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 🎙

Is it time 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 2025 goal-setting in a way that works for your brain/energy-levels/life.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Happy New Year! Goal-setting: exciting, overwhelming, or somewhere in between?
01:00 – Join our Planning Party on 16th January (details inside!)
02:30 – Sprinting vs walking: knowing when to slow down and when to push forward
03:45 – Loose goals, intentions, and the value of taking things slowly
04:50 – Why “no plans” can still count as a brilliant plan
07:00 – Visual goal-setting: drawing the year ahead and keeping it in sight
08:15 – Human-sized goals: how to make planning feel manageable and fun
10:00 – Intentions beyond work: making space for life, joy, and connection
16:00 – Ideas for tackling the overwhelm of “too many things to draw”

Links Mentioned:

• You're invited to our Planning Party on 16th January!
  Sign up for our emails here to get your invite: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/

Come and say hello!

✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

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

As 2024 winds down, we’ve been hearing all sorts of things - budget cuts, AI fears, and whispers of a downturn. There’s no denying it’s been a tricky year for many illustrators. But is it all doom and gloom? Not necessarily!

Timestamps for you to skip around:
00:20 Special news - The doors are open for Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag!
01:15 What we’ve been hearing from illustrators about the industry.
03:00 Why illustrators are feeling the pinch of budget cuts.
06:30 The world is craving handmade, delightfully wonky work.
09:45 What’s going on with picture books, then?
13:30 Fly your freak flag - this is your moment to shine.
16:00 Licensing, animation, and new media - growing areas to keep an eye on.
18:15 Inclusivity in illustration and what agents are looking for in 2025.
19:50 Why you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket.

🎉 Exciting Announcement

The doors to our Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag course are open!

✨ Enrol whenever you like - no more waiting for us to open the doors.
✨ Join by the end of January 2025 and you'll get:

• A Good Ship Illustration sticker pack.
• The chance to win a 1:1 mentoring session with us - the 3 captains.

Learn more and join here: Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag

Come and say hello!

✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

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

What do tiny bowls of crisps, the world’s fanciest pencils, and a mysterious couple called Ron and Betty Frampton have in common? They’re all in this week's Christmassy podcast!

Get ready for festive chaos, creative inspiration, and permission to buy yourself something lovely, courtesy of Ron and Betty.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Who on earth are Ron and Betty Frampton?
01:20 – What’s on our Christmas wishlists? Pencils, paint, and tech setups
04:30 – Christmas bingo, tiny bowls of crisps, and the unwritten rules of bingo culture
08:15 – Why quick, unplanned drawings can sometimes be your best work
10:50 – Helen’s 30-second cut-out reindeer and a carpet fitter
11:50 – Permission to treat yourself this Christmas. Ron and Betty would approve

Links Mentioned:

• Find Your Creative Voice Course – Treat yourself to a creative boost Find out more here (and if you join before the end of January 2025, we'll send you some gorgeous stickers in the post. SNAIL MAIL!)

🎄 Merry Christmas and a happy new year from all of us at The Good Ship Illustration 🎄

Come and say hello!

✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

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

Here's your early present from Good Ship. Our previously-just-for-paying-students private VIP podcast episode all about building your creative confidence.

We're celebrating that Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag is now open for enrollment all year round! Instant access. You asked, we listened.

EVERYONE who joins during December 2024 & January 2025 will get one of our much-coveted Good Ship sticker badges. Mmmmm.

We're also opening up a rare chance to win 1:1 mentoring with The Good Ship Illustration captains. There are 3 spots up for grabs! When you join, we'll email you all of the details.

Click HERE for all of the course info and to climb aboard.
We'd love to have you sailing with us.

Anyways, what's this podcast episode about?

From early career wobbles to trusting your creative voice, tackling imposter syndrome, and the confidence to charge what you're worth.

Plus, loadsa tips to help you separate your self-worth from your creative work (they're not the same thing!)

Got a question for us to tackle in a future podcast episode? Send it in - we’d love to hear from you!

👉 Submit your questions here

Timestamps:

00:21 Celebrating that Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag is now open for enrollment all year round!
03:00 Why you’re not a “wannabe” illustrator
05:15 Navigating client relationships
07:55 The power of asking clients what they love about your portfolio
10:38 Silencing negative self-talk and spotting unhelpful stories you tell yourself
12:12 Why it’s better to be an indie band than Top of the Pops (for illustrators)
13:13 The magic of “imperfections” and human marks in your work
15:17 Pricing confidence: why your value isn’t tied to your hours
16:18 Gamifying rejection and making it work for you
18:37 Forget the rules: how naivety can be your creative superpower
21:46 Avoiding comparison traps with a creative quarantine
22:35 Why having multiple versions of your work can unlock playfulness
25:34 Tips for breaking big, scary projects into manageable chunks
28:26 Time tricks for staying fresh and playful under pressure
30:00 Why getting older makes everything easier

Links & Resources:

🎓 Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag Course
🎁 Enrol by January 2025 to grab your free badge and the opportunity for 1:1 mentoring.
📅 Join our Planning Party: 16th January 2025, 1:30 PM (UK time).

Come and say hello!

✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

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

When you’re starting your illustration career, there is so much advice out there, so in this episode, we're untangling the nice juicy question of “Where do I even start!?”

We share a bit about how we've each learned to hop in and out of our business & creativity cars over the years. Plus, we'll dish out some wisdom nuggets on balancing creative bursts with the less exciting bits of building your freelance illustration career.

Come and say hello, we're friendly! Have you got a question you'd like us to tackle on a future podcast episode?

Please send it in!

You can send your podcast questions to us here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/contact-goodship

Timestamps:

00:31 Taming the overwhelm gremlin (aka Your To-Do List)

03:25 Website? Social media? LinkedIn? 🤯

04:48 Building a portfolio (without stressing yourself out)

14:08 The juggle is real: business vs. creativity

16:18 Sharing your work and being picky about it

Come and say hello!

✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

p.s. Submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast here:
🎙 https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/Podcast