Today’s a biiiig day... the doors to our Live Illustration Course are closing tonight! 

AGH! 

In this special live illustration-y episode, we grill Katie with loads of the brilliant live illustration questions you submitted. 

Katie also shares some behind-the-scenes stories about v early gigs, navigating some more unusual client requirements (hiya, Apple lawyers!), and why your own values matter just as much as your skills.

Timestamps

00:36 – Is it risky to live illustrate by hand? 
03:15 – How to build your live illustration portfolio even before you’ve had a client
05:59 – How Katie got started (and her very first paid-in-sandwiches job)
07:59 – Managing nerves and the fear of making mistakes
10:25 – Is it okay to check references while you’re live illustrating?
12:11 – How much do you need to know beforehand, and what to ask your client
15:24 – Transitioning from "normal" Illustrator to Live Illustrator
17:47 – What happens if you go blank during a live session?
18:51 – How much preparation should you really do before an event?
21:06 – Can you still be a live illustrator if you’re dyslexic?
22:02 – Is live illustration realistic as a side gig?
24:37 – What to ask clients about output expectations 
25:41 – Is semi-live illustration allowed?
27:06 – How to set up cameras for live drawing
28:00 – Should you specialise in a niche for live illustration work?
30:04 – What kinds of businesses actually use live illustrators?
32:39 – Final encouragement: fly your freak flag and be yourself

p.s. The doors to the Live Illustration Course close tonight (2nd May)!
If you're thinking about joining, now's the best time! 

Why though?

1. This is the lowest price it will ever be - we're doing a special price for this first ever live round of the course
2. You get lifetime access
3. You can hop back in for future live rounds, get ALL future course updates and take it at your own pace. 

The price *will* go up next time. 

Find out more and sign up here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/lic 

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 🎙

This week’s podcast question is from Annabelle:

“I’m not sure how to price my work. I think I panic and undercharge because I’m worried they’ll change their mind if it’s too much.”

Ooft. 

This is a juicy episode. Money, mindset, value, VAT nightmares, and charging what you’re worth. 

Bon apetit from your Good Ship pals. 

Tuck in.

Timestamps

00:00 – The question: “How do I stop undercharging?”

01:30 – People can feel when you don’t believe in your prices

03:00 – What affects your value: niche, profile, usage, experience

05:00 – Editorial vs publishing vs live illustration: pricing realities

06:30 – Raising your rates to manage your workload

10:00 – Calculate what you need to earn (and start from there)

12:00 – Most illustrators can’t actually work 8 hours a day

14:00 – Self-worth ≠ pricing strategy

16:30 – Add 20% and see what happens

18:00 – TL;DR: You’re probably undercharging

Stuff we mention:

• The AOI’s Pricing Calculator
• Jessica Hische’s brilliant tool: The Dark Art of Pricing
• Our Business Course for Illustrators gives you the pricing confidence (and strategy) that no one teaches you at art school.
  → Join the waiting list
• Freelancer’s Bible by Alison Grade – super helpful if you like numbers and practical steps

Have a lovely week. And up yer rates.

x Helen, Katie & Tania
 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 🎙

Thanks for sending in yer juicy questions. Here are the ones we tackle in this week's podcast episode:

1. “How do I build an illustration portfolio if I only have fine art work?”
2. “What’s the difference between an illustrator and an artist?”

Ahh yes that ol' chestnut. How to pivot from fine art to illustration without losing your mind. We dig into the figuring out what kind of work suits your actual personality. No more trying on other people's uncomfy too-small style jumpers. The illustrator vs artist line is a bit blurry - we get into why that’s actually a good thing. Promise.

Honourable mentions:

• Fenugreek soup
• Dream clients and imaginary briefs
• Katie’s two-week job limit
• "Just make the kind of work you want to get hired for” 

Timestamps

• 00:25 – Q1: How to turn a fine art practice into an illustration portfolio
• 01:00 – Making the kind of work you want to be hired for
• 02:00 – Picking your corner of illustration industry
• 03:30 – Fine art vs illustration: different goals, same skills
• 05:00 – Picture book makers: an exception
• 06:30 – Your personality probs already picked your niche
• 08:20 – Know what suits your work style (and what definitely doesn’t)
• 10:00 – Unexpected places you might find your dream illustration job
• 11:30 – Be a detective: trace the work you love back to the source
• 12:00 – Q2: What’s the difference between an artist and an illustrator?
• 13:30 – Do labels even matter anymore? 
• 14:30 – “Artist” vs “Illustrator” – what clients think they’re hiring
• 15:30 – Choose the title that helps the right people find you

Stuff we mention:

• Our Business Course for Illustrators walks you through exactly how to figure out where you fit and how to build a portfolio that attracts the right clients.
  → Read aaaall aboot it here
• Want to uncover your weirdness and figure out your unique style?
  → Fly your freak flag with us

Got a question for the podcast?
Pop it in the question jar here:
Podcast question form

Thank you!

x Helen, Katie & Tania
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 🎙

Two more chunky questions for this week's episode:

1. “How do I choose the right materials and techniques when I love them all?”
2. “How do I keep up with new tech and trends without hopping on every train and going bananas?”

It's a longer one this week! A podcast title that went in the bin was: Mouldy bingo dabbers: A love story. A moment of silence for that title. It woulda been great, but not very useful or searchable 😆

Alas.

Timestamps

• 00:00 – “How do I choose the right materials?”
• 01:00 – You don’t have to pick just one
• 02:00 – Mixing media
• 04:15 – Why learning 'the proper way' can sometimes kill your weirdness
• 06:30 – The gouache phase 
• 07:30 – Storytime: The incredible grasshopper drawings
• 09:00 – Wrong materials = the right results
• 10:00 – Drawing with stuff you don’t like
• 13:15 – Listener question: “How do I keep up with tech & trends without going mad?”
• 14:00 – Learning Procreate while making a book??
• 17:00 – Trends are sneaky
• 19:30 – Don't force yourself into a trend box
• 22:00 – Are you a fan or trying to be someone else?
• 24:00 – Going off-grid

Stuff we mention:

• Our Find Your Creative Voice: Fly Your Freak Flag course
  The doors are open! You can join right now.
• Want a fun excuse to make stuff without overthinking it?
  Try our free Colour Workshop

Got a question for the Good Ship Illustration podcast?
Send it here, go on!
Podcast question form

Right, we’re off to draw with things that smell like school. Mmmm. 

Bye!

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 🎙

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

1. “How can I stop overthinking my story and just... FINISH IT???”
2. “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 🎙

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

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 🎙

This week, we’re answering a question from listener Eilidh:

"How do you navigate social media? Do you have a strategy or just post willy-nilly?"

Gah. It’s complicated. In this episode of the podcast we chat about:

• Do illustrators really need Instagram anymore? 
• Should you have a strategy, or is it fine to post when you feel like it?
• Why social media isn’t our main way of getting work (and what is).
• The ONE thing every illustrator should have on their Instagram right now.

Aaand, we discuss why we haven’t abandoned Instagram (even though everyone keeps saying it’s dead), how publishers actually find illustrators, and, y'know, a very important discussion about videos of the King’s Guards horses biting tourists 🐴  chomp.

Timestamps:

00:25 Question: “How do you navigate social media?”
 01:00 The old days of Instagram strategies (do they still work?)
 02:20 Why everyone is fed up with Instagram… and also fed up with people being fed up with Instagram.
04:10 King’s Guards, AI Jesus & cabin crew chaos.
06:00 Should illustrators jump ship to other platforms like BlueSky, Mastodon, or Threads?
07:45 Does Instagram actually bring in clients?
09:15 What should illustrators post?
10:30 The biggest mistake we keep seeing on illustrators' IG profiles
11:50 What’s more important than social media?
12:40 How publishers find illustrators (and why Instagram still plays a small role).
13:30 A practical idea: Tidying up your Instagram highlights so people can easily find the important stuff
14:20 Final thoughts: Social media is what it is… but please don’t rely on it for all your work!

See you next week! And if you need us, we’ll just be over here watching horse videos 😂

x Byeeee

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 🎙

Ahoy! Doors to the Business Course (for illustrators!) are closing TONIGHT! We're going to be having a chat over on Instagram and you're more than welcome to bring your business of illustration questions along. Be lovely to see you there. We're @thegoodshipillustration over on Insta.

p.s. Once the course doors close, they close. We're strict! You've got until 10pm UK time tonight (Friday 14th March 2025)

🚢

This week, we’re talking about one of the best things you can do for your illustration career (but it also just so happens to be something that most illustrators dread and avoid like the plague):

📸 Updating your website bio and getting proper photos!

We cover:
✔️ Why a great photo makes clients trust you
 ✔️ The biggest mistakes we see illustrators make on their 'About' page
 ✔️ How to write a bio that actually sounds like you without overthinking it
 ✔️ And why drawing a wee smiley face instead of uploading a headshot just won’t cut it anymore

If you’ve been putting this off, consider this as your sign to finally get some proper photos and sort yer website oot.

p.s. We’ve got an About Page Bingo guide inside the Illustration Business Course, so if you’re in there, go find it! 

Timestamps:

01:00 Why updating your bio & website photos is the best thing you can do
02:15 Katie just had a photoshoot - here’s why it was worth it
03:40 How to find a great branding photographer (and what to ask them)
05:00 Feeling awkward about getting your photo taken? Some tricks to make it easier
06:15 Props, pets & sketchbooks
07:40 The price of a good photographer and why it’s worth the investment
09:10 Writing your bio: The easiest method
10:20 Why your bio should match your audience (formal vs. friendly)
12:00 “Clients don’t actually care about your personal life…” (or do they?)
14:15 How illustrators, live scribers & picture book makers should approach bios differently
16:30 Why illustrators should think like plumbers
17:45 Final push: Just get something on your website today (half arse it now, you can always tweak it later)

Done is better than perfect.

Byeee for now! And merry photoshoot-booking.

If you get some nice new headshots for your about page, do tag us on Instagram so we can admire them. We're nosy!

x Good Ship

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 🎙

Doors to the Business Course (for illustrators!) are open TONIGHT! We're going to be having a chat over on Instagram and you're more than welcome to bring your business of illustration questions along. Be lovely to see you there. We're @thegoodshipillustration over on Insta.

🚢

This week, we’re diving into the live illustration industry. How much work is actually out there, how to get it, and whether it’s the right fit for you.

We grilled our Katie and found asked her...

• Is there really loads of work for illustrators, or has it been a slow year?
• What’s this new Illustrator Jobs Board all about? (Live illustration gigs, client budgets, and real-life illustration job opportunities.)
• What actually happens in a live illustration session?
• How much do clients pay for live scribing, and how can you charge more?

If you’ve wondered about going into live illustration - or just want to see what clients are paying - this episode's for you!

p.s. If you’re curious about Katie’s Live Illustration Jobs Board, you can find it over on Substack here.

Timestamps:

00:25 The big debate: good year / bad year
 01:50 Why 2024 was overwhelming
 03:15 The Jobs Board experiment
 04:40 What kinds of jobs are coming in?
 06:00 UK vs. international jobs (and why some illustrators have upped their rates after seeing the budgets).
 07:15 What actually happens at a live illustration gig? Is it really 8 hours of solid drawing?
 08:30 What do clients want from a live illustrator?
09:40 The most requested topics: AI, data, and… scrubbing data with a sponge?
11:00 How much do clients pay for live illustration?
12:15 The tech side: Do you need to be a tech whiz to do this work?
13:30 Live illustration vs. fashion illustration gigs
14:45 The Jobs Board results so far
15:30 Should you try live illustration? The skills overlap with mapping, editorial, and even school visits
16:50 Katie’s Live Illustration Course is coming soon! (If this episode got you excited, stay tuned 🤓).

If you like the sound of the live illustration course, you can register your interest here.

See you next time! 

Byeee 🚢💨

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 🎙

"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!

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 🎙