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. 2d ago

    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 🎙

  2. 3d ago

    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 🎙

  3. 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 🎙

  4. Sep 11

    "You really don't have to go to art school!" An interview with Carly Kuhn

    This week our Katie is chatting to Carly Kuhn, a US-based illustrator, artist and author who ended up in illustration kindofbyaccident. She grew up in New York wanting to do TV comedy, worked at a Hollywood talent agency, took improv classes at The Groundlings, and started drawing on printer paper nicked from the office, just as something creative to do after work. Then Sarah Jessica Parker reposted one of her drawings (!!) and - you'll have to listen to the episode to find out what happens next 🤪 Carly has had NO formal art or illustration training, which is exactly why we wanted to speak to her. We chat about finding your style by making loads of wonky work, why she wasn't ready for an agent for ages, and some pricing stuff about usage/contracts/licensing an' that. There's also chat about wallpaper, multiple creative income streams, and how becoming a mum did not end her career (woohoo!)  Timestamps, for the timestamp fans: 00:00 – Intro to Carly and her very wiggly path  02:00 – TV comedy, improv, and how the drawing started  06:30 – Improv  08:00 – Sarah Jessica Parker reposts a drawing  10:30 – Going full-time - pricing is completely made up  14:30 – No art school 16:00 – Naivety as a superpower, and posting every day  19:00 – Live illustration, fancy parties, and the first wallpaper job  23:30 – Lockdown portraits, moving cities, becoming a mum  26:00 – Getting an agent 31:00 – Pricing, usage, and being a people-pleaser who has to negotiate  38:00 – Accidentally building lots of income streams  42:00 – How motherhood focused her career  49:00 – Character Study, and how bonkers publishing timelines are  52:00 – You really don't have to go to art school! Links mentioned: • Carly's website: https://www.carlykuhn.com/ • Carly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlykuhn/ • Carly's Substack, The Cartelier: https://carlykuhn.substack.com/ • Carly's new book, Character Study: Observations from a Very Curious Artist: https://www.carlykuhn.com/books Byeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) p.s. If the pricing and usage chat made your ears prick up, we are planning a v exciting early-bird bonus for Illustration Business Club joiners. Doors open on Friday 25th September. Pop it on your calendar! 🥳 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 4

    "Nobody can hire you if they can't see you". An interview with Mollie off of @ShortSupplyMCR

    "Why does promoting my own work feel so cringe?" HIYA WELCOME BACK! We missed you! Summer holidays are all done here in the UK. Hope you had a good rest too.  This week our Katie's chatting to Mollie Balshaw, one half of Short Supply: Short Supply is an artist-led creative practice founded by Mollie and Rebekah Balshaw. Since 2019, they have helped artists navigate creative careers through exhibitions, publishing, workshops, mentoring and public conversations. Their work makes the hidden structures of the art world more visible, while encouraging artists to take their ideas seriously without waiting for perfect conditions. Their current projects include 100 Ideas and Step One, a series of conversations taking place at Edinburgh Fringe. Short Supply posed this cracker of a question over on Instagram: why is visibility treated like ego, when artists need it to survive?  There's chat about snobbery re; wanting to earn money from your work, the bits of being visible online that you're not warned about, aaaand the boundaries Mollie and Rebekah have built to keep themselves safe. Then there's the can-you-have-a-successful-creative-career-outside-London question, and why "it's local so it must be rubbish" can get into our heads. Unfortunately, the Edinburgh Fringe is finished now 😭 but Step One was Short Supply's project and you can read all about it here: https://www.shortsupply.org/step-one  Timestamps, for the timestamp fans: 00:00 – Intro to Mollie, Rebekah and Short Supply  01:20 – Why is visibility treated like ego?  02:30 – Being talented is admirable, wanting to be seen is embarrassing. Whyyy?  03:30 – Starting Short Supply out of frustration (and wanting an excuse to collaborate)  04:30 – Who the art world isn't built for  05:30 – Snobbery about "commercial", snobbery about social media  06:20 – "Do I have to show my face?"  07:30 – Algorithms, platform politics, visibility  09:20 – Energy and capacity  10:20 – The flip side of a post going big  11:20 – When visibility isn't safe: queer, disabled and racialised artists  12:30 – Boundaries  14:00 – Would you mind a stranger saving it?  15:20 – You don't *need* to be on social media to promote your creative work  16:00 – Edinburgh Fringe as the best word-of-mouth machine in the country  16:40 – Step One: the Fringe show  17:40 – "I'm not telling you my idea in case you nick it"  18:20 – You can't benefit from an idea that stays in your head  20:20 – Smooth peanut butter vs crunchy  21:00 – Manchester  23:00 – Building a creative career outside London.  24:20 – proximity to London still counts for a lot  25:40 – "Manchester's caught up" or has it?  28:40 – Contradicting yourself out loud is just thinking. Allowed.  30:40 – Who are the David Hockneys of Salford right now?  33:00 – Local snobbery, and galleries that don't invite their neighbours  35:00 – Growing up somewhere small and assuming everything local is rubbish  36:30 – You have more choices than you think (a story about Mollie's nan)  38:00 – The joy of a part-time job/everyone else's secret pile of money  39:20 – AI, and being glad it didn't exist at uni  40:40 – "They may have been rubbish, but they were mine" Links mentioned: Short Supply's website: https://www.shortsupply.orgShort Supply on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shortsupplymcrThe Scottish Storytelling Centre, home of Step One: https://www.scottishstorytellingcentre.comByeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) p.s. If you'd like more options for being-visible-without-being-sick-in-your-mouth, that's exactly what we get stuck into in Illustration Business Club! Doors are opening in October and you can read up on it here: 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. Jul 10

    RIP Hockney & (Art) school's out for summer 🤘 🌴 🍦🩲

    What're you doing this summer? Are you having a little rest? This episode is all about taking breaks and we have a wee look at our plans: Helen is in her illustrator hermit cave for July to get the next Salty Dog book finished before the deadline, with a nice August off as her reward. Tania is working on a museum commission for a 'Gossip Wall' in Berwick Museum, with plans to experiment with texture and line for the first time in ages. (Phwoarrrrr.) And Katie's about to have her first proper 6-week term-time break now that E's in school full time. Whatever your plans are, have a good one! We'll be back in September. Rough Timestamps, for you timestamp enthusiasts: 00:00 – Recording remotely, wheee 01:00 – Camping memories in France (TVs in tents) 03:00 – What does everyone's idea of a summer break look like? 04:00 – Helen's July hermit cave  05:00 – Tania's loose-deadline project 06:00 – the Gossip Wall 09:00 – Working four-hour afternoons 10:00 – Berwick Open Studios, and the Pith Sketchbook Studios workshops on 3rd & 4th October 11:00 – Walk to See, Instagram's Add Yours feature 13:00 – Sketchbooking at the Alan Carr castle auction viewing day 14:00 – Katie's first proper term-time summer break now E's in school 15:00 – Freelance guilt, privilege, trying to "do it all" rarely works 17:00 – Trying and failing to switching your email off 20:00 – RIP David Hockney 24:00 – Planning a Hockney-themed summer party 27:00 – Good luck to Helen with the Salty Dog drawings, and a peek ahead Illustration Business Club returning this autumn! Links mentioned: Byeeee for now!  x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) p.s. Illustration Business Club is coming back into the chat this autumn, join the waiting list here and keep an eye out. 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 🎙

  7. Jul 3

    No, you *don't* have imposter syndrome - an interview with Lauren Currie OBE

    What'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 creatives 02:00 – 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 syndrome 16:00 – The 1970s research that labelled women with a "syndrome" instead of looking at the system  19:00 – Why self-doubt is healthy 21:00 – Confidence is a muscle  22:00 – Lauren's art 25:00 – Old lady faces 27:00 – Should you have a separate art Instagram?  28:00 – The Barcelona art show story 32:00 – 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 hiding 38:00 – 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.com p.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

  8. Jun 26

    Help, I’ve forgotten how to draw 🫠

    This 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. Timestamps 00:00 Art block 00:55 Morning pages 02:00 Wide margins 04:30 Boredom 06:00 Creative sparks 08:15 Creative identity 10:20 Comparison 11:30 Constraints 13:30 Page layouts 15:15 Deadlines 17:15 Oblique Strategies 18:30 Slow looking 21:00 Drawing from home 22:30 Quentin Blake Centre 26:45 Too many ideas 31:10 Feedback 37:30 Coloured linework 39:45 Closing thoughts Stuff 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 Club https://www.instagram.com/thegoodshipillustration/?hl=enFly Your Freak Flag https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflagThe Good Ship Illustration colour workshop https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/colourCome 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
    124
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Good Ship Illustration
  • Show Website
    The Good Ship Illustration