The Pencil Pushers Podcast

We welcome illustrator, author, and ArtCenter teacher Ellen Surrey about building a hand-drawn career with a mid-century, nostalgia-soaked visual language. Surrey describes growing up in Los Angeles with her father, Disney animator Michael Surrey (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, supervising animator for Timon in The Lion King), learning characters at home, and abandoning animation after finding it...

We welcome Ecuador-born, Los Angeles–based illustrator, toy maker, author, and filmmaker Chogrin, digging into a childhood marinated in American cartoons, Japanese fandom, and Latin American culture, plus early obsessions with drawing, He-Man, Turtles, Ghostbusters, fantasy films, and behind-the-scenes creature craft. Chogrin traces his path from art school in Philadelphia and a Cartoon Network in...

Today we sit down with master woodcarver and former Disney Imagineering artist Ray Kinman, whose nearly 50-year career started when he bluffed his way into carving a restaurant sign with borrowed money, no tools, and zero experience. Kinman describes feeling "untalented," getting sparked by one supportive art teacher, then derailed by another, dropping out at 15 amid family turmoil, going through...

Welcome folks as we sit down to chat with illustrator-author Luke Flowers, who's illustrated more than 60 children's books, including the million-selling Moby Shinobi series, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers , and storybook adaptations of The Muppet Christmas Carol and Jim Henson's Labyrinth . Flowers shares the story of growing up on a Colorado farm, discovering il...

We welcome the legendary lettering and graphic design artist Michael Doret, whose 5-decade career includes work for Kiss, the New York Knicks, Disney/Pixar, and Time Magazine covers now in the National Portrait Gallery. He talks about why he wrote Growing Up in Alphabet City, published in late 2024, and his wanting to tell his own story before someone else did. He also gets into how childhood visu...

Welcome folks as we interview letterpress designer, printer, and educator Daniel Swartz, who returned to rural northern Indiana after a 2020 life upheaval, building a new practice in his late grandfather's garage studio. Swartz describes growing up around creativity, studying art at Indiana Wesleyan, shifting from illustration toward design and typography, and teaching starting around 2007–2008. A...

Host Mike Rosado welcomes illustrator/designer/comic artist Nathaniel Long, a South Carolina-based creator from the Winston-Salem area whose early Spider-Man obsession and grandfather's drawings sparked a lifelong pull toward hand-drawn craft. Long talks about choosing traditional tools for their tactile reality, studying cinema production at Bob Jones University to sharpen visual storytelling, an...

Andrew Fairclough grew up skateboarding on the northeast coast of Australia, copying boards out of Rad Magazine, and winning a drawing contest in a skate publication at 12 years old. He went on to build a career designing for Nike, Billabong, and Rolling Stone before founding True Grit Texture Supply, whose brushes and textures are now used daily by some of the best illustrators in the world. In t...

The Pencil Pushers podcast interviews stop-motion animator/director Justin Rasch, who has worked for 30 years across games, TV, and film, including ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Guillermo del Toro's Oscar-winning Pinocchio, and now directs/writes/supervises at Stump Puppet Pictures while sharing process online. Rasch recounts growing up in Florida inspired by comics, classic cartoons,...

Host Mike Rosado welcomes designer/illustrator/author Jon Contino to the Pencil Pushers podcast to discuss Contino's upbringing on Long Island, his parents' craft-driven influence, and his early path from band flyers, cassette art, and self-taught HTML to charging for creative work at 14. Contino explains how his lifelong obsession with lettering, failed graffiti attempts, Photoshop experimentatio...

Mike Rosado interviews Raleigh-based illustrator and designer Ian Wenstrand about his highly detailed, vibrant illustrations blending cityscapes, technology, and imaginative world-building. Wenstrand describes drawing constantly as a kid, studying studio art at University of the Cumberlands (recruited to swim), and moving from production artist retouching roles into graphic design before illustrat...

Host Mike Rosado welcomes master penman Jake Weidmann to the Pencil Pushers Podcast to discuss his path from lifelong, largely self-taught drawing and sculpture to becoming the youngest certified Master Penman (at 26, in 2011). Weidman recounts being rejected from Biola University's art program, then regaining momentum through major commissions (including carving a family crest into moose antler)...

Host Mike Rosado interviews Maggie Richardson, niece of famed Disney concept artist and illustrator Mary Blair, about Blair's life, influence, and legacy. Richardson recalls childhood visits when Blair, living bi-coastally in New York and California, brought gifts and original art, and later memories tied to Disney's orbit, including Hazel George (Walt Disney's nurse and confidant) and riding the...

Host Mike Rosado welcomes Scott Johnson, president of Musgrave Pencil Company, and Creative Lead Tim Delger to discuss running and reimagining one of the oldest and last U.S. pencil factories. Scott shares his unusual path from engineering and infrastructure to leading the family-owned business, focusing on preserving customer loyalty, product quality, and upgrading a 1930s facility without losing...

In this episode of The Pencil Pushers Podcast, host Mike Rosado sit down with artist, writer, and creative director Will Carsola of Liquid Death to trace his path from drawing for laughs as a kid to shaping one of the boldest brands in modern marketing. Will talks about growing up mostly in Virginia, early influences like Garbage Pail Kids, and how humor became central to his voice as an artist. H...

In this inspiring episode of the Pencil Pushers podcast, host Mike Rosado interviews Walter C. Barnett, a designer, art director, and multidisciplinary creative known for his work in theater, sports, and entertainment. Walter shares his journey from growing up in Portsmouth, Virginia and Wilmington, North Carolina to discovering his passion for art and design in high school. He details his college...

In this episode of the Pencil Pushers Podcast, host Mike Rosado interviews Darrell Young, an illustrator, toy designer, and comic artist based in Chicago. Darrell shares his journey from a childhood passion for comics, cartoons, and toys in the 70s and 80s to becoming a professional artist with over 25 years of experience. He discusses his time in animation working on General Mills commercials, hi...

In this episode of the Pencil Pushers podcast, host Mike Rosado interviews illustrator Travis Knight, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Travis's work, inspired by vintage comics, punk zines, horror, and sci-fi, spans multiple mediums including painting, digital illustration, and sculpture. After a decade as a graphic designer, Travis transitioned full-time to illustration, landing clients such as N...

In this episode of the Pencil Pushers Podcast, host Mike Rosado engages in a detailed conversation with Charly Clements, a successful illustrator and educator. Charly shares her inspiring journey, starting from her university rejections in the UK to becoming a digital nomad currently based in Thailand. She discusses her transition from struggling to get into university due to a lack of direction,...

Host Mike Rosado sits down with veteran animator James Lopez, celebrating his 35+ years in animation. Lopez shares stories from his illustrious career at top studios like Disney and DreamWorks, touching upon classics like 'The Lion King' and 'The Princess and the Frog.' He dives into his advocacy for 2D animation, details the creation of his independent steampunk project 'Hullabaloo,' and offers a...

In this episode of the Pencil Pushers podcast, host Mike Rosado talks with Clint Campbell, Miné Jonker, and Brad Hodgkiss from the renowned Cape Town-based illustration studio, Studio Muti. The discussion covers the studio's origins, creative processes, and the team dynamics that make them successful. Founded in 2011, Studio Muti has become a powerhouse in global design, collaborating with brands...

Welcome to The Pencil Pushers Podcast. In this episode, I chat with the multitalented Armando "Mondo" Roque about his incredible journey from childhood robot doodles to designing iconic toys. Mondo takes us back to the '80s, reminiscing about sketching RoboTech battles as a kid and getting his start as a caricature artist at Knott's Berry Farm. He shares his winding educational path through multip...

In this episode, I sit down with Seth Kearsley, a veteran animation director, writer, and producer, to explore his incredible career. With over three decades in the industry, Seth has worked on fan-favorite shows like  The Maxx ,  The Simpsons , and  Dilbert , and directed Adam Sandler's  Eight Crazy Nights . We talk about his beginnings, discovering pencil and paper in his dad's truck, and the pa...

In this episode of the Pencil Pushers podcast, host Mike Rosado dives deep into the world of Looney Tunes with Jonathan Graves, the passionate host of 'This Means Podcast.' Covering everything from Bugs Bunny to Daffy Duck, they discuss the artists, animators, and history of the beloved cartoon series. Jonathan shares his journey from a childhood filled with Saturday morning cartoons to his effort...

In this episode of the Pencil Pushers podcast, host Mike Rosado interviews Judd Winick, a celebrated comic creator known for the Hilo series. The conversation covers Judd's diverse career in comics, animation, and reality TV. He reflects on his experience as a cast member of MTV's The Real World, the impact of his late friend Pedro Zamora, and his subsequent memoir 'Pedro and Me.' Judd shares insi...