The Good Ship Illustration

Hi there, Helen here.This is a special episode of the podcast because we had six of our Good Shippers - that’s people who’ve done our courses - selected as finalists in the Bologna Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition!Which is pretty amazing news. It’s really difficult to be a finalist because the competition is so high. Last year there were 4,374 people who entered, and only 324 were selected to be finalists. So for six of them to be Good Shippers is SO exciting.Now that the fair’s finished, I thought it would be lovely to catch up with them and hear how it all went. In this episode, you’ll hear from Emma Simpson, Lisa Loffredo, Amber Au, Sam Jones and Kate Leiper.A special mention to Charlotte Durrance, who was also a finalist but couldn’t make it to the recording. Congratulations to all of you!V Rough timestamps in case you like that sort of thing:[00:00] Helen introduces the six Good Shippers who made it to Bologna 🎉 [00:02] Emma Simpson [00:11] Lisa Loffredo [00:18] Amber Au [00:25] Sam Jones [00:37] Kate Leiper Other links mentionedFind Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag courseThe Picture Book courseDPictus ShowcaseBologna Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition info on how to take part  – Entries usually open in July and close in NovemberTiffany Leeson – Creative Director at Farshore BooksKen Max Wilson – Writer, illustrator and publisherPicture Hooks – Helping illustrators access the world of children’s publishing (based in Edinburgh, open to all emerging illustrators)🎉 If you’d like to apply for the Bologna Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition, the doors are usually open from July until November. Get your work ready and go for it!We're cheering you on.Taraa! 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 🎙

Our Helen’s #WalkToSee hashtag on Instagram is baaaack with a new monthly prompt. After seven years of #walktosee there are now over 120,000 drawings on there and counting!In this episode, we chat about Helen’s relaunch of #WalkToSee (with new monthly prompts), drawing from life vs. photos, why small sketchbooks are weirdly hard, aaand rediscovering messy materials and carbon paper.Special guest: an enormous chunk of charcoal.If you'd like a gentle kick up the butt to do some drawing from life, then join in! In this episode:The story behind #WalkToSee and why Helen's relaunched itHow to join this month’s prompt: #WalkToSeeWeather ☁️🌧️Why drawing from life feels more “alive”Sketching in public = good panicSmall sketchbooks or massive sketchbooks... which camp are you in?Materials that make drawing fun again (paint sticks! Sharpies! toilet roll!)The autumn urge to make something just for funApple presses, lino cuts, carbon paper and whisky samplesTimestamps: 00:00 – Helen on starting #WalkToSee back in 2018 02:00 – Why hashtags stopped working and how she brought it back 04:00 – October’s prompt: #WalkToSeeWeather 06:00 – Drawing tiny and feeling rusty 08:00 – Sharpies, paint sticks and rediscovering fun materials 10:00 – Drawing in public (and how to avoid chatty strangers) 12:00 – The “panic” energy in real-life drawing 15:00 – Autumn creative urges and sneaky side projects 17:00 – The joy of carbon paper and slow stationery 19:00 – Studio updates, new neighbours and collaboration 20:00 – Katie’s apple obsession 🍎 21:00 – Tiny whisky bottlesLinks & things mentioned:Join in on Instagram: #WalkToSeeWeatherHelen’s Instagram: @helenstephenslionand ours @thegoodshipillustrationThe Good Ship Illustration: www.thegoodshipillustration.comByeeee 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 🎙

Deadlines... yeah yeah yeahhh, but what about doing illustration stuff just for YOU!? This week we chat about squishing in personal projects when client work always feels much more urgent.We are gathering ourselves after a very exciting Illustration Business Club launch. Phew! Definitely time for fun non-worky projects around here.(Rough) Timestamps if you want to skip to a certain bit00:00 Question: “How do you make time for personal artwork?”01:00 Why deadlines are easier than self-led projects02:00 Fine art drive vs. illustration mindset03:00 Projects we have managed to finish (and why)05:00 Creativity that doesn’t look like ‘work’07:00 You’re probably doing more than you realise08:00 The power of art clubs + sketching friends09:00 Big projects that turn into ‘scratch records’10:00 Permission to make things simple (or stop entirely)12:00 Sorting hat trick for choosing ideas14:00 Productivity16:00 Parking ideas and bullet journaling18:00 Craft supplies, hoarding, and deferring projects20:00 New paints, new studios, more art clubs21:00 Psssst...you’re probably already doing more than you thinkByeeee 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 🎙

First things first, DOORS CLOSE TONIGHT! We start on Monday.https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/business Be lovely to see you in there. Psssst, this is the lowest the price will ever be, and we're not opening the doors again until September 2026. 🚢🚢🚢Right. Podcast shownotes. Yes. Where were we?Here's a very quick lesson on copyright and licensing before you listen to this episode 🤓Copyright = you own the work. Licence = permission your client buys to use the work in specific ways (where, how long, which media, exclusive or not).Ok, lesson's over. Thanks for coming. If you'd like to earn more without drawing more, then keep your copyright, license the usage, and price it properly. It's juicy, not boring. We promise!Timestamps, if you want to skip ahead to a certain bit00:00 Why giving away copyright is a no-go01:00 Licence basics you can actually use02:30 Picture books: advances, royalties, reversions04:30 Foreign rights & special sales (how the money flows)06:30 Trust, statements, and chasing missing royalties07:30 Licensing agents & exclusivity windows09:00 Advertising uses: above/below the line (cost jumps)10:30 Building a simple “menu” clients can pick from12:00 Case study: the map that earned double via licensing14:00 Live illustration: online use vs print/murals16:30 Excluding branding/merch in your standard licence18:00 Merch options: flat fee vs % royalty20:00 Originals, ownership, and cautionary tales22:00 Why this stuff makes your work pay betterCome 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 🎙

🌎✏️ The Illustrator’s Income Atlas - exciting free workshop announcement!🗓️ 24th Sept | ⏰ 1pm UK | 📍 OnlineLet's sit down together and map out your illustration income. You'll leave with a plan (a map, woohooo) you can stick on your wall and use.Save your spot and SIGN UP HERE!https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/atlas Ok, on with the shownotes 🤓We’ve taken our Business Course, given it a fresh lick of paint, and made it eeeeven more fun.It's now called Illustration Business Club...And the doors open tonight! (19th September 2025).You don't need your shoulderpads. Just bring yourself and a bit of an open mind to learn how the money-and-business side of illustration works. In this episode, we talk a bit about why we’re saying goodbye to the word “course” and what this shiny new Illustration Business Club is gonna look like. You're in for a treat - it’s eeeven better. By the way, if you're already in the Business Course, you don't need to do anything. You'll be inside Illustration Business Club automagically. Phew!Lifetime accessCommunity perks: private Facebook group + co-working every 2 weeksNice open chats about pricing, clients, and feesIt'd be lovely to see you in there!Timestamps, for our timestamp fans.00:00 Big news: the Business Course has changed01:00 Why “club” feels right (and way more fun)02:00 All modules unlocked: learn at your pace03:00 Community: private group + live calls04:00 What art school didn’t teach you05:00 Honest conversations about money + fees06:00 Adding new income streams07:00 Pricing insights: Katie & Helen’s two perspectives08:00 Guest interviews + insider knowledge08:30 Bonus: live Q&A with copyright lawyers09:00 How to join the Illustration Business ClubLinks mentionedJoin the Illustration Business Club HERESign up for our free income workshop HERECome and be our Instagram pals HEREByeeee 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 🎙

🌎✏️ The Illustrator’s Income Atlas - exciting free workshop announcement! 🗓️ 24th Sept | ⏰ 1pm UK | 📍 Online Let's sit down together and map out your illustration income. You'll leave with a plan (a map, woohooo) you can stick on your wall and use. Save your spot and SIGN UP HERE!https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/atlas Ok, on with the shownotes 🤓Why we secretly love working alone (almost all the time)This week we got a good question from an anonymous listener 'how do I deal with loneliness when working from home?'Sometimes we love it, sometimes we do not 😅In this episode we talk about:Why lots of us illustrators prefer working solo… sometimesShared studios vs. doors-that-closeHeadphones, boundaries, and avoiding “being watched” energyPartner-as-studio-mates 👀 Can it work?Using Zoom to humanise client relationshipsInstagram as a “virtual kitchen”Local micro-communities, Good Ship meet-ups, and regular check-insAssuming positive intent ❤️Rough timestamps, for people who like that sort of thing00:00 Anonymous listener Q: “How do I deal with loneliness working from home?”01:00 Tania’s Hong Kong years: craving team vibes02:30 Partners in the studio: the headphone solution04:00 Open-plan offices, self-consciousness, and wiggly energy05:30 The magic of a shut-the-door studio06:30 Home distractions vs. helpful pottering07:30 The dream setup: close to home, small, warm, tree view09:00 Commit to the space: move the “big computer”10:00 Cloud storage and keeping work in one place10:30 Instagram as water cooler… or a brain sponge11:30 Real-world chats that top up your social tank12:30 Online threads that turn into real communities over time13:30 Good Ship meet-ups: sketches groups and weekly Zooms15:00 Why creativity needs privacy and no-one-is-watching energy16:00 Lonely… but nice lonely (with planned people bits)16:30 Zoom with clients to reduce email-anxiety and “they hate it” spirals18:00 How to write and receive feedback without spiralling19:00 The rule that saves sanity: assume positive intent20:00 Quick answers: studios with doors, small communities, kinder storiesByeee for now. Let us know if you're coming to the workshop. WE ARE SO EXCITED!! Here's the link again in case you missed it:https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/atlas 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 🎙

Which course should I do? 🎨📚We get asked this aaall the time: “Do I start with the Picture Book Course, Fly Your Freak Flag, or the Business Course?”There is no wrong order.Right now the Business Course isn’t open, but… ✨ The Illustration Business Club (our shiny new name for it) opens for enrolment on the 19th of September!We almost dropped the word “business” because we thought it might put illustrators off. When we asked our students though, the answer was a big NO. That word was exactly what motivated them to jump in and learn the nuts and bolts of building a creative career they love (and get paid for).Hooray! 🎉In this episode, we chat through how to know which course might be the best place for YOU to start, and how to avoid getting stuck in analysis-mode worrying about making the wrong choice.Here’s what we cover:How to know if you have found your creative voice yetConsistency = a magic ingredient for picture book charactersWhen does it make sense to start with Fly Your Freak Flag?...or dive straight into the Picture Book CourseOur creative car vs business car analogy 🚗 🤓Why the Business Course tends to work best after Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak FlagFreebies you can try if you're just not sure (Childhood Illustrated, the Colour Workshop, our Character Workshop and more)The veeeery high-tech decision tree that makes the which-course-should-I-do choice for you 😆Timestamps00:00 – The big question: Which course first? 01:00 – Do you know your creative voice? 02:15 – Why consistency matters in picture books 03:00 – Picture Book vs Freak Flag (gut instinct wins) 04:30 – The Business Course (and why not to mix it in too soon) 05:30 – Creative car vs business car analogy 07:00 – What to do if you are not ready yet (hello freebies) 08:30 – The one-hour live illustration masterclass 09:00 – Our decision treeLinks and goodies mentionedFind Your Creative Voice – Fly Your Freak FlagThe Picture Book CourseThe Business CourseFreebies Page (it's a long. Grab a cuppa.)Live Illustration MasterclassArt Club on Instagram - we're @thegoodshipillustrationByeeee for now!x The Good Ship IllustrationCome 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 🎙

Pssst, this episode was originally published in 2023 and we’re sharing it again as part of our Good Ship Summer Camp series. It’s one of five episodes to help you fly your freak flag this summer. If you’d like to join in properly, there’s a free workbook an' everything!You can download the workbook here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/workbook Riiiight, pack up your art supplies. It’s the final week of our pretend Good Ship Summer Camp. This week's topic is panic. Mmmmm. Our favourite. (How to stop doing it.) In this episode:Why “no panicking” is our golden rule here at the Good Ship IllustrationPart-time jobs, anti-desperation energy, and creative freedomCat metaphors, war artist fantasies, and business meetings 🐈‍⬛Why shouting at yourself doesn’t work Cheesy notes vs reverse psychology for calming downCreativity and nervous systems (and when to just lie on the floor)Finding your pace, your people, and your processWant to join in? Download the free Summer Camp workbook hereTimestamps: 0:00 – Welcome to week 5: no panicking allowed 1:18 – You can’t force creative growth (sorry) 3:01 – Part-time jobs = creative freedom 4:08 – Don’t fill your portfolio with jobs you don’t want more of 5:05 – Recap of all 5 creative steps 5:44 – Why being kind to yourself actually works 6:06 – Walks, breaks, and giving your brain a breather 7:13 – Live deadlines vs long deadlines 8:03 – Katie's war artist career plan (sort of) 8:31 – Action step: write a cheesy note or one to rebel against 9:18 – Course doors closing soon – but no pressure 9:41 – Byeeeee from Summer Camp!Links mentioned: 📖 Download the free Summer Camp workbook 📚 Find Your Creative Voice – Fly Your Freak Flag course 🎧 Watch an Art Club on Instagram📺 Watch Art Clubs on YouTubeByeeee 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 🎙

Pssst, this episode was originally published in 2023 and we’re sharing it again as part of our Good Ship Summer Camp series. It’s one of five episodes to help you fly your freak flag this summer. If you’d like to join in properly, there’s a free workbook an' everything!You can download the workbook here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/workbook Feeling stuck? Procrastinating wildly? Hiyaaa this week's episode is for you.PLAY!! It’s not optional. It can trick you into making your best work, and we are going to show you how to sneak it into your creative routine (even when you’re hiding from your sketchbook).In this episode:Why play isn’t just fluff, it’s a very necessary illustration fuelSneaky ways to outsmart your inner procrastinatorFake deadlinesMaking up your own artist residency (Tania-style)Colour workshops, art clubs, and triple reverse psychologyGetting into “the zone” via flags, bush digging, or hot chocolateOne treat per timer session 🍫Want to join in with our summer camp? Download the free workbook hereTimestamps: 0:00 – Welcome to Day 4: Play, or else! 1:09 – Why play is the secret sauce for good work 3:04 – Fear of starting and how to ease into it 4:15 – Urgency, novelty, and fake deadlines 5:16 – Tania’s Barcelona residency (ahem, made-up) 6:09 – Playing with colour: the colour workshop 🎨 6:42 – Being kind to yourself vs bullying yourself into work 7:08 – Treats, timers, and starting small 8:12 – Getting into the zone (flags, bush digging, Blindboy) 9:31 – Action step: do an art club session with us! 10:22 – Course doors close soon + one-to-one feedback info 11:04 – Last episode of the series tomorrow!Links mentioned: 📖 Download the free workbook 🎨 The Colour Workshop (free) 🎧 Watch an Art Club on Instagram 📺 Watch Art Clubs on YouTube 📚 Find Your Creative Voice – Fly Your Freak Flag course Doors are open right now! Come on iiiiin! Be lovely to have you sailing with us. 🎧 Blindboy PodcastByeeee 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 🎙

Pssst, this episode was originally published in 2023 and we’re sharing it again as part of our Good Ship Summer Camp series. It’s one of five episodes to help you fly your freak flag this summer. If you’d like to join in properly, there’s a free workbook an' everything!You can download the workbook here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/workbook Feeling a bit wobbly about your work? You’re not alone. In fact, you’re very much in the club.In today’s episode, we’re talking about confidence – or the lack of it – and how community, creative voice, and good pals can make all the difference.In this episode:The niggly voice that says you’re not good enough (blergh)Why working alone is tough and how community helpsCreative confidence vs comparison doom scrollsWhy finding your voice removes the pressure to competeHelen’s career pivot from baby books to bold new work The bravery of letting your work be fast, weird and youHow to connect with fellow illustrators online (without being creepy)Want to join in with us? Download the free workbook hereTimestamps: 0:00 – Hello and welcome to *week* 3! 1:19 – “My work isn’t good enough” – how to quiet the voice 2:19 – Community builds confidence (and sanity) 4:32 – Competition, scarcity mindset, and the Bologna Book Fair 5:30 – Other illustrators are as important as art directors 6:17 – Instagram friendships + the power of being visible 8:37 – What if your style no longer fits who you are? 10:40 – Making a big change in your work (Helen’s story) 13:47 – Why clients want you, not just polish 15:38 – Pricing confidence + permission to go fast 17:23 – You don’t need to draw everything, just the right thing 18:11 – How to connect with other illustrators online 19:19 – A Pia Bramley fangirl moment ❤️ 20:00 – Our community (Facebook group, art club, and course space) 20:56 – Your action step: Make illustrator friends, not competitorsLinks mentioned: 📖 Download the free Summer Camp workbook 🖥️ Sketchbooker’s Friend Facebook Group - the free group is no longer active (you get ushered into a secret students-only group when you join any of our courses), but we do still have a Facebook page! And we love hanging out on Instagram. 📚 Our course: Find Your Creative Voice – Fly Your Freak Flag 🖋 Pia Bramley on Instagram 🎨 Molly Fairhurst on InstagramByeeee 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 🎙