Chelsea asked us: "Would love some advice goal-wise for those of us still holding part-time jobs and two small kids under five, trying to transition to an illustration career. Is it even possible? I'm feeling impatient and a bit trapped."

We chat about:

• Why “slow and steady” beats high-pressure goals.
• Low-pressure ways to carve out creative time (even with little ones around).
• How parenting can inspire your creative work.
• The importance of being kind to yourself and how to keep drawing.
• Why editorial illustration might not be the best fit right now.
  

Links Mentioned

• Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag Course doors are open!
• Check out Polly Dunbar’s lovely illustrations: Polly Dunbar on Instagram
• Freebies for illustrators on our website: The Good Ship Illustration Freebies
  
  

p.s. Good Ship Illustration News
Our course, Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag doors are now open and if you clamber aboard before the end of January we'll send you some exciting snail mail (a brand new Good Ship sticker pack!!) 💛

Read all about it here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflag

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 🎙

At The Good Ship Illustration, we love keeping it simple. You don’t need the fanciest gear or the latest tech to be an illustrator. Our Helen’s 25-year-old scanner has survived being dropped multiple times and it’s still goin' strong.

This week on the podcast, we’re sharing the tech setups we actually use to get our illustration work done.

• Katie tells us about her iPad obsession, the magic of cloud storage, and why a second screen is a game-changer when she remembers to switch it on.
• Helen sings the praises of her indestructible Epson scanner, her return to good old-fashioned paper workflows, and where she stashes all that paper.
• Tania shares her decades of Photoshop muscle memory, her love-hate relationship with Wacom, and her dream tech collaboration.

Dear Apple, if you’re listening, please call us about the maxi pad™ (an extra-giant iPad for picture book illustrators) 😅

Listen to the episode for:
CMYK vs. RGB in Procreate, and whether publishers have a preference.
Our ongoing battle with storing work.
Why we’re convinced illustrators need a bigger iPad (yep, it's the maxi pad again).

Timestamps:

00:20 🎉 Find Your Creative Voice is open all year!
03:10 Katie’s tech setup: giant iPads, Procreate hacks, and Dropbox magic.
06:30 Helen’s trusty scanner and her glorious return to traditional workflows.
09:45 Tania’s Photoshop loyalty, Wacom woes, and dream tech.
13:00 CMYK vs. RGB in Procreate—how does it really work for publishers?
16:30 Why illustrators need an oversized iPad.
19:30 Our tips for archiving your creative work.

x Your Good Ship pals 🚢✨

Pssst… Exciting news! 🎉
Our course Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag is now open for enrollment all year round! Join anytime and get instant access.
🌟 December & January Bonus: Everyone who hops aboard gets a shiny Good Ship sticker badge. Plus, three lucky new members will win 1:1 mentoring with the captains.

Climb aboard HERE.

Come and say hello!

✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

p.s. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Ahoy! 🚢

In this episode, we’re answering a brilliant question from listener Cat, who wrote: “Help! I’m shy. Do I really have to go to book fairs to start my illustration career?”

The short answer = nope.

The longer answer = this 15-minute podcast episode. Grab a cuppa and we'll see you in there!

p.s. Freak Flag course doors are now open! If you join before the end of January 2025 we'll send you a Good Ship sticker badge in the post an' everything. Come on in and find your creative voice :)

Timestamps:
00:25 🎉 Listener question: “Do I have to go to book fairs to succeed as an illustrator?”
01:15 Why being shy isn’t a disadvantage in the illustration world.
02:10 Starting from home: Your portfolio, website, and Instagram.
03:42 Why book fairs aren’t essential for finding work (and what they’re really like).
05:18 Building your portfolio: Focus on six pieces you’re proud of.
06:30 Social media tips for introverts: Finding the platform that feels good for you.
08:15 Dealing with negative comments.
09:43 Why “marketing” is just sharing what you’re already excited about.
12:05 Building confidence.
13:16 Freak Flag is open! Join us for stickers, mentoring, and creative breakthroughs.

Come and say hello!

✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

p.s. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙