Clémence Gouy is a French illustrator and graphic designer currently based in Amsterdam. She specialises in creating visual identities and illustrated content for various brands and media. After working as an art director in agencies across the world and getting a Master’s degree, she started building an illustration portfolio and ended up getting hired by clients like Apple, Nike, Google and Netflix. 

On an all-new episode of P2D, Clémence explains the role of an agent and clears up people’s misconceptions of what representation entails. Agents might be able to help you with outreach, pricing, contracts and even project management, but you’ll still have to write a ton of emails, keep your sites updated and reach out to people. It’s a true collaboration.

When Clémence is not busy with commissions, she finds herself working on socially-engaged personal pieces. Because a lot of times the work you do for free ends up paying off one way or another. She finds her clients mostly through social media, so of course her Insta account’s recent hack has been a challenge for her as a freelancer. 

Don't miss this super-insightful and inspiring convo with another incredibly talented illustrator and animator.

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FOLLOW CLÉMENCE: 

Instagram: @clemence_gouy
TikTok: @clemence_gouy
Website: clemgouy.com
Behance: be.net/ClemenceGouy

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.
And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok. 

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.
Music by Amanda Deff. 

Mary Kate McDevitt is a Vermont-based illustrator and lettering artist with a love of color, texture and humor. Since 2010 she’s written several books, hosted lettering workshops, taught five Skillshare courses and worked for clients like Nike, Nintendo, Target, Sephora and The New York Times. 

She loves trying new things. Because personal projects provide a value that commercial ones sometimes can’t. Living by her mantra “This didn’t exist yesterday,” Mary Kate invents beautiful new illustration work every day. Recently she’s been exploring frame-by-frame animation. Like this cute duck character dancing to Wu-Tang. 

On the newest episode, Mary Kate also opens up about her recent struggles with creative block and shares ways to cope with it. She talks about the importance of stepping away and taking it easy on yourself. “You have to listen to yourself,” she says. Go back to what brought you to making art in the first place. For her it’s going antiquing and looking at old ephemera. Until something clicks and she gets excited again. 

There it is: Another fun and candid conversation with one of the greatest—Mary Kate McDevitt. Listen, learn and make sure to tell all your friends about it. 

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SHOW NOTES: 

• Watch Mary Kate’s courses on Skillshare

• Read Mary Kate’s new book, “Illustration Workshop”

• Learn Motion Design with Jake Bartlett on Skillshare 

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FOLLOW MARY KATE: 

Website: marykatemcdevitt.com
Instagram: @marykatemcdevitt

If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.

Kati Szilágyi talks to us about how much she loves her job despite having a crisis every once in a while. During her studies her style was inspired by graphic and poster design, which she translated into whimsical characters in colorful dreamscapes. Her process is to welcome little mistakes on paper and to find abstract shapes while drawing humans. 

On this episode, we chat with Kati about how it’s necessary to take breaks from drawing to get inspired and how it’s normal to sometimes not be interested in illustration at all. She opens up about how the pandemic and adopting her dog has resulted in her working from home more, even though she shares a lively studio with other creatives. 

Since 2013, Kati has been consistently sharing her work on Instagram, showcasing two slightly different styles: drawing on paper & digitally as well as cutouts — which made her think in abstract shapes even more. 

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FOLLOW KATI: 

Instagram: @katiszi
Behance: be.net/katiszi
Website: katiszi.com

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.
And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok! 

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.
Music by Amanda Deff.

Bene Rohlmann is an award-winning artist and illustrator based in Berlin. His work combines a vintage aesthetic with bold vibrant colors, geometric patterns and a love for detail. Born in Münster, he was always doodling as a kid—fuelled by comic books and his grandpa’s fairytales. Vicky and Dave have an honest conversation with Bene about how he finds inspiration in vintage advertising, old matchbooks and traveling. And how he discovered his style in South Korea. 

On this brand-new episode of Paid 2 Draw, Bene talks about how he got to work for clients like The New Yorker, Google, Disney, Apple, Nike and Patagonia. He gives valuable tips on cold-emailing and shares his strategy for contacting art directors. Because it is their job to find illustrators, he says. So you’re doing them a favor by reaching out. 

Bene shares how he developed his unique style organically through messing up. He thinks that the mistakes we make can define our style. If you put too much pressure on yourself, you’ll probably never start. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be fun. 

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FOLLOW BENE: 

Instagram: @bene_rohlmann
Behance: be.net/benerohlmann
Website: benerohlmann.com

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.

On the first in-person recording in Paid 2 Draw history, Vicky and Dave chat with illustrator and designer Giulia Hartz about her client work, personal projects and her online community. 

Giulia opens up about how she copes with uncomfortable feelings by customizing her living space with encouraging words and witty jokes. Turning dark thoughts into funny art, the physical act of painting calms her down in times of uncertainty. 

To connect with her audience, Giulia mixes nostalgic toys from her childhood with unexpected ironic messages to create tension, comedic relief and an almost meme-like quality in her illustrations. 

She has successfully created a personal brand by being true to herself. Giulia regularly engages with her online community by sharing personal experiences, meeting up for coffee dates and sending her followers on sticker hunts around the city. She even delves deep into technical tutorials and sharing knowledge with The Hearts Club — her devoted followers on Patreon. 

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SHOW NOTES:

• “The Freelance Manifesto: A Field Guide for the Modern Motion Designer", Joey Korenman

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FOLLOW GIULIA:

Instagram: @giuliahartz

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.

Paid 2 Draw is back with an all-new season! On the first episode, Vicky and Dave get to talk to the almighty Dave Arcade—a cartoon surrealist and visual storyteller from Salt Lake City, Utah.

Dave explains how he found his hyper-intricate isometric style and shares his approach to creating uniquely personal work by simply drawing what you think is cool. He talks shop about his background in advertising, early cartoon influences, his passion for music, why VectorMagic is better than Image Trace, and what exactly ruined NFTs for him.

Will AI art replace illustrators? Despite the rapid advancements in AI technology, Dave remains optimistic about the future. In the end, he thinks, no one’s willing to support the death of an artistic industry.

So there you go. Another episode chock-full of doom talk, guitar pedals and Adobe bashing. Don’t miss this super-interesting conversation among three peers about the ups and downs of drawing for a living!

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FOLLOW DAVE:

Instagram: @davearcade

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.

Abraham Lule is a Mexican designer, typographer and art director based in New York. He describes his hand-crafted packaging and branding work as “design with a human touch.” With an unparalleled work ethic, Abraham is eager to learn new tools and techniques whenever he gets the chance. He always makes time for personal projects to improve upon his brush lettering skills. 

His background in dancing and choreography has informed the way he approaches his design work today. Wearing many different hats as an independent designer, Abraham is all about getting things done. He doesn’t want to waste his or anyone’s time. 

On this week’s episode of Paid 2 Draw, Abraham gives listeners valuable advice about the importance of presentation, collaboration and hanging out with the right people. Because if you’re working with talented folks it’s reflected in your own work. And quality is at the forefront of everything he does. To say it in Abraham’s words: “Good design lasts forever.” 

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FOLLOW ABRAHAM:

Instagram: @abrahamlule

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.

Diana Beltrán Herrera is a Colombian artist and designer who uses paper to create and transform things. With a sharp eye for detail she is a living example of why it pays off to take the time to specialize in one thing. 

From Bristol, UK, Diana talks to Vicky & Dave about why she stuck with paper as a medium, how she connects with nature and what her pristine lab-like studio means to her — all while dropping inspirational quotes every 10 seconds. 

On this hour-long group therapy session she tells listeners about the importance of play and why you should have fun doing what you do. Diana truly encourages you to make the most of your life. Don’t miss this super-inspiring conversation about the power of patience, passion, paper-craft and procrastination! ✨

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FOLLOW DIANA:

Instagram: @dianabeltranherrera

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.

Monique Aimee is a multidisciplinary artist based out of Boston. Her work ranges from digital illustrations to hand-painted murals to chain-stitch patches — all with themes of empowerment and self-care. She studied illustration in Boston and typography in Melbourne. On this episode of Paid 2 Draw, she explains how she went from being a sign maker in a basement for Whole Foods to becoming a super-successful freelance illustrator, working for clients like Disney, Netflix, Snapchat, Coca-Cola, Patagonia and Chronicle Books. 

Monique shares her journey from Massachusetts to Australia and Japan, and now back to Boston. She talks to Vicky and Dave about the importance of saying ‘no’ and how she made six figures as a freelancer. The three illustrators discuss everything from chain-stitching to community work and superior toilets. Monique also describes how she found a way to improve her time-management skills. She gives valuable tips on how she finds time for self-care in between client work, teaching herself animation and sharing her process, knowledge and experiences on TikTok. After all, she’s just a human. And she googles stuff, too. 

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FOLLOW MONIQUE: 

Instagram: @moniqueaimee

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.

Scott Biersack aka @youbringfire is a freelance designer specializing in lettering and type design based in Phoenix, AZ. He’s worked for clients like Adobe, Bacardi, BuzzFeed, Netflix, Snapchat, Starbucks, and Target. Living by the mantra “No Work, All Play”, Scott brings his fire for creating to every new creative challenge. 

In episode 5, Vicky and Dave have an honest conversation with Scott about mental health, burnout and the pressure of social media. But also less depressing stuff like collaboration, sustainability or trying new things. They talk about ways for designers to make a difference and affect meaningful change. Scott recently started teaching type design at ASU and is going back to school to become a musician — all while working full-time as a freelance designer. Some might say he is juggling a little bit too much, but you'd be surprised how much you get done when you wake up at 4:30am. 

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FOLLOW SCOTT: 

Instagram: @youbringfire

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.