The Illustration Department Podcast

Chris Sickels, also known as Red Nose Studio, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how he built his illustration career, from farm to drawing table; why he illustrates in three dimensions—and why he’s preparing for a day when editors no longer want “puppets” in their magazines. Also, Chris shares the secret to working alone, or as he put it, “running your own race”. To learn more about Chris, visit...

Andrew Fairclough—illustrator, designer, and founder of True Grit Texture Supply—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the early days of his career and the founding of True Grit; why he prefers limited color palettes; what illustrators can do to stay on their feet from a “knock-back”; and more. To learn more about Andrew, visit kindredstudio.net . To check out Andrew’s digital brushes, textures, and...

Illustrator and Printmaker, Frances Jetter, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how she wandered from photographing inmates at Rykers Island to starting an illustration career in the mid-1970’s. They discuss what it was like working with art directors in the 1980’s; why she hits political and social issues—hard; what illustrators can do to find authenticity; and more. To learn more about Frances, v...

Illustrator, Author, and Educator, David Soman, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how David got his first picture book job—despite not having a single illustration in his portfolio. They discuss the past and future of the beloved, Ladybug Girl books; the bad art advice coming from publishing professionals; painting with watercolor; teaching at the School of Visual Arts; and much more. To learn mo...

Matthew Carlson—Design Director at Adobe Creative Cloud—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about his role at Adobe, and how they responded to COVID-19; why Adobe, Facebook, Twitter, and the rest of Big Tech are so reliant on illustration; what the similarities and differences are between digital and traditional methods of creating art; and more. To learn more about Matthew, visit behance.net/dreamjar ....

Renowned Painter and Author, Greg Manchess, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the turbulent beginning of his artistic journey; why his 2017 groundbreaking graphic novel, Above the Timberline, is about searching for his father; how he processes failure; why oil painting and the perfection of imperfection have sustained his 40-year career; and more. To learn more about Greg, visit manchess.com . Gr...

Christine von der Linn—Director of Illustration Art at Swann Auction Galleries—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how she values traditional and digital illustration; whether important illustrations belong in a museum or in your dining room; why collectors are turning their attention to artists most of us never learned about in art school; and more. To learn more about Christine and Swann Auction...

Daniel Abraham—Attorney at Law—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about his career protecting the rights of artists. He shares how he and his small team reversed a 1986 tax law that destroyed an artists’s ability to deduct expenses; how gatekeepers attempt to separate artists from their art; why illustrators need to know the difference between “specs and terms”; how illustrators can protect—and make mon...

David Borgenicht—Owner and CEO of Quirk Books—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the founding, management, and future of Quirk Books; how his team looks for illustrators, and what they look for in illustration; whether Publishing saw its worst-case scenario in 2020; why a book is a much-needed companion as we try to survive whatever life throws at us; and more. To learn more about Quirk Books, vis...

Luke Flowers—illustrator, author, and self-described “creative cave-dweller”—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about why Jim Henson is a big part of Luke’s kindness and creativity; how he’s managed to illustrate more than 50 children’s books in less than a decade; how he lives with self-doubt and depression; and much more. Luke and Giuseppe also do their best impression of Kermit the Frog… To learn mor...

Lindsay Nohl, illustrator, educator, and founder of Light Grey Art Lab, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the founding of her gallery; how she curates exhibitions; why submitting artwork to competitions, exhibitions, and potential clients, involves paradoxical truths; what artists need to do if they want to be product designers; and more. To learn more about Lindsay and Light Grey, visit lightgre...

Julia Rosenfeld, Senior Designer at Penguin Young Readers Group, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the inner-workings of the children‘s book design department; working with Giuseppe as his former Design Assistant; what #mailersandcoffee was, and why it was important; how Julia looks for illustrators during the COVID19 pandemic; and much more. To learn more about Julia, visit juliarosenfeld.com ....

Jane O’Connor, children’s book author, and editor-at-large at Penguin Young Readers Group, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about her 50-year career. She shares her thoughts on mergers in Publishing; writing Fancy Nancy; creating the trend-setting, non-fiction series, Who Was?; working with Giuseppe as her art director; working with Gyo Fujikawa, Tomie dePaola and Peggy Rathmann; and so much more. To...

Author and Illustrator, Kazu Kibuishi, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the personal hardships and challenges he faced in becoming a graphic novelist; where comics and graphic novels stand, and where they should go; why doctors gave Kazu a 99% chance of dying in 2012, and how his near-death experience effects him now; what advice he has for comic book and graphic novel creators; and more. At the...

Award-winning cartoonist, John Cuneo, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about John’s career before and after his “artistic crisis”. They discuss how insecurity and anxiety drive wedges between an artist and their work; why John “goes there” with his “NSFW” illustrations; what role depression plays in John’s, and Giuseppe’s, lives; and much more. Before you listen to this episode, you should know : Sex,...

David Wiesner, illustrator, author, and 3-time Caldecott Medal-winner, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the path that led him to wordless picture books; how Maurice Sendak, James Marshall, Trina Schart Hyman, and other legends helped David feel like he “belonged”; how an “unplanned moment” led to his Caldecott-winning, Tuesday; what it was like to get the “Caldecott Call”; why the pictures in pi...

Debbie Bibo, the founder of Debbie Bibo Agency, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how and why she became a “picture book agent”; what she looks for in illustrators; and how “bad agents” are burning through illustrators’ good-will equity. She also answers questions from Patrons of the podcast about what illustrators should say in their queries; how to conduct oneself during an interview with an ag...

Illustrator, Author, and Illustration Teacher, James McMullan, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about his globe-trotting, but tragic, childhood; what his early days as an illustrator were like; why his philosophy on drawing—and the teaching of drawing—stems from intuition and humanization; why he thinks illustrators should embrace risk; and so much more. To learn more about James, visit jamesmcmullan....

Illustrator and Author, Sergio Ruzzier, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how he “broke into” children’s publishing; how Hieronymus Bosch, the Italian Renaissance, and Popeye influence his work; why watercolor is his medium of choice; what it was like living with Maurice Sendak; and so much more. Artists mentioned in this episode include: Hieronymus Bosch , Giotto , Simone Martini , Pietro and Am...

Martin Salisbury, Author and Professor of Illustration at Cambridge School of Art in Anglia Ruskin University, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about what led him to illustration; what illustrators should be thinking about when they think about children’s books; what makes a picture book “great” or “bad”; why Martin thinks illustrators should draw, and draw, and draw; and much more. Artists mentioned...

Founder of Purple Rain Illustrators, Ella Lupo, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how she became an agent; what it was like being an illustration agent in the late 1990’s; when illustrators should and shouldn’t chase “style” trends; how “bad agents” give “good agents” a bad name; how COVID19 is affecting the illustration community; and much more. To learn more about Ella, visit purplerainillustra...

Chief Curator and Curator of American Art at the Delaware Art Museum, Heather Campbell Coyle, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about examining and preserving the lives and work of illustrators; how the struggles of past illustrators continue to echo throughout time; what happens when the general public is asked to curate a museum; and much more. Artists mentioned in this episode include: John Sloan ,...

Curator of the Brandywine River Museum of Art, Amanda Burdan, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the Brandywine’s history, mission, and collection; how her team finds and curates art; how the Brandywine literally creates space for women in illustration; what it’s like living in “Wyeth Country”; and much more. Artists mentioned in this episode include: Newell Convers Wyeth , Andrew and Jamie Wyeth...

Illustrator/author, and native “Michigander”, Rebecca Green, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about her first steps as an illustrator; why you sometimes have to unlearn what you learned in art school; what she thinks about when she thinks about color; and how illustrators can navigate blocks and burnouts and breakdowns by following their own “creative compass”. To learn more about Rebecca and her work...

Illustrator, Cory Godbey, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how he balances illustration and parenthood; how personal projects—from sketchbook collections to a tribute website for Where the Wild Things Are—led Cory to landing prestigious client work (including The Dark Crystal for the Hensons); what it’s like to be bitten by the “Comparison Bug”—and how to be cured from it; and much more. To lear...