Hi there, Helen here.

This is a special episode of the podcast because we had six of our Good Shippers - that’s people who’ve done our courses - selected as finalists in the Bologna Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition!

Which is pretty amazing news. It’s really difficult to be a finalist because the competition is so high. Last year there were 4,374 people who entered, and only 324 were selected to be finalists. So for six of them to be Good Shippers is SO exciting.

Now that the fair’s finished, I thought it would be lovely to catch up with them and hear how it all went. In this episode, you’ll hear from Emma Simpson, Lisa Loffredo, Amber Au, Sam Jones and Kate Leiper.

A special mention to Charlotte Durrance, who was also a finalist but couldn’t make it to the recording. 

Congratulations to all of you!

V Rough timestamps in case you like that sort of thing:

[00:00] Helen introduces the six Good Shippers who made it to Bologna 🎉
[00:02] Emma Simpson
[00:11] Lisa Loffredo
[00:18] Amber Au
[00:25] Sam Jones
[00:37] Kate Leiper 

Other links mentioned

Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag course

The Picture Book course

DPictus Showcase

Bologna Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition info on how to take part 
– Entries usually open in July and close in November

Tiffany Leeson
– Creative Director at Farshore Books

Ken Max Wilson
– Writer, illustrator and publisher

Picture Hooks
– Helping illustrators access the world of children’s publishing (based in Edinburgh, open to all emerging illustrators)

🎉 If you’d like to apply for the Bologna Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition, the doors are usually open from July until November. 

Get your work ready and go for it!

We're cheering you on.

Taraa!
 x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)

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 🎙