The Good Ship Illustration

Latest Episodes:

PANIIIIC! (or don’t...) 😅 | Summer camp sketchbook week 5 Aug 29, 2025

Show notes

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 Illustration
Part-time jobs, anti-desperation energy, and creative freedom
Cat metaphors, war artist fantasies, and business meetings 🐈‍⬛
Why shouting at yourself doesn’t work
Cheesy notes vs reverse psychology for calming down
Creativity and nervous systems (and when to just lie on the floor)
Finding your pace, your people, and your process

Want to join in?
Download the free Summer Camp workbook here

Timestamps:
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 YouTube

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 🎙

Play, OR ELSE 🎲 | Summer camp sketchbook week 4 Aug 22, 2025

Show notes

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 fuel
Sneaky ways to outsmart your inner procrastinator
Fake deadlines
Making up your own artist residency (Tania-style)
Colour workshops, art clubs, and triple reverse psychology
Getting into “the zone” via flags, bush digging, or hot chocolate
One treat per timer session 🍫

Want to join in with our summer camp?
Download the free workbook here

Timestamps:
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 Podcast

Byeeee for now!
x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) 🚢

Finding Creative Confidence 🚢 | Summer camp sketchbook week 3 Aug 15, 2025

Show notes

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 helps
Creative confidence vs comparison doom scrolls
Why finding your voice removes the pressure to compete
Helen’s career pivot from baby books to bold new work
The bravery of letting your work be fast, weird and you
How to connect with fellow illustrators online (without being creepy)

Want to join in with us?
Download the free workbook here

Timestamps:
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 competitors

Links 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 Instagram

Byeeee for now!
x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) 🚢

Draw draw draw! ✏️ | Summer camp sketchbook week 2 Aug 08, 2025

Show notes

You can download the workbook here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/workbook

Got limited time to draw? Children hanging off your leg? Perfect. You’re in exactly the right place. 😆

This week's episode is all about actually drawing. Even when you’ve only got a receipt, a half-working pen, and 3 minutes to spare.

In this episode:

Why drawing in a rush can be a superpower
Katie’s eyebrow-threading sketch session
What drawing from life teaches you about your creative voice
Tiny tools, weird surfaces, and packing your pencil case like a pro
The #WalktoSee hashtag and sketchbook magic ✏️
Three-materials challenge, anyone?

Want to join in with us?
Download the free workbook here

Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro + a great listener question
1:01 – Can you find your voice if you have no time?
2:17 – Drawing quickly makes it better (promise)
3:29 – Eyebrow queues and standing sketches
4:12 – The value of drawing from life
5:17 – Pack your pencil case!
6:24 – Drawing on receipts and IKEA pencils
6:54 – Walk to See, and how to join in
7:12 – Three-material challenge tips
7:38 – A wet thing, a dry thing, and something with texture
7:51 – Sketchbooker’s Friend: the robot voice that lives on
8:35 – Action step: keep your drawing tools on you at all times
9:01 – See you tomorrow for Day 3!

Links mentioned:
📖 Download the free workbook
🎧 Sketchbooker’s Friend audio guide
🖼 All about the #Walktosee hashtag on Instagram (started by our Helen)
🖍 Find Your Creative Voice – Fly Your Freak Flag course. Doors are open right now! Be lovely to see you in there.

Byeeee for now!
x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) 🚢

Bask in your weirdness ☀️ | Summer camp sketchbook week 1 Aug 01, 2025

Show notes

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 5 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

🚢🚢🚢

What if your creative voice isn't one you actually like? 😬

In today’s episode, we’re chatting about that awkward bit of figuring out your voice as an illustrator, and why the weird stuff you’re secretly obsessed with might actually be the key to your best work.

In this episode:

What to do if your voice feels ick
Why “basking in your weirdness” matters
That Ira Glass quote we always bang on about
Over-art-directing yourself (oops)
Katie’s Eminem phase
Why being a people-pleaser is the worst career strategy
Your homework for this week

Want to join in?
Download the free workbook here

Timestamps:
0:00 – Hello from us!
0:47 – What if you don’t like your creative voice?
2:10 – Art direction, publishers, and breaking out of boxes
3:33 – David Bowie, freak flags and bravery
4:37 – Eminem, rebellion, and tired teenagers
6:01 – People-pleasing vs doing your own thing
8:31 – Future-proofing your illustration career
9:33 – Action step: pay attention to what you really love
10:35 – Come back next week for Day 2!

Links mentioned:
🖍 Our course: Find Your Creative Voice: Fly Your Freak Flag
📖 Download the free workbook
🎬 Moonage Daydream documentary (about Bowie)

Byeeee for now!
x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) 🚢

Is AI Coming for your job? Illustrators are fighting back! (Part 2) with Chris Haughton Jul 25, 2025

Show notes

This week, we’re back with part 2 of our conversation with the brilliant Chris Haughton – illustrator, author, and passionate copyright advocate.

Here's a link to part 1 in case you need to catch up!

In this half of our Chris Haughton special, Chris shares how his first picture book came about, and we also chat about confidence, creative doubt, and why showing up again and again matters.

And then… we go deep on AI.

Copyright, ethics, government policy, and what we illustrators can actually do to protect our work. Chris is off to Parliament soon (!!!) and shares everything he’s learned so far.

In this episode:

How Chris got his first book deal without an agent
Staying confident through rejection and doubt
The terrifying reality of generative AI and what we can do about it
How copyright works (and what’s at risk)
The organisations fighting for our creative rights

Timestamps:
00:00 – How Chris broke into picture books (by accident)
04:00 – Animation, art school, and graphic style
08:00 – Building confidence through volume
10:00 – Words, images, and writing your own stories
14:00 – Why AI is a massive threat to illustrators
17:00 – Who’s fighting back (and how to get involved)
21:00 – Why we need all creatives on board

🛟 Links + Resources mentioned in this episode:

✨ If this episode has ye all fired up (us too!) please do share it with your creative pals – and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next!

Bye bye,
x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)

“Do I Have to Pick One Style Forever?! (Part 1)” with Chris Haughton Jul 18, 2025

Show notes

How do you make picture books if you secretly hate writing? Can you REALLY just punch holes in a bit of paper and call it a finished illustration?! 👀

This week we’ve got a proper treat for you.

This is part 1 of our chat with illustrator and picture book maker Chris Haughton! (Katie wasn’t there, but Helen and Tania held the fort and asked him all the juicy questions.)

Chris shares his brilliantly wonky career path from graphic design to editorial, picture books and his latest deep dive into the History of Information.

A total freak-flag project that he's been obsessed with for nearly 20 years.

Chris tells Good Ship:

How he ended up with a wildly colourful, unmistakable illustration style, even though he "couldn't do colour"
How 10 years of editorial work shaped his picture book voice
What hiding Mummy Owl in a picture taught him about storytelling
Why your first sketch is usually the best one
Drawing peas and chopsticks with hole-punch confetti (amazin')

🚨 This is just Part 1! Subscribe so you don’t miss Part 2.

Part 2 will be released next week (on Friday 25th July.)

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro from Katie, Helen & Tania
01:00 - Chris introduces himself and how his style evolved
05:30 - The origin of A Bit Lost and hiding things in the background
08:00 - How a greetings card turned into a picture book idea
10:00 - Chris' obsession with the History of Information
14:00 - Drawing as a form of information technology
17:00 - Chris’s brief stint as a live scribe (!!)
21:00 - Publishing headaches when your audience is "everyone"
24:00 - Finding your style vs getting stuck in a style
27:00 - Undo button = illustrator superpower
31:00 - Hole-punched peas

Links an' stuff we mentioned:

Chris Haughton's website: https://chrishaughton.com
The History of Information, Chris Haughton's book
History of Information lectures from UC Berkeley shared here via InfocoBuild
Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag course from The Good Ship Illustration
Katie’s Live Illustration course

Byeeee for now!
x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)

START HERE - Welcome to The Good Ship Illustration Podcast! (Here's our trailer) 🚢🚢🚢 Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

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)

🚢🚢🚢

You don’t have to draw everything (even in picture books) Jul 04, 2025

Show notes

Emily asked us why backgrounds can be so overwhelming. So in this episode, we share lots of low-pressure ideas to make them doable (maybeee even fun).

Please enjoy Tania nearly falling asleep under a weighted blanket 🤣

Podcast Episode Highlights:

How to stop overthinking it
Colour tips and some good stuff Chris Haughton taught us
NO ZOOMING IN ALLOWED 😠
John Burningham
Old Lady Baby

(rough) Timestamps:
00:00 – Emily’s question: “Backgrounds scare me – help!”
01:00 – The Chris Haughton breakthrough about colour
03:00 – Tonal tips: how to make your characters stand out
04:00 – Thin lines, wobbly pens, and keeping backgrounds soft
06:00 – The menace of digital zoom 😬
07:00 – Backgrounds = hints, not homework
08:00 – John Burningham, cut-out characters and painterly skies
10:00 – Embracing imperfection and storytelling over polish
11:00 – Blindboy’s advice: fail on purpose
13:00 – Art Club, recycled drawings, and happy accidents
14:00 – Upcoming Art Club news & picture book course teaser
15:00 – Weighted blankets, fancy deodorant, and Aesop air freshener 😌

Links & stuff:

The Picture book course details: www.thegoodshipillustration.com/pb
Make sure you're getting our emails for Art Club invites: Scroll to the bottom here

Bye bye bye
x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)

💰 How to protect your time, energy and income as an illustrator Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

“Can you just do it for free?” NO.
In this week’s episode, we’re talking about working for free, how to say no without guilt, and why having nice strong boundaries won't ruin your career (we promise).

Tania shares a BRILLIANT script for saying no to unpaid work. Thank you Taniasan, we luv ya.

Other good bits of note:

How to stop feeling bad about saying no to cheeky requests
How charity auctions can be a smarter way to give back
Free pitching: where to draw the line
That time Katie backtracked on a call (and the world didn't end)
What to say when a client demands an answer right nowwww
The biggest myth of all: “If you say no, they’ll never ask again”

Timestamps:
00:00 – Biscuits first. We have our priorities in order 🤣
01:00 – “How do I say no to free work… nicely?”
02:30 – Quotas, boundaries, and rude assumptions
04:00 – Saying no to friends and students
06:00 – Turning FAQs into blog content
07:00 – A better way to support charities (without giving away your time)
08:00 – “I used to worry people wouldn’t like me if I said no…”
10:00 – Paid development work in picture books: what’s normal?
12:00 – The pitch trap and how to avoid it
13:00 – Katie’s mural pricing wobble (and recovery!)
14:00 – The power of taking your time to decide
15:00 – You’re not being too picky. You’re just not people-pleasing anymore!
16:00 – On "playing": why your language matters

Oh! While you're here...

You can join the Picture Book course here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/PB

Taraaa,

x Good Ship

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