The Illustration Department Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Alice A. Carter Sep 20, 2022

Show notes

Giuseppe Castellano talks to artist, author, and educator, Alice A. Carter about the life and love of Red Rose Girls—Jessie Willcox Smith, Elizabeth Shippen Green, Violet Oakley, and Elizabeth Cozens—and the scandal that broke them apart; why there’s been a disparity between women and men in the illustration Hall of Fame; why it’s important to view contemporary illustration through an historical lens; and more.

You can connect with Alice on LinkedIn.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Charles Dana Gibson, J.C. Leyendecker, Norman Rockwell, Al Parker, Lorraine Fox, Jesse Willcox Smith, John R. Neil, Ludwig Bemelmans, Dennis Nolan, Giotto, C.F. Payne, Violet Oakley, Elizabeth Shippen Green, Ethel Franklin Betts, Richard Amsel, Steven and Timothy Quay, Mel Ramos, Mort Drucker, Maxfield Parrish, Rose O’Neill, Vincent Van Gogh, Edwin Austin Abbey, Howard Pyle, and Franklin Booth

After the conversation, Alice sent an email about what AI-generated imagery is and isn’t for illustrators:

I recalled how the Disney animators refused to work on Tron because they thought that CGI would be the end of animation. Bill Kroyer, Syd Mead, and Jean (Moebius) Geraud took the plunge and as it turned out, theirs was the right decision.
So (in my opinion) students shouldn’t be intimidated by any new technology. Nothing has changed in 60,000 years except that we’re more likely to draw with pixels than with charcoal.

If you find value in this podcast, consider becoming a paid subscriber on Substack, or a supporter on Patreon. On either platform, you will gain access to bonus episodes we call “Extra Credit”—among other perks and benefits. | Visit illustrationdept.com for offerings like mentorships and portfolio reviews, testimonials, our alumni showcase, and more. | Music for the podcast was created by Oatmello.

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Alan Lynch Sep 13, 2022

Show notes

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustration agent and founder of Alan Lynch Artists, Alan Lynch about what has and hasn’t changed in illustration during his 30-year career as an agent; how conversations about AI-generated imagery sound very familiar (and why that might be good news for illustrators); how agents have a negative reputation, and why it’s unfair “for the most part”; and more.

To learn more about Alan and his agency, visit alanlynchartists.com.

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Ed Vere Sep 06, 2022

Show notes

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, author, and visual literacy advocate, Ed Vere about growing up with Jan Michał Pieńkowski—and the life-lessons Jan imparted upon him; why it is so important to teach visual literacy to teachers; why “supposed to” should not be part of any creative process; and more.

To learn more about Ed, visit edvere.com.

To learn more about The Power of Pictures, visit clpe.org.uk/books/power-of-pictures/about.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jan Michał Pieńkowski, Quentin Blake, Chris Haughton, Viviane Schwarz, and Benji Davies

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Melissa Castrillón Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, Melissa Castrillón about how she went from being “pretty bad” at approaching publishers to becoming a full-time illustrator; what her approach is with character design, color, and negative space; how—through limitation—illustrators can find freedom with their creativity; and more.

To learn more about Melissa, visit melissacastrillon.co.uk.

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Mumtaz Mustafa Aug 23, 2022

Show notes

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Mumtaz Mustafa—Senior Art Director for William Morrow, Harvest Books, and Mariner Books at HarperCollins—about how she oversees and art directs hundreds of books a year; what the four main steps are when designing a book cover (and why they’re judged, often harshly, within Publishing); how illustrators can get her attention; and more.

To learn more about Mumtaz, visit mmdesignbookcovers.com.

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Shadra Strickland Aug 09, 2022

Show notes

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, author, and educator, Shadra Strickland about what led her to becoming a picture book maker—despite the naysayers; why realism in illustration is not an out-of-fashion style; what artists need to remember about being artists; and more.

To learn more about Shadra, visit jumpin.shadrastrickland.com.

Shadra has work on display from her book, Bird, in the “Imprinted: Illustrating Race” show at the Norman Rockwell Museum. To learn more, visit nrm.org.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Thomas Vroman, Roald Dahl, Jonathan Bean, Lauren Castillo, Taeeun Yoo, Paul Hoppe, Patricia Polacco, Pat Cummings, Tom Feelings, Jerry Pinkney, Bryan Collier, Keith Henry Brown, Greg Christie, Kadir Nelson, Floyd Cooper, and Chris Myers

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Mike Lowery Aug 02, 2022

Show notes

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, Mike Lowery about how he managed to turn illustrating into a living; why drawing every day is a vital part of his life and work; what illustrators can learn from craft-makers; and more.

To learn more about Mike, visit mikelowery.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: John Hendrix

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Chris Sasaki Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

Giuseppe Castellano talks to animation director, production designer, and illustrator, Chris Sasaki about how he found his way—in spite of multiple rejections—into the animation world; what he learned about character design from working at Pixar; why drawing in a sketchbook would be his ideal full-time job; and more.

To learn more about Chris, visit Chris Sasaki.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Stephen Gammell, Chris Turnham, Bill Peet, Mary Blair, Carter Goodrich, and Peter de Sève

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Eileen Christelow Jul 19, 2022

Show notes

Giuseppe Castellano talks to best-selling illustrator and author, Eileen Christelow about her transition from being a photographer in the 1960’s, to becoming a best-selling children’s book maker; what illustrators (especially those in critique groups) can learn from Jim Giblin—Eileen’s long-time editor; what illustrators can do to improve (hint: it’s likely you’re already doing it); and more.

To learn more about Eileen, visit christelow.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Margaret Bourke-White, John Steptoe, Maurice Sendak, James Marshall, and Arnold Lobel

To learn more about James Cross Giblin, you can read this interview with Roger Sutton.

Eileen mentioned the Esalen Institute. To learn more about it, go to esalen.org.

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Felicita Sala Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, Felicita Sala about her early days as an illustrator; why illustrators need to find their “why”; what makes it so difficult to write good books for children; why being inconsistent with her picture book illustrations is fine by her; and more.

To learn more about Felicita, visit felicitasala.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Gianluca Maruotti, Kitty Crowther, Beatrice Alemagna, Isabelle Arsenault, The Fan Brothers, Gianni Rodari, Ilon Wikland, and Sydney Smith