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. 4D AGO

    You're invited! Plan your creative year with The Good Ship Illustration

    Sign up for the 2026 planning party HERE: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/planningparty  This is a wee replay from last year (with a new intro to tell you the new dates for our planning party)  ------------------- Are you raring to set goals, or are you feeling more “no plans, just let me lie down” this year?  We chat about: Why some years are for sprinting, and others are for walking.The power of visual goal-setting.How to make goals human-sized, doable, and fun, without freaking yourself out.Here's a Good Ship permission slip to do your 2026 goal-setting in a way that works for your brain/energy-levels/life. Get your space on the 2026 planning party HERE: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/planningparty  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 🎙

    25 min

  2. 12/12/2025

    You’ll Never Feel Ready. Do It Anyway. An interview with Good Shipper Amber Au.

    What a treat of an episode! Today we’re chatting with Good Shipper and picture book author–illustrator Amber Au. Amber talks about how drawing became part of her recovery from an eating disorder and how her therapist encouraged her to send her illustration work to her first ever client. Aaand how - in two whirlwind months - she was suddenly winning awards, signing a three-book deal, and being invited to meet editors at Bologna. Whaaa!? What a blimmin' brilliant reminder to do the things. Even when you don't feel "ready".  In this episode we cover: How Amber rediscovered drawing through her food diaryWhy starting with your local community can snowball into big opportunitiesHow to survive mixed feedback Competitions, and finding your peopleBeing a self-taught illustratorDiscipline, rest, and cultural expectationsPicture books, packaging, and branching out into multiple income streamsAmber's Bologna experience… including editors fangirling over her work (!)Rough Timestamps 00:00 – Introducing Amber and her illustration journey 01:00 – Awards, exhibitions, and feeling overwhelmed 02:00 – From nutritionist → illustrator → private tutor → illustrator again 03:00 – Using a food diary as a creative lifeline 04:00 – Getting encouraged to approach her first client 05:00 – Community, grassroots beginnings, and early work in Hong Kong 06:00 – Entering competitions and the door-opening magic that followed 07:00 – The leap from self-taught to picture book maker 08:00 – Finding a clear voice without formal training 09:00 – Discipline, rest, and the cultural pressure to always “do more” 10:00 – Blue Tomato beginnings 11:00 – Mixed reviews, conflicting opinions, and staying true to your vision 13:00 – Bologna meetings and signing with Little Tiger 15:00 – Knowing which advice is actually useful 17:00 – Copying as learning vs developing your own voice 18:00 – Style influences: Hong Kong comics, European picture books, texture, mark-making 19:00 – Procreate, iPad life, and her work habits 20:00 – Diversifying income: packaging, food illustration, prints 21:00 – New opportunities, restaurants, markets, and thinking strategically 22:00 – Picture books, nonfiction, and future plans 23:00 – Final encouragement: “You’ll never feel ready. Do it anyway.” Links & things mentioned Amber’s blog: The Pencil BakeryBologna Children’s Book Fair (We're going to be there in 2026 - we've booked a stand! Come and say hello if you're visiting Bologna.)Inkling AgencyLittle Tiger PressBlue Tomato (Amber’s upcoming book) p.s. We have a little rest at this time of year, so the podcast is having a rest too. We'll be back in January! 🎁 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 🎙

    24 min

  3. 12/05/2025

    An interview with Lisa Congdon - consistency and finding your creative voice

    If you're an illustrator with access to the internet and you have eyeballs, you might've seen Lisa Congdon's work. Lisa started blogging her collections and illustrations back in the good ol' days, and even remembers Instagram back when it was good. (Remember that? It was nice, wasn't it?) In this episode, Katie asks Lisa about consistency and how to keep on keepin' on when the world is the way it is. We also meander through topics like ADHD, collections, comparison, agents - whether or not she has one - and last but not least, daily projects that change everythinggg. In this episode we cover: Ceramic mushroom collection 👀The “messy middle” bit of being an illustratorHow consistency has served her wellSurviving financially in the early yearsWhy not being a perfectionist was her secret super powerInstagram in 2025How to know when to work with an agentThe magical domino effect of following excitementSquishing comparison and staying in your own laneVery rough timestamps in case you want to skip to a certain bit 00:00 – Welcoming Lisa! How a decade of calendars sparked the consistency conversation 01:00 – Hyperfocus, collecting tigers, cycling five times a week, and going “all in” 02:30 – Early days: Etsy, commissions, pet portraits, and figuring out a style 04:00 – Most illustrators quit 05:30 – ADHD, Capricorn energy, and learning to be organised 07:00 – Posting imperfect work online and why it mattered 08:30 – Sharing finances, getting an agent, and diversifying income streams 10:00 – “A Collection A Day” and the power of daily projects 11:00 – Agents: when they help, when they don’t, and how pricing works 13:00 – The hardest job she’s ever done and how her agent stepped in 14:00 – Instagram then vs. Instagram now 16:00 – Why video doesn’t light her up 18:00 – The comparison trap (yes, even Lisa feels it!) 20:00 – Following your gut over the algorithm 21:00 – The daily project that led to a bestselling book 24:00 – Chronicle Books, chance encounters, and the magic of just...showing up!? 26:00 – The domino effect of doing what excites you 27:00 – Human Design chat 👀 28:00 – Byeee Lisa Links for this episode: Lisa Congdon: https://lisacongdon.comLisa's Books: https://www.chroniclebooks.comFollow Lisa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacongdonCome 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 🎙

    28 min

  4. 11/28/2025

    How illustrator Jill Calder built a long-lasting creative career (without losing her voice)

    In this episode, our Tania chats with multi award-winning illustrator Jill Calder about 30+ years of illustration, and how she’s explored pretty much the entire “illustration atlas” without losing herself along the way. Stuff we cover: Staying recognisably Jill across 30+ years of illustrationMoving from editorial to corporate to heritage workBuilding a career with both illustration and hand letteringBig, bonkers corporate jobs (including handwriting as other people!)Making the leap into children’s books later in her careerThe reality of nonfiction vs fiction picture books (time, fees, and headspace)Colour palettes, maps and Google Earth “walks” for picture atlasesWorking with Jackie Kay on Coorie Doon and handling deeply emotional textBringing wild, playful colour to I Love You Every ColorKeeping energy and looseness in final artworkWhat Jill’s working on now – including a brand new picture book with Gecko PressRough Timestamps 00:00 – Tania introduces Jill and why she’s a Good Ship favourite 02:30 – Early days: art school, editorial work and the 90s newspaper scene 05:00 – “By chance, someone took a risk on me…” – moving into design & corporate jobs 07:30 – Becoming “the handwriting person” 11:30 – The wildest job ever 15:00 – Champagne, iPads and the very fancy side of ad agency work 16:30 – Exhibition days, analogue work and why looseness matters 18:00 – Stumbling into children’s nonfiction with Robert the Bruce 21:00 – Picture atlases, strict colour palettes and Google Earth walks 22:30 – Nonfiction vs fiction picture books – fees, length and workload 26:00 – Collaborating with Jackie Kay on Coorie Doon and illustrating big feelings 29:30 – I Love You Every Colour – an illustrator’s dream text 31:30 – Two very different books in one year: soft dreamland vs riot of colour 33:30 – Handling emotion, light and character across spreads 34:30 – New project: Cass and the Beast for Gecko Press 35:30 – Keeping rough energy in final artwork (and managing the stress of it!) 37:00 – Where Jill pops up inside Good Ship courses and Facebook groups Stuff we mentioned Jill Calder – illustration, lettering and booksFind Your Creative Voice – Fly Your Freak Flag (Good Ship course)The Picture Book Course (Good Ship course)Robert the Bruce – nonfiction picture bookCoorie Doon – written by Jackie Kay, illustrated by Jill CalderI Love You Every Colour – written by Carolyn Rose, illustrated by Jill CalderUpcoming: Cass and the Beast – written by Clare Mabey, illustrated by Jill Calder (Gecko Press)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 🎙

    38 min

  5. 11/21/2025

    How to stop your illustration style looking generic & blah

    Y'know when you feel like your work is neeearly there… but it's missing a lil something-something? This podcast episode is all about that. Overcoming that. How the heck do you put more humanness into your work? 🧠 What we talk about in this one“Accomplished” isn’t the same as “alive”How generic styles can creep in without us noticingThe danger of trying to look like “a picture book illustrator”Why you need to make work that freaks you out a tiny bit 🤪The power of real memories and emotionsIdeas that stick: why some stories stay with usHow character, tension, and contradiction shape good storytellingLetting your real obsessions lead the way 🐌Yessss, research in bookshops is absolutely definitely part of the job 🕰️ Timestamps00:00 – Aaccomplished work with no heart 01:00 – “Picture book style” stereotypes and why they’re dangerous 02:00 – Generic vs personal: how to tell the difference 03:00 – Making work that stops an art director mid-scroll 04:00 – Emotion in drawings (and penguins) 05:00 – True stories - using your real life 06:00 – The Nissen Hut 07:30 – Sticky ideas 09:00 – Plots built on tiny universal moments 10:00 – A “Smile in the Mind” 11:00 – Writing craft: thesis / antithesis / synthesis 13:00 – Character dynamics and why Bernard is… Bernard 🦆 14:00 – Films to study (hello, Groundhog Day) 15:00 – How Helen learned to write 16:00 – Why sitting in a bookshop absolutely counts as work 17:00 – Picture books now vs the 90s 18:00 – Jill Calder, Libby VanderPloeg, and holding onto your voice 20:00 – Don’t perform 21:00 – Honesty wins 🔗 Stuff & People Wot We MentionedA Smile in the Mind - Tania's design book recommendation by Beryl McAlhone & David StuartMade to Stick (the kidney-harvesting myth book Katie mentioned!) - Chip & Dan HeathGroundhog Day - filmJill Calder: https://jillcalder.comLibby VanderPloeg: https://libbyvanderploeg.comEmily Howorth-Booth’s writing workshops that Helen lovesGood Ship Illustration courses: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.comCome 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 🎙

    22 min

  6. 11/14/2025

    We’re good at failing (and you can be too) 🤣 the power of experiments

    This week on The Good Ship Illustration Podcast, we’re chatting all things experiments -  we get particularly excited about FAILED experiments. In the words of that there Bob Ross, "we don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents". 😆 Behind the scenes, Helen gave Tania a haircut just before we recorded this episode. Can you hear Tania's new hair? Timestamps for our timestamp fans: 00:00 – Mmmm new ideas  01:00 – Katie’s “scaling the business” experiment that didn’t work 02:00 – Undoing things that aren’t fun anymore 03:00 – Helen’s new plan 05:00 – Tania’s in the boot of the car 06:00 – Helen’s failed online school visits experiment 08:00 – Moving from digital art back to paper 09:00 – Helen’s Substack paywall experiment (inspired by Blindboy) 12:00 – The birth of The Good Ship Illustration 🚢 13:00 – Haircuts 14:00 – Art Club’s accidental success 15:00 – Why experiments matter (and how to run one properly) 18:00 – Creative defiance and why being told what to do ruins everything 😂 20:00 – From accidental experiments to a whole career Links & Stuff We Mentioned: The Good Ship Illustration on Instagram (the Art Club replays are here!)The Picture Book Course Sticker snail mail bonus ends 21st November 🎟️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 🎙

    22 min

  7. 11/07/2025

    What publishers reeeeally want to see in your picture book pitch

    First, before we jump into the show notes, here's the link to sign up to the Picture Book Pitching Masterclass we've got happening soon!  🗓️ When: 17th of November at 1 pm UK time 💰 Cost: Freeeee 🚢 RSVP here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/pbpm  How do illustrators actually get their picture books published? And what really goes on at Bologna Children’s Book Fair?  This episode is all about pitching, portfolios, publishers, and… how we each pronounce the word plaster? 😅 Here’s what we cover: Bologna Book Fair!  ✈️How to submit to the Bologna Illustrator Exhibition (deadline alert! They extended it to the 6th November! Sorry, we said the wrong date in this episode, but do let us know if you managed to submit something so we can high-five you.)The Picture Book Pitching Masterclass with Helen and Jane Porter 🎓 https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/pbpm  How to pitch your book ideasOvercoming the terror of sharing your work 😬Building resilience to rejectionThe “myth of being discovered”Our excitin' Bologna Book Fair plans...🕑 Timestamps 00:00 – Bologna excitement (and confusion) 01:00 – What really happens at the fair 02:00 – Snail mail sticker packs & upcoming Picture Book Masterclass 03:00 – Helen’s no-rules pitching philosophy 06:00 – Regional accent chaos: “masterclass” vs “plaster” 07:00 – Getting seen by publishers (and why Instagram still matters) 08:00 – Facing the fear of rejection 10:00 – Mindset hacks: why what others think is none of your business 12:00 – Myths about being “discovered” 13:00 – Good Ship’s Bologna stand & plans for 2026 15:00 – Why every illustrator should go at least once 16:00 – Global publishing inspiration 🌍 17:00 – Dreaming up a “Gone Fishing” Good Ship stall Links we mentioned: The Picture Book CourseFree Picture Book Pitching Masterclass – 17 November, 1pm UK timeBologna Children’s Book FairByeeee 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 🎙

    17 min

  8. 10/31/2025

    'If it looks awful, keep going. It’ll work out' - an interview with illustrator Catherine Rayner

    This week we’re interviewing another creative for the podcast. Hooray! Catherine Rayner is an award-winning author and illustrator based in Edinburgh, whose books have sold over two million copies and been translated into 35 languages. She’s written and illustrated 25 picture books and collaborated with legends like Julia Donaldson, Michael Morpurgo, and Michael Bond.  Winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal (and shortlisted six more times!), Catherine also paints, runs a greetings card and babywear range, and can usually be found in her studio surrounded by ink, animals, and Post-it notes. Phew. In this chat, Katie asks Catherine about: What an average week in the studio looks likePlanning everything using a wall calendar and Post-it notes Working with Julia DonaldsonShort deadlines and thriving on a wee bit of panicBeing a mum and illustrator at the same timeInstagram, rejection, keeping your creative confidence aliveA pep talk for newer illustratorsRough timestamps for our timestamp fans: 00:00 – Meet Catherine! 03:00 – Post-it notes, assistants, and studio life in Edinburgh 10:00 – Julia Donaldson, ear-cleaning(!?) + friendship 17:00 – Jason Donovan and creative boldness 20:00 – 100 rejections, persistence, and finding your people 23:00 – Instagram tips and why numbers don’t matter 29:00 – Motherhood, burnout, and how it really gets easier 36:00 – Catherine’s parting words Links mentioned Catherine Rayner’s website Follow Catherine on Instagram 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 🎙

    39 min
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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
    93
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Good Ship Illustration
  • Show Website
    The Good Ship Illustration

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