The Good Ship Illustration

 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.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. 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.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. 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 forward03:45 – Loose goals, intentions, and the value of taking things slowly04:50 – Why “no plans” can still count as a brilliant plan07:00 – Visual goal-setting: drawing the year ahead and keeping it in sight08:15 – Human-sized goals: how to make planning feel manageable and fun10:00 – Intentions beyond work: making space for life, joy, and connection16:00 – 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.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. 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 AnnouncementThe 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 FlagCome 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 🎙