The Good Ship Illustration

We’re here to offer no-nonsense advice for illustrators and image-makers navigating a creative career.
At The Good Ship Illustration, we are all about finding your creative voice, standing out from the crowd, building career-longevity, and being yourself.
We're Helen Stephens, Katie Chappell and Tania Willis - 3 full-time bread-winning (mmm, bread) illustrators working in 3 separate niches of the illustration industry. Between us, we've clocked up over 70 years of experience and illustration wisdom, and we're here to share it!
You’d love your creative work if only you could find more time to do it, make more money, and feel confident with what you make. We believe you DO have what it takes, illustration needn’t be scary, and we’re with you all the way, along with the rest of the crew in our online community.

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Top 10 The Good Ship Illustration Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Good Ship Illustration episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Good Ship Illustration for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Good Ship Illustration episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Perfectionism, CMYK & a shout out to Barry in the cupboard (lovin' your work, Barry)

The Good Ship Illustration

04/04/25 • 18 min

This week we’re answering TWO of your excellent questions:

“How can I stop overthinking my story and just... FINISH IT???”
“Which is better, RGB or CMYK?”

Here’s what we chat about:

That annoying feeling when you know your story’s missing something but you can’t figure out what
Ask your characters what they eat for breakfast
Magic picture book editors - you don't need to do it all alone!
And... how Helen sent a whole book to print in RGB and no one stopped her (justice for Barry in the cupboard)

This episode is especially for you if you are stuck in perfectionism mode or feel personally attacked by the confusing colour settings in Photoshop/Procreate.

Timestamps:

00:00 - “How can I stop overthinking my story?”

01:15 - When feedback clings to your brain like a wet sock

02:30 - Mild peril

04:15 - Character stuff

06:30 - Asking weird questions = finding the heart of your story

08:00 - Maybe... you’re actually a nonfiction illustrator? Hmm!

09:10 - How to make your agent's life easier AND still move forward

11:00 - QUESTION 2: RGB or CMYK? Which one's better?

11:40 - Sad, sad orange

13:00 - Barry in the cupboard and the mystical RGB loophole

15:10 - Saving your artwork (and your sanity)

Stuff we mention:

Our Picture Book Course is the best place to learn about story arcs, and how to stop overthinking every. single. thing. Join the waiting list here
Our free Colour Workshop will BLOW YER MIND. Download it here

Got a question for us to answer next? Submit it here:
Podcast question form

See ya soon.

x Tania, Helen & Katie
The Good Ship Illustration

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 🎙

Hardest Year Ever? An Honest Look at the Illustration Industry in 2024

The Good Ship Illustration

12/27/24 • 20 min

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 Announcement

The 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 Flag

Big goals, no pressure: Planning your creative year with The Good Ship Illustration

The Good Ship Illustration

01/03/25 • 21 min

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 forward
03:45 – Loose goals, intentions, and the value of taking things slowly
04:50 – Why “no plans” can still count as a brilliant plan
07:00 – Visual goal-setting: drawing the year ahead and keeping it in sight
08:15 – Human-sized goals: how to make planning feel manageable and fun
10:00 – Intentions beyond work: making space for life, joy, and connection
16:00 – 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/

Can you be an illustrator with children and a job?

The Good Ship Illustration

01/24/25 • 11 min

Chelsea asked us: "Would love some advice goal-wise for those of us still holding part-time jobs and two small kids under five, trying to transition to an illustration career. Is it even possible? I'm feeling impatient and a bit trapped."

We chat about:

Why “slow and steady” beats high-pressure goals.
Low-pressure ways to carve out creative time (even with little ones around).
How parenting can inspire your creative work.
The importance of being kind to yourself and how to keep drawing.
Why editorial illustration might not be the best fit right now.

Links Mentioned

Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag Course doors are open!
Check out Polly Dunbar’s lovely illustrations: Polly Dunbar on Instagram
Freebies for illustrators on our website: The Good Ship Illustration Freebies

p.s. Good Ship Illustration News
Our course, Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag doors are now open and if you clamber aboard before the end of January we'll send you some exciting snail mail (a brand new Good Ship sticker pack!!) 💛
Read all about it here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflag

Saying no as an illustrator: dropping projects can boost your career.

The Good Ship Illustration

02/07/25 • 15 min

Juggling too many plates, saying yes to everything, and wondering if it’s time to let something go... It's not a fun place to be. (And all three of us have been there, got the frazzled t-shirt).
In this episode, we share the projects, jobs, and ideas we’ve binned along the way to make room for the shiny new stuff.

We chat about:

Why it’s okay to drop what isn’t working (even when you love parts of it).
Illustrator school visits, online shops, and in-person events.
The power of saying no. NOOOO!
How dropping things helps you focus on what you’re brilliant at.

Links Mentioned

We made you some workshops and resources to help you navigate a creative career: The Good Ship Freebies

Feelin' guilty about not drawing as much lately? [A Good Ship Illustration permission slip]

The Good Ship Illustration

02/28/25 • 13 min

"I'm not drawing as much anymore - Aghhhhh! Is this ok!?"

If you feel like you’re not drawing as much as you “should”, then you’re definitely, absolutely not alone. In this episode, we share our drawing ebbs and flows, why guilt often sneaks in, and how to let yourself off the hook when life gets lifey.

We chat about:

The natural phases of a creative career (and why it’s A-OK not to be drawing all the time).
Why forcing yourself to draw can backfire.
How other creative stuff like sewing or gardening can feed your illustration work.
Finding the balance between illustration, work, and real life.
How to quiet the mean voice in your head.

See you in there!

How to become a paid illustrator (The step-by-step guide! lol)

The Good Ship Illustration

03/28/25 • 17 min

This is something we hear quite a lot, and it's a BIG broad question: How do you actually become an illustrator who makes money. Dear Good Ship Illustration please break it down for me, step by step.

No pressure (aaagh 😅)

Alas, there is no tidy step-by-step guide... but in this episode we're doin' our very best to give you a solid direction to head in.

Step 1 = loadsa drawing
Finding your creative voice and confidence
Sharing your brownies
How to balance a job while building your illustration career
A big ol' mistake new illustrators tend to make - not you though. You're cleverer than them.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Where to start
01:30 – THE STEP-BY-STEP PLAN (lol, sorry, there is no plan)
03:20 – Share! Or else!!
05:45 – Job juggling
08:15 – Feeling behind?
(Does anyone ever feel ahead though?? No. Nothing to worry about then.)

Taraa for now.

x The Good Ship Illustration

What do illustrators DO all day? Featuring keep-fit cuppas, & coworking 🤓

The Good Ship Illustration

11/15/24 • 19 min

Are you as nosy as we are? Weyyyy, you're in the right place.
In this episode, we talk about our daily routines as illustrators. What do we DO all day?

We discuss morning routines, our creative processes (or lack thereof), and the importance of deciding when to eat dinner.

When we said we'd love to hear about your day-in-the-life, we mean it! Come over to Instagram and say hello / tag us in your daily routine posts :) We're @thegoodshipillustration on there.

Timestamps:

00:18 Tell us about your day, then

01:46 Morning routines

04:02 Keep-fit cups of tea

05:37 Daily work and to-do lists

07:57 Balancing work and toddler-wrangling

14:32 Tania = the night owl

The burnout life raft (for when you're drowning in to-dos)

The Good Ship Illustration

11/22/24 • 28 min

Show Notes

Feeling frazzled & running on illustration fumes? You're definitely not alone!

In this episode, we wade on in to discuss the murky waters of burnout. Don't worry, we've got your life raft right here! We chat about what burnout actually IS, why it seems to be so common amongst illustrators & creatives, and most importantly, what you can do to nip it in the bud, or escape it if you're already knee-deep.

So grab a cuppa, put your feet up, and recharge your batteries with us for a bit.

Timestamps:

00:38 Defining burnout

04:37 💰 What's money got to do with it anyway?

04:54 The Instagram hamster wheel and how to escape it

05:35 Virtual assistants = sanity savers

11:30 "Illustrator's boob" - yep, it's a thing!

What tech do you use as an illustrator? Featuring Helen's 25 year-old Epson scanner that WILL NOT DIE

The Good Ship Illustration

01/17/25 • 21 min

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 padTM (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.

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FAQ

How many episodes does The Good Ship Illustration have?

The Good Ship Illustration currently has 59 episodes available.

What topics does The Good Ship Illustration cover?

The podcast is about Illustration, Design, Artists, Podcasts and Arts.

What is the most popular episode on The Good Ship Illustration?

The episode title 'Feeling stuck? Creative block be GONE!' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on The Good Ship Illustration?

The average episode length on The Good Ship Illustration is 21 minutes.

How often are episodes of The Good Ship Illustration released?

Episodes of The Good Ship Illustration are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of The Good Ship Illustration?

The first episode of The Good Ship Illustration was released on Aug 5, 2020.

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The Good Ship Illustration