The Illustration Department Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Angharad Kowal Stannus May 19, 2020

Show notes

Founder of Kowal Stannus Agency, Angharad Kowal Stannus, chats with Giuseppe Castellano about how the publishing industry will look post-COVID-19; why being an American in the UK gives her an advantage as an agent; what subsidiary rights are, and how they work; why her agency doesn’t use “nameless and faceless” submission forms; and what advice she would give to you, if she were your agent…

To learn more about Angharad, visit kowalstannusagency.com. Don’t be fooled by the “Website Coming Soon” message. Her agency is quite busy.

To request representation, email Angharad at angharad@kowalstannusagency.com.

Giuseppe wrote a blog post about agents. You can read it on his website, here.

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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Hilary Knight May 12, 2020

Show notes

Illustrator and writer, Hilary Knight, chats with Giuseppe Castellano about his life and work as an illustrator; his service for the U.S. Navy during World War II; his up-and-down relationship with Kay Thompson; the creation of “Eloise”; the mysterious theft of his “Eloise” painting from The Plaza hotel in 1960; and much, much more.

Illustrators and artists mentioned in this episode include: Peter Arno, Reginald Marsh, David Downton, George Tooker, Ronald Searle, Kay Neilsen, William Ivy Long, and Edmund Dulac

To learn more about Hilary, visit hilaryknight.com.

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Kelly Light May 05, 2020

Show notes

Author and Illustrator, Kelly Light, returns to the podcast! She chats with Giuseppe Castellano about how life has changed for Kelly since our first chat with her way back in June of 2018.

She shares how she (probably) contracted COVID-19; how one—by choice or necessity—RE-starts a creative a career; and what Tove Jansson, Ashley Bryan, Judith Kerr, and others can teach us about staying creative through hardship.

To learn more about Kelly, visit kellylight.com.

If you want to listen to our first chat with her in Episode 1, go here.

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The 50th Episode Apr 28, 2020

Show notes

This is our 50th Episode! To celebrate, Giuseppe Castellano compiled short highlights from each guest. Through 49 episodes, illustrators, agents, art directors, and others talked about starting an illustration career, launching an art agency, understanding the history of children‘s publishing, living with depression, finding one’s artistic style, fighting in World War II, and… starting a podcast.

Our first 47 guests (two of them were double episodes) were (in order): Kelly Light, Yuko Shimizu, Mohamed Danawi, Erin Hunting, Lisa Brown, Ben Zhu, Stephen Kroninger, Krystal Lauk, Mark Mills, Jim Hoover, Leila Sales, Jess Brallier, Floyd Cooper, Jon Cockley, Leonard Marcus, Emily Keyes, Peter Jaszi, Leo Espinosa, Javaka Steptoe, David Goldman, Olimpia Zagnoli, Kayla Wasil, Will Terry, Barry Blitt, Francesca Gambatesa, Jean Dahlgren, Meghan McCarthy, Kelly Murphy, Betsy Lewin, Peter Glassman, Kevin Eastman, Jay Cooper, Zina Saunders, Kelly Delaney, Chad Reynolds, Betsy Peterschmidt, Stephanie Plunkett, Seymour Chwast, Charles Santoso, Gabriel Alborozo, Pamela Zagarenski, Betsy Bird, Anna Goodson, Steve Simpson, Dave McKean, Ashley Bryan, and Ania Marcos.

Giuseppe wrote a blog post about the top 10 things he learned after producing 35 podcast episodes. You can read it on his website, here.

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Ânia Marcos Apr 21, 2020

Show notes

Illustrator, Entrepreneur, and Podcast Producer-extraordinaire, Ânia Marcos, chats with Giuseppe Castellano about living and working in Portugal; how and why she’s helped produced countless creative podcasts; and why she thinks “failure” is a good thing.

They also trade “war stories” from the front lines of podcasting.

To learn more about Ânia, visit aniamarcos.com.

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Ashley Bryan Apr 14, 2020

Show notes

Renowned children’s book author and illustrator, Ashley Bryan, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how—over almost 100 years—art has helped Ashley persevere through adversity. They also discuss Ashley’s experiences during World War II; Ashely’s 50-year career in children’s publishing; and why art is at the heart of what it means to be human.

To learn more about Ashley, visit ashleybryancenter.com.

Giuseppe mentioned Nancy’s Larrick’s 1965 article, The All-White World of Children’s Books. You can read it here.

You can also read about the founding of The Coretta Scott King Award by visiting their blog.

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Dave McKean Apr 07, 2020

Show notes

Dave McKean talks to Giuseppe Castellano about being a writer, illustrator, filmmaker, and all around “creativo”; why he dislikes being called “artist” and “genius”; and how he managed to talk to artist Paul Nash—an early-20th-century British Modernist who passed in 1946.

A few authors and artists were mentioned in this conversation, including: Marshall Arisman, Moebius, Alan Moore, Francis Bacon, and Federico Fellini

Dave and Giuseppe also talk about jazz, including these musicians: Herbie Hancock, Chick Correa, Bill Evans, and Stefano Bollani

To learn more about Dave, visit davemckean.com.

Dave mentioned John Cleese’s “Open Mode” theory on creativity. Here is Cleese’s full lecture on creativity—in which he mentions the “open mode”.

You can purchase Dave’s book, Black Dog: The Dreams of Paul Nash, through Dark Horse.

Other books/comics mentioned in this episode include: Violent Cases, Sandman, Cages, Arkum Asylum, and Coraline.

Dave said that he listens to Oud Music by Anouar Brahem. You can listen to a few of his songs here.

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Steve Simpson Mar 31, 2020

Show notes

Illustrator and Graphic Designer, Steve Simpson, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how he transitioned from animation and comics to illustration—and how he found his “style” in the process. They discuss the similarities between graphic design and illustration; the differences between influence and appropriation; and the relationships between colors.

To learn more about Steve, visit stevesimpson.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jim Flora, David Klein, William Morris, and William Addison Higgins

Giuseppe mentioned an article he had written about the lessons illustrators can learn from baseball. Guest contributors to the article include: Sarah Bunting, Tad Carpenter, John Hendrix, Kenard Pak, and Matt Tavares. You can read it here.

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Anna Goodson Mar 24, 2020

Show notes

President & Founder of Anna Goodson Illustration Agency, Anna Goodson, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the founding and management of her world-renowned agency; the top 5 mistakes she’s seen illustrators make; how COVID-19 has affected—and may affect—the illustration community; and what illustrators can do to stay responsibly productive during a time of isolation.

To learn more about Anna and her agency, visit agoodson.com.

To buy books we mention on the podcast, visit our Book Shop! Purchasing books through our affiliate link supports independent bookstores and our podcast.

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Betsy Bird Mar 17, 2020

Show notes

Betsy Bird (otherwise known as “Fuse8”), the Collection Development Manager of Evanston Public Library, and former Youth Materials Specialist of the New York Public Library, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about her path to becoming a librarian; the origin of “Fuse8”; a librarian’s responsibility—particularly with “problematic” books; the mischievousness of favorite children’s book creators; the Berenstain’s and Alternate Timelines, the six-foot long mustache she once received from Giuseppe’s team at Penguin, and more.

To learn more about Betsy—and her podcast, Fuse8 & n’ Kate—visit betsybirdbooks.com.

A few authors and illustrators were mentioned in this conversation, including: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Dr. Seuss, Jacqueline Woodson, Stan and Jan Berenstain, Peggy Rathmann, Robert McCloskey, Wanda Gag, Ludwig Bemelmans, and Walter de la Mer

You can purchase Betsy’s book, Wild Things! Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature, co-written with Julie Danielson and Peter D. Sieruta, through our Book Shop. The podcast gets a small percentage of the sales; and, you support local bookstores. Win win.

Other books mentioned in this episode include: The Birchbark House, Was The Cat in the Hat Black?, A Celebration of Beatrix Potter, and The Day the Babies Crawled Away.

If you want to learn more about my reference to The Mandela Effect—and how we actually might live in an alternate timeline, read this from HowStuffWorks.com.

To buy books we mention on the podcast, visit our Book Shop! Purchasing books through our affiliate link supports independent bookstores and our podcast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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