIVE on Instagram on Friday! (So please excuse the audio if it doesn't sound 100%) Anyways, here's the replay. Katie and Helen had a nice 'n' friendly illustration business Q&A, answering your questions as they came flying in. If we missed your question, it's nothing personal! We're doing another live Q&A next Friday too over on our Instagram @thegoodshipillustration so do come along and ask your question again :)  https://www.instagram.com/thegoodshipillustration/ Half-arse is better than no-arse. Timestamps, for the timestamp fans: 00:00 – Welcome to our live Q&A podcast  01:50 – Should you keep your children's and grown-up work on separate Instagram accounts?  03:15 – Illustration Business Club doors, early birds and payment plans  04:30 – Organising your website when you've got lots of income streams  05:30 – SEO, long-tail keywords and lying down in the middle of the road  08:45 – What are publishers looking for in a portfolio?  12:00 – Do you need a big social media following to get started?  14:00 – Where to start with licensing  17:30 – How to say no when friends want you to illustrate their book  21:45 – Should you approach an agent or go straight to publishers?  23:30 – Instagram is not your portfolio (and half-arse is better than no arse)  25:30 – Does business stuff apply to fine art too?  27:15 – Your creative car and your business car  30:00 – Working for free, "exposure" and being paid in lobsters  30:45 – How do you stay invested in a picture book idea all the way through?  34:00 – Pricey website hosting vs the cheaper option  35:45 – Dealing with the newbie beginner scaries  38:00 – When getting paid makes you tighten up  40:00 – Structuring your days, Helen's birthday card trick and not doing a Father Ted  43:15 – Do the fun thing first (an idiot with momentum always wins) Links mentioned: Illustration Business Club: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/businessTania's Good Ship Illustration podcast episode with Margo Tantau on licensing from 2 weeks ago: https://pod.link/1526470404/episode/QnV6enNwcm91dC0xOTgxNTM1NwAnchoring Your Ideas So They Don't Fizzle Out (We looked into this and it's inside the Picture Book Course, not a freebie sorry!) https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/PBGood Ship freebies for picture book makers and illustrators: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freebiesLouise Lockhart, The Printed Peanut: https://theprintedpeanut.co.uk/Jonny Hannah: https://www.instagram.com/darktownresident/Catherine Rayner: https://www.catherinerayner.co.uk/Jessica Hische's "Should I Work For Free?" flowchart: https://www.creativebloq.com/news/should-you-work-for-free-jessica-hischeByeeee for now!  x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration 🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com p.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

  7. Sep 25

    Marketing *without* social media as an illustrator. Is it possible? (Illustration Business Club doors now open!) 🎉🎉🎉

    This week, we're back at the kitchen table after the summer holidays, and the doors to Illustration Business Club are officially OPEN! Wahoooo 🎉 A quick catch-up first: Katie trying to not-work for six whole weeks, and Tania's summer spent changing her work on a big museum project.  Then there's a nice big juicy question from a listener: can you market yourself without social media if you really hate filming yourself?  Timestamps, for the timestamp fans: 00:00 – Doors are open! IBC, the new 10-pay option and the early bird pricing workshop  01:15 – Back for autumn: summer holidays, Berlin playgrounds and trying not to work  02:45 – Tania's summer project and changing her work  04:15 – Keeping an eye on creative funding locally  05:30 – Why the Business Course became Illustration Business Club  06:45 – Key dates: early birds, the introvert-friendly marketing workshop and the 12th October kick-off  08:00 – What's inside: licensing, rights, extra income streams and expert guests  09:15 – "What even is live illustration?" and illustration as a business  11:00 – Listener question: can you market yourself without social media?  11:45 – Life before Instagram  13:30 – Tweeting your work vs trudging round art directors  15:00 – Physical mailers  16:30 – Why niching down makes marketing (and SEO) soooo much easier  17:45 – Social media is not a work-getter  18:45 – Tania's maps: letting the work do the marketing  20:30 – Good work first, then word of mouth  22:30 – Speaking your clients' language  23:30 – SEO for beginners, starring Tania Links mentioned: Illustration Business Club: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/businessThe Good Ship on Instagram (for Art Club): https://www.instagram.com/thegoodshipillustration/Introvert-friendly marketing workshop: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/shyByeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) p.s. The Illustration Business Club doors are open now! Join by midday on Wednesday 30th September and you're an early bird, which means you get a seat at our live pricing workshop with all three of us at 1pm that day (it's recorded too). There's a new option to pay in 10 smaller instalments, and the doors close on Friday 9th October at 10pm UK time.  We'd love to see you in there!  https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/business p.p.s. A few dates for your diary: ✏️ Monday 28th September, 12.30pm UK: Art Club, #walktoseeprepare (more page prep, then drawing over the top) ✏️ Monday 5th October, 12.30pm UK: Art Club, starting a brand new #walktosee challenge for October 💌 Wednesday 7th October, 1pm UK: free introvert-friendly marketing workshop, camera off allowed: [NEEDS SIGNUP LINK] https://www.instagram.com/thegoodshipillustration/ Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration 🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com p.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

  8. Sep 18

    "Your old sketchbook drawings could be earning you money" - An illustration licensing chat with Margo Tantau

    This week our Tania is speaking to the one and only Margo Tantau (the licensing whisperer). Margo is a good ship Pal, founder of Tantau Studio and you might have heard her on her brilliant podcast Windowsill Chats. Here's a link: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/windowsill-chats/id1529045232  In this chat, Tania and Margo talk about all the important stuff liiiike: What is licensing? How do you get paid? Can you REALLY license work you've already made? Margo even shares her secret weapen for getting art directors to fall in love with your work. Some very good bits too: AI slop is NOT getting in the way of artists with real human hands. Hoorayyyy. That's good news for all of us, eh? Timestamps, for the timestamp fans: 00:00 – Intro to Margo Tantau and her 360-degree licensing career  02:30 – Welcome back to the licensing whisperer  04:00 – Artist, shop owner, buyer, product developer, agent: Margo's done it all  06:00 – How Lilla Rogers passed the agency baton to Margo  10:30 – Why relationships are the real gold in licensing  12:00 – What licensing actually is (from spice labels to Nike)  13:00 – How you get paid: advances, royalties and typical percentages  16:00 – Can you licence work you've already made? Yes!  17:00 – Margo's secret weapon: show your art ON the product  20:30 – You don't need perfect mock-ups (a drawn teacup works too)  21:00 – A creative challenge: turn one piece into a mini collection  23:00 – Is AI hurting licensing? Why Margo's clients say no to AI art  25:30 – Tania's shock at the AI souvenir flood in Hong Kong  28:00 – The hand of the artist, texture, and quality signalling  30:30 – The UK licensing landscape, life after Surtex  32:30 – A London licensing expo  36:00 – People buy what they see: Margo's plates, fabrics and jacket stand  38:00 – The Licensing Lab at Spring Fair  39:00 – A sneaky tip for finding which exhibitors licence art  40:30 – Should licensing-curious illustrators go to Spring Fair?  41:30 – What does a stand actually cost?  44:30 – Why walking a trade fair beats a day of LinkedIn research  45:30 – Fancy matchboxes, candles, and buying things just for the art  46:30 – The big takeaway: people still want real art  48:30 – Community, Bologna, and the gold at the bottom of the rainbow Links mentioned: Margo's website: https://margotantau.com/Tantau Studio: https://www.tantaustudio.com/Windowsill Chats podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/windowsill-chats/id1529045232Windowsill Chats on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/windowsillchatsSpring Fair (NEC Birmingham, 7th to 10th February 2027): https://www.springfair.com Byeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) p.s. Want Margo's full licensing class? It's waiting for you inside Illustration Business Club, along with aaall the other money-and-business bits art school forgot to teach you.  Doors open on 25th of September 2026! https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/business Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration 🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com p.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

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About

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) 🚢🚢🚢

Information

  • Creator
    The Good Ship Illustration
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    129
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Good Ship Illustration
  • Show Website
    The Good Ship Illustration

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