The Illustration Department Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Lindsay Nohl Dec 15, 2020

Show notes

Lindsay Nohl, illustrator, educator, and founder of Light Grey Art Lab, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the founding of her gallery; how she curates exhibitions; why submitting artwork to competitions, exhibitions, and potential clients, involves paradoxical truths; what artists need to do if they want to be product designers; and more.

To learn more about Lindsay and Light Grey, visit lightgreyartlab.com.

Lindsay mentioned Coroflot.com as a way for artists to find work and clients.

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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Julia Rosenfeld Dec 08, 2020

Show notes

Julia Rosenfeld, Senior Designer at Penguin Young Readers Group, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the inner-workings of the children‘s book design department; working with Giuseppe as his former Design Assistant; what #mailersandcoffee was, and why it was important; how Julia looks for illustrators during the COVID19 pandemic; and much more.

To learn more about Julia, visit juliarosenfeld.com.

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Jane O’Connor Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

Jane O’Connor, children’s book author, and editor-at-large at Penguin Young Readers Group, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about her 50-year career.

She shares her thoughts on mergers in Publishing; writing Fancy Nancy; creating the trend-setting, non-fiction series, Who Was?; working with Giuseppe as her art director; working with Gyo Fujikawa, Tomie dePaola and Peggy Rathmann; and so much more.

To learn more about Jane, visit fancynancyworld.com

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Mort Drucker, Al Jaffee, Kevin McVeigh, Nancy Harrison, Hilary Knight, Gyo Fujikawa, Tomie dePaola, and Peggy Rathmann.

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Kazu Kibuishi Nov 24, 2020

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Author and Illustrator, Kazu Kibuishi, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the personal hardships and challenges he faced in becoming a graphic novelist; where comics and graphic novels stand, and where they should go; why doctors gave Kazu a 99% chance of dying in 2012, and how his near-death experience effects him now; what advice he has for comic book and graphic novel creators; and more.

At the end of the episode, Giuseppe’s 13 year-old cohost asks Kazu about the future of Amulet.

To learn more about Kazu, visit boltcityproductions.com.

Kazu mentions Disney animator, Ubbe Iwerks, and Iwerks’s use of “xerography”. Here’s more on Iwerks and Xerography.

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John Cuneo Nov 17, 2020

Show notes

Award-winning cartoonist, John Cuneo, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about John’s career before and after his “artistic crisis”. They discuss how insecurity and anxiety drive wedges between an artist and their work; why John “goes there” with his “NSFW” illustrations; what role depression plays in John’s, and Giuseppe’s, lives; and much more.

Before you listen to this episode, you should know:
Sex, trauma, and self-harm are discussed.

To learn more about John, visit johncuneo.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Steve Brodner, Thomas Nast, David Levine, Joe Ciardiello, James McMullan, Ed Sorel, Roz Chast, Steve Guarnaccia, and Egon Schiele

While speaking about depression, John cited this line from poet, Rainer Maria Rilke: “If my devils are to leave me, I am afraid my angels will take flight as well.”

He also quotes, Irvin D. Yalom, in saying that, “Sooner or later [you] have to relinquish the goal of having a better past.”

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David Wiesner Nov 10, 2020

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David Wiesner, illustrator, author, and 3-time Caldecott Medal-winner, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the path that led him to wordless picture books; how Maurice Sendak, James Marshall, Trina Schart Hyman, and other legends helped David feel like he “belonged”; how an “unplanned moment” led to his Caldecott-winning, Tuesday; what it was like to get the “Caldecott Call”; why the pictures in picture books matter; and so much more.

To learn more about David, visit davidwiesner.com.

David and I talked about the great, Trina Schart Hyman. Here is David’s blog post about working with her when she was the art director at Cricket.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jack Kirby, Tom Sgouros, David Macaulay, Jim Steranko, Lyn Ward, Edward Gorey, Moebius, Leo and Diane Dillon, Trina Schart Hyman, Chris Van Allsburg, Maurice Sendak, James Marshall, Betsy Lewin, Ted Lewin, Pamela Zagarenski, Javaka Steptoe, John Steptoe, Barbara Cooney, and Charles Knight

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Debbie Bibo Nov 03, 2020

Show notes

Debbie Bibo, the founder of Debbie Bibo Agency, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how and why she became a “picture book agent”; what she looks for in illustrators; and how “bad agents” are burning through illustrators’ good-will equity.

She also answers questions from Patrons of the podcast about what illustrators should say in their queries; how to conduct oneself during an interview with an agent; how COVID19 is affecting—and will affect—her agency and the children’s book industry; and so much more.

To learn more about Debbie and her agency, visit debbiebiboagency.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Olimpia Zagnoli, Andrea D’Aquino, Chris Haughton, and Benjamin Chaud

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James McMullan Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

Illustrator, Author, and Illustration Teacher, James McMullan, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about his globe-trotting, but tragic, childhood; what his early days as an illustrator were like; why his philosophy on drawing—and the teaching of drawing—stems from intuition and humanization; why he thinks illustrators should embrace risk; and so much more.

To learn more about James, visit jamesmcmullan.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Betsy Lewin, Milton Glaser, Egon Schiele, Ben Shahn, Robert Weaver, Seymour Chwast, Ed Sorel, R.O. Blechman, Maurice Sendak, Charles B. Slackman, Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol, and Mary Suzuki.

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Sergio Ruzzier Oct 20, 2020

Show notes

Illustrator and Author, Sergio Ruzzier, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how he “broke into” children’s publishing; how Hieronymus Bosch, the Italian Renaissance, and Popeye influence his work; why watercolor is his medium of choice; what it was like living with Maurice Sendak; and so much more.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Hieronymus Bosch, Giotto, Simone Martini, Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, George Herriman, Elzie Crisler Segar, Chester Gould, Massimo Mattioli, Paul Davis, Lane Smith, Peter Sís, and Alessandro Sanna.

To learn more about Sergio, visit ruzzier.com.

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Martin Salisbury Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

Martin Salisbury, Author and Professor of Illustration at Cambridge School of Art in Anglia Ruskin University, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about what led him to illustration; what illustrators should be thinking about when they think about children’s books; what makes a picture book “great” or “bad”; why Martin thinks illustrators should draw, and draw, and draw; and much more.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Russell Mills, Paul Slater, Angela Barrett, Maurice Sendak, Judith Kerr, Roy Gerrard, John Minton, Esphry Slobdkina, Marshall Arisman, and James McMullen

To learn more about Martin and Anglia Ruskin University, visit aru.ac.uk/people/martin-salisbury.

Martin mentioned the book, The Education of an Illustrator, by Marshall Arisman and Steven Heller. You can purchase it here, or at your local bookstore.

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