The Illustration Department Podcast

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Artist and Caldecott Honor-winner, Mary GrandPré, about why she got into and out of a career in illustration; what she likes most about her art for Harry Potter; why it’s important for artists to keep exploring; and more. To learn more about Mary, visit marygrandpre.com . Artists mentioned in this episode include: Paul Klee , Wassily Kandinsky , Miró , Braque , Picasso...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Paper Cut and Silhouette Artist and Award-winning Illustrator, Janelle Washington, about the unexpected, multi-award winning beginning of her children’s book career; why she literary bleeds for her art; what she’s learned, through cut paper, about mental health; and more. To learn more about Janelle, visit washingtoncuts.com . Artists mentioned in this episode include:...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Holly Hoover, Art Director at Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, about what she looks for in an illustrator’s portfolio; why an illustrator would decline a publisher’s book offer; how to have a positive art director/illustrator relationship; and more. You can find Holly on LinkedIn . Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jen Corace , Chris Raschka , and Luisa Uribe...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Sara Frazetta, co-founder of Frazetta Girls, and granddaughter of Frank Frazetta, about her relationship with her grandpa; what Frazetta influenced, and who influenced him; what illustrators today can learn from Frazetta; and more. Learn more about Sara and Frazetta Girls at frazettagirls.com . You can buy Taschen’s The Fantastic Worlds of Frank Frazetta from their web...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to New Yorker Writer, Cartoonist, and Visual Journalist, Liza Donnelly, about her early days as a cartoonist; what James Thurber has meant to her, personally and professionally; how illustration—cartoons or otherwise—is the greatest form of communication; and more. To learn more about Liza, visit lizadonnelly.com . Artists mentioned in this episode include: R.O. Blechman...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Erica Rand Silverman, Senior Literary Agent at Stimola Literary Studio, about what she expects from a creative for a positive working relationship; and what it means to approach one’s art from a place of play. She also answers questions from podcast patrons about creating a book dummy; and more. To learn more about Erica, visit stimolaliterarystudio.com . To learn more...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Stephanie Alexander-Jinks, co-owner and agent at The Artworks Illustration Agency, about Stephanie’s transition from illustrator to agent; what stands out to her—positively and negatively—in  portfolios; what illustrators can do to increase their chances for success; and more. To learn more about Stephanie and her agency, visit theartworksinc.com . If you find value in...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and author, Craig Frazier, about Craig’s newest monograph, Drawn, and what he hopes the book can do for illustrators; how our time is precious—especially with the ones we love; what illustrators can do that AI and its prompters can never do; and more. To learn more about Craig, visit craigfrazier.com . To purchase Craig’s monograph, visit frazierbooks.com/o...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and author, Don Tate, about the reasons Black children’s book illustrators, historically, chose to or had to illustrate representationally; why physical fitness is vital for active creativity; why illustrators don’t have to draw every day; and more. To learn more about Don, visit dontate.com . Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jerry Pinkney , Leo a...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Vanessa Dina, Design Director at Chronicle Books, about some of Chronicle’s historical milestones, including how the iconic glasses logo came to be; how she finds and works with illustrators; why emailing art directors is easier than some illustrators think; and more. Vanessa can be found on LinkedIn . To learn more about the Chronicle Books Fellowship, visit designfel...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Stephanie Plunkett, Chief Curator at The Norman Rockwell Museum, Annie Lionni, granddaughter of Leo Lionni, Leonard Marcus, children’s book historian, and Steven Heller, design historian, about how and why they curated Between Worlds: The Art and Design of Leo Lionni; what Lionni was like outside of his work; what creatives today can learn from Lionni’s work and life;...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Janine Le, founder and agent at Janine Le Literary Agency, about how she became a literary agent; how the process of querying agents is far from ideal; what illustrators should do if they’re struggling to find an agent; and more. To learn more about Janine and her agency, visit janinele.com . Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jerry Pinkney , Peggy Rathmann , M...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator and author, Matthew Cordell, about why it took some persuading for Matthew to embark on a career in children’s books; why he was thinking about his father on the night of his Caldecott acceptance speech; why it’s okay if your illustrations are a little rough around the edges; and more. To learn more about Matthew, visit matthewcordel...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, Tony DiTerlizzi about how Dungeons & Dragons helped him along his journey as a professional creative; how other artists and illustrators guided his visual voice; why—no matter what challenge you face—you have to keep rolling the dice; and more. To learn more about Tony, visit diterlizzi.com . Artists mentioned i...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Manchester’s best known illustrator, Stanley Chow, about how fan art and Myspace helped kickstart his career; what challenges illustrators can face when raising a family; what it feels like to have your work criticized by a future President; and more. To learn more about Stanley, visit stanleychow.co.uk . If you find value in this podcast, consider becoming a paid subs...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to cartoonist, Julia Wertz about why illustrators should take themselves, but not their work, a little less seriously; why quitting isn’t necessarily a bad thing; why now is the time to spend less time on social media; and more. To learn more about Julia and her books, visit juliawertz.com . Artists mentioned in this episode include: Roz Chast , Lynda Barry , Mimi Pond ,...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Caldecott Medalist and Sibert Honoree, Jason Chin about the life and work of Trina Schart Hyman, and how she mentored Jason; how trusting others—and yourself—is vital for illustrators; why it’s a good idea for any creative to branch out and risk a little failure; and more. To learn more about Jason, visit jasonchin.net . Artists mentioned in this episode include: Trina...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Paige Braddock, Chief Creative Officer at Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, about the life and work of Charles Schulz, and what he was like as her mentor; what Schulz would have likely said about efforts today to ban and censor children’s books; why illustrators should be more detail-oriented; and more. To learn more about Paige, visit paigebraddock.com . Artists...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning, Hall of Fame illustrator, Brad Holland about the early days of Brad’s fifty-plus-year career; how he found bits and pieces of himself, artistically speaking; how he helped bring about the modern-day approach to editorial illustration; why his days as a supervisor at Hallmark taught him that “everything turns into a bunny sooner or later”; and more. To le...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning illustrator and author, Fred Blunt about why being “cartoony” is a good thing; how illustrators can know their style—cartoony or not—is theirs; what we can learn about the life and work of the great Ronald Searle; and more. Check out Fred’s work by visiting fredbluntillustration.com . Artists mentioned in this episode include: Quentin Blake , Dr. Seuss ,...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to cartoonist and illustrator, Robb Mommaerts, about why he still feels like an imposter; why illustrators should think a little less when creating art; how illustrators can draw things they’re too afraid to draw; and more. Check out Robb’s work by visiting instagram.com/robbmommaerts . The children’s book series, Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat was mentioned in this episo...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Emma Cheng, medical doctor turned illustrator, about why she transitioned from tending to patients to… painting tendons; what similarities doctors and illustrators share (including one that might make you sick); what illustrators can do to feel better; and more. To learn more about Emma, visit gallery.emmacheng.com . Artists mentioned in this episode include: Henry Van...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Dr. Rose Roberto, part-time lecturer and librarian at Bishop Grosseteste University, and Tamsin Rosewell, illustrator and bookseller about the removal of Kate Greenaway’s name from The Kate Greenaway Medal; why this renaming should alarm you; what you can do to bring back Kate Greenaway; and more. To sign Rose and Tamsin’s petition, visit ipetitions.com/petition/bring-...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to cartoonist, educator, and podcaster, Dan Berry about Dan’s podcast, “Make It Then Tell Everybody,” and why he chose to end it; how confidence is most certainly key to being an illustrator; what illustrators have that AI “prompt-smiths” don’t have (hint: ownership); and more. To learn more about Dan, visit Thingsbydan.co.uk . Artists mentioned in this episode include: R...

Giuseppe Castellano talks to New York Times best-selling artist and author, Rachel Ignotofsky about how she set up shop in the children’s book world; why you should probably stop breaking promises to yourself; how AI is “thought-labor abridged” and what illustrators can do to stay ahead of it; and more. To learn more about Rachel and her books, visit rachelignotofskydesign.com . Rachel mentioned t...