Episodes

  • Pricing your illustration work 💸 & how to handle ghost-clients that disappear 👻 Bit of a scary episode. Sorry about that.
    Oct 14 2024

    Welcome aboard the Good Ship Illustration podcast! In this spooky, scary episode, we tackle one of the trickiest areas for illustrators: pricing and negotiations. (Aaaagh!)

    Firstly, if you like this episode, you’ll LOVE The Business Course! Doors are open for enrollment until the 18th of October 2024. Be quick!

    You can read all about The Business Course here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/business

    If you do miss the boat 😩 and the doors have already closed by the time you’re listening to this, you can join the waiting list for a future round. You can get stuck into our free ‘Get into Your Business Car’ challenge here in the meantime: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/businesscar

    (Once those doors close, they’re closed. We’re strict.)


    **Show Notes:**

    In this episode, we dusted off the crumbs from our Greggs Vegan sausage rolls (v good lunch Helen, thank you) and settled into Tania’s living room for a thorough no-holds-barred chat about MONEY STUFF.

    One of our favourite things to talk about is how different the money/pricing stuff can be in different markets, and different bits of the illustration industry.

    We put the world to rights and covered everything from knowing what’s ‘normal’ in the industry, to how to negotiate fees for different types of projects. Budgets can really vary depending on the market. We also bang on about the importance of charging what you’re worth. (And we’ll carry on doing that until the starving artist myth is where it belongs → in the bin.)

    Ghosting from clients? It happens to the best of us. We share some tips in this episode on how to deal with it, and why it’s important not to take the silence personally.

    Katie gets excited about how much she loves using automation to manage the behind the scenes stuff in her business. And to wrap things up, we remind you to think of yourself as a business, not just a creative. Your creativity brings HUGE value to your clients. Don’t forget it.

    Charge your worth.

    If you’d like a bit of help with quoting confidently, come and have a look at The Business Course. We’ve got a whole entire module dedicated to the money stuff (the practical bits *and* the mindset stuff.)

    https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/business


    Timestamps:

    00:06 – Navigating pricing as an illustrator

    01:00 – Negotiation tactics and client budgets

    03:06 – Understanding the publishing world

    10:55 – Dealing with clients ghosting you

    14:52 – The Smeg Story 😆 and rejections

    15:54 – Business systems and processes

    19:37 – Final thoughts and one of our nice traditional awkward Good Ship goodbyes

    Come and say hello!

    ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
    🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

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    20 mins
  • Figuring out your illustration style - how long does it take?
    Apr 25 2024

    If you’d like to boost your illustration work and dig in to finding your creative voice, you’re in luck!

    Doors are NOW OPEN for our course, Find Your Creative Voice: Fly Your Freak Flag. Just so you know, this the last time to join at the current price. We’d love to have you sailing with us!


    You can learn more here:
    https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflag

    Come and say hello!

    ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
    🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

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    13 mins
  • Feeling stuck? Creative block be GONE!
    Apr 24 2024

    This episode is chock full of our very toppest of tips for overcoming creative block. Buckle in 🙂

    If you’d like to boost your illustration work and dig in to finding your creative voice, you’re in luck!

    Doors are NOW OPEN for our course, Find Your Creative Voice: Fly Your Freak Flag. Just so you know, this the last time to join at the current price. We’d love to have you sailing with us!


    You can learn more here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflag

    Come and say hello!

    ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
    🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

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    11 mins
  • Want to get your illustrations published? Here are Good Ship’s top tips
    Apr 23 2024

    This episode is JUICY. Here’s a checklist of action items if you want to put it on your studio wall and get some more eyeballs on your work.

    • Reach out to publishers directly by sending samples and requesting meetings to show your folio and get feedback
    • Send out batches of samples at a time
    • Follow up with publishers by sending new samples every 3 months
    • Research publisher websites and publications like The Writer and Artist Yearbook to find calls for submissions that match work
    • Ask other illustrators for recommendations on who provides constructive portfolio reviews (not all portfolio reviews are created equal!)
    • Consider sending thumbnail sketches and illustration samples in addition to dummy books for feedback from publishers

    If you’d like to boost your illustration work and dig in to finding your creative voice, you’re in luck!

    Doors are NOW OPEN for our course, Find Your Creative Voice: Fly Your Freak Flag. Just so you know, this the last time to join at the current price. We’d love to have you sailing with us!


    You can learn more here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflag

    Come and say hello!

    ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
    🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

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    11 mins
  • How to describe your illustration style
    Apr 22 2024

    In this episode we dig into some juicy questions about describing your own work (aaaargh!) marketing, authenticity, and using your past to find your creative voice.


    Doors are NOW OPEN for our course, Find Your Creative Voice: Fly Your Freak Flag. Just so you know, this the last time to join at the current price. We’d love to have you sailing with us!


    You can learn more here:
    https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflag

    Come and say hello!

    ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
    🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

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    19 mins
  • Surviving Bologna Children's Book Fair with The Good Ship Illustration
    Mar 29 2024

    Planning a visit to Bologna Children's Book Fair this year? You're in luck. Our Helen has made you this INCREDIBLE PDF document to accompany this podcast audio guide to the fair.

    What else is inside the downloadable guide?

    • A Good Ship Illustration lanyard to print out
      if you'd like to fly your Good Ship Illustration flag and help fellow Good Ship pals spot you while you're wandering around the fair!
    • Details on when and where we're holding our first ever Good Ship Illustration meet up
    • The must-haves you don't want to forget in your Bologna bag (blister plasters, anyone?)

    If you're going to the fair, we'd LOVE to see you there. Keep an eye out for us!

    Grab your free guide and lanyard here and read about the meet up dates etc.

    https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/bologna

    ✨✨✨✨✨

    Come and say hello!

    ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
    🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

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    31 mins
  • Picture book Q&A QUICK FIRE 🔥 | Picture book mini series episode #5
    Nov 17 2023

    Pssst, if you like this, you'll LOVE our course The Picture Book Course. Climb aboard now while you still can - the doors are closing in a few hours. BE QUICK! https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/PB

    In this episode we answer a zillion of your brilliant picture book questions. Here's a summary of the key takeaways:

    • Finding stories to illustrate
    • Publishers, and how they pair up writers and illustrators
    • Tips for working with authors
    • How picture book publishers work in general
    • Some live event illustration tips from Katie
    • TIP: When pitching ideas to publishers, don't submit a fully illustrated book. Instead, submit a couple of double-page spreads, and some character development sketches.
    • ANOTHER TIP: When you're just starting out in your illustration career, you can get your work under publishers' noses by creating a digital portfolio and using social media (eg Instagram). Make the most of hashtags and connect with fellow illustrators and publishers in the industry. You never know who's watching!

    Read all about the Picture Book Course here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/PB

    Come and say hello!

    ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
    🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

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    26 mins
  • Self publishing...is it a scam!? + what dimensions should I make my picture book? | Picture Book mini series episode #4
    Nov 16 2023

    In this episode of the picture book mini series, we're answering some of your MOST JUICY questions all about:

    • Self-publishing - is it a scam?
    • The correct dimensions for your picture book
    • Invoicing and contracts in the picture book industry.

    It's all the nitty gritty stuff. We love it!

    Doors are closing really soon. If you'd like to join The Picture Book Course, now's your time!

    Here it is: thegoodshipillustration.com/PB

    Come and say hello!

    ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
    🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

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    21 mins