The Illustration Department Podcast

Matt Curtius

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Matt Curtius, illustrator at Gina and Matt, and educator at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, about how he and his wife, Gina Triplett, make art together; what it means to work within creative boundaries; what the benefit is of an active practice of making; and more.

To learn more about Matt, visit ginaandmatt.studio.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Gina Triplett, Martha Rich, Chris Buzelli, Olaf Hajek, Whitney Sherman, David Plunkert, Joyce Hesselberth, Leo and Diane Dillon, Melinda Beck, Jessica Hische, Penelope Dullaghan, John Martz, Scott Bakal, Richard Amsel, Helen Borten, Aliki Brandenberg, Brian Pinkney, Jerry Pinkney

Bob Eckstein

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to New York Times best-selling author, cartoonist, and educator, Bob Eckstein, about why we shouldn’t be “open” to AI; how an artist can know when their work of art is done; why Bob wants illustrators to worry less; and more.

To learn more about Bob, visit bobeckstein.com.

Find Bob on Substack.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Maira Kalman, Steve Brodner, Sam Gross, James Thurber, Charles Saxton, Bob Weber, George Booth, Bill Mauldin

If you find value in this podcast, consider becoming a paid subscriber on Substack, or a supporter on Patreon. On either platform, you will gain access to bonus episodes we call “Extra Credit”—among other perks and benefits. | Visit illustrationdept.com for offerings like mentorships and portfolio reviews, testimonials, our alumni showcase, and more. | Music for the podcast was created by Oatmello.

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Steve Brodner

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, caricaturist, journalist, author, educator, lecturer, and political commentator, Steve Brodner, about the alchemy of illustration; what he looks for in a portrait; who illustrators should really listen to; and more.

To learn more about Steve, visit stevebrodner.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Peter Kuper, Andrea Arroyo, Brad Holland, Greg Manchess, Yuko Shimizu, Anita Kunz, Herb Block, Al Hirschfeld, Jean-Jacques Sempé, Garry Trudeau, Milton Caniff, Jackson Pollock, Thomas Hart Benton, Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, Guy Billout, James McMullan, Ed Sorel, Gérard DuBois, Victor Juhasz, Joe Ciardiello, Alison Bechdel, Marjane Satrapi, Keith Knight, Mort Drucker, Jack Davis, Richard Williams, Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, Thomas Nast

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Axel Scheffler

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to renowned children’s book illustrator, Axel Scheffler, about the deep, dark mistake he made with The Gruffalo; what he thinks about his “imperfect” art style; why he prefers to be called a family book creator; and more.

To learn more about Axel, visit axelscheffler.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Posy Simmonds, Jean-Jacques Sempé, Tomi Ungerer, Judith Kerr, Lisa Brown, William Steig, Wolf Erlbruch, Maurice Sendak, Edward Gorey, N.C. Wyeth, Norman Rockwell, Janet Ahlberg, Alice and Martin Provensen, and Leo and Diane Dillon

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Robert Hunt

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning illustrator, and distinguished educator, Robert Hunt, about why illustrators should embrace “woodshedding”; how he created the DreamWorks logo; what the great Kazuhiko Sano meant to him, and to the illustration world at large; and more.

To learn more about Robert, visit roberthuntstudio.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: John Singer Sargent, London Ladd, Bruce Wolfe, David Grove, Andrew Loomis, George Bridgman, Robert Henri, Brian Stauffer, Marc Burckhardt, Bernie Fuchs, Bob Peak, Mark English, Thomas Blackshear

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N.C. Wyeth

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Amanda Burdan, Senior Curator at The Brandywine Museum of Art, about N.C. Wyeth’s early life; what led to the restoration and permanent exhibition of Wyeth’s The Apotheosis of the Family; what today’s illustrators can do for tomorrow’s curators; and more.

To learn more about the Brandywine, visit brandywine.org. For tours and the mural experience, visit brandywine.org/mural.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Howard Pyle, Jamie Wyeth, Norman Rockwell, J.C. Leyendecker, Stanley Arthurs, Harvey Dunn, Clifford Ashley, Violet Oakley, Thomas Hart Benton, George Bellows, Marsden Hartley

Photograph credit: N.C. Wyeth in Chadds Ford studio with central panel of Apotheosis mural, undated. Photograph by Earl C. Roper, Philadelphia, PA. E. Coe Kerr Collection, Walter & Leonore Annenberg Research Center, Brandywine Museum of Art. Gift of Betsy Wyeth, 2004.

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London Ladd

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, artist, and educator, London Ladd, about why he thinks “style” is a four-letter word; what and who helped him stay on his feet; how to keep going in life and art; and more.

To learn more about London, visit londonladd.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Mark English, Kazuhiko Sano, James Ransome, Romare Bearden, Ezra Jack Keats, Jerry Pinkney, Keith Henry Brown, G. Gregory Christie, Ashley Bryan, Ekua Holmes, Jackie Ormes, Tom Feelings, Ernie Barnes, Charles Henry Alston, John Parra

Photograph of London by Malcolm Taylor.

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Huck Scarry

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, author, and son of Patricia and Richard Scarry, Huck Scarry, about his father’s life and artistic process; how he approached Busytown—from color palettes to car accidents; what his advice would be for illustrators today; and more.

To learn more about Richard Scarry, visit richardscarry.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Stan Berenstain, Dr. Seuss, Will Eisner, Ashley Bryan, Van Kaufman, John Parr Miller, Alice and Martin Provensen, Aurelius Battaglia, and P.D. Eastman

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Whitney Sherman

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Whitney Sherman, illustrator, designer, and founding director of the MFA in Illustration Practice program at the Maryland Institute College of Art, about how she began her distinguished career as an educator; what it takes to survive a creative practice; why artists, of any discipline, should not be afraid of failure; and more.

To learn more about Whitney, visit whitneysherman.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jaleen Grove, Emily Flake, and William Morris

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Brian Selznick

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 13 May 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator and author, Brian Selznick, about Brian’s approach to illustration; what’s wrong about the “tap into your inner child” advice for writers; why you should only compare yourself to yourself; and more.

To learn more about Brian, visit brianselznick.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Chris Van Allsburg, David Macaulay, Fred Marcelino, Robert Innocenti, Nancy Burkhert, Maurice Sendack, Eric Beddows, Gustave Dore, Remy Charlip, and Edward Gorey

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The Bancroft Brothers

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 06 May 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to The Bancroft Brothers about how they approach character design; which lesser-known animation greats deserve more love; what it means to animate from the heart; and more.

Listen to The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast at bancroftbros.libsyn.com, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Alex Hirsch, Peter de Sève, Carter Goodrich, Glen Keane, Gustaf Tenggren, Retta Scott, Floyd Norman, Hayao Miyazaki, Jin Kim, Bill Peet, Gene Deitch, Randy Haycock, Mark Henn, Eric Goldberg, and Stephen Silver

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Jessie Kanelos Weiner

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, author, and educator, Jessie Kanelos Weiner, about the healing properties of watercolor; what it means, with respect to mental health, to be “the movement”; what three words all creatives need to hear; and more.

To learn more about Jessie and her book, Thinking in Watercolor, visit jessiekanelosweiner.net.

In this episode, Giuseppe’s Substack post, What is Illustration, Anyway? is mentioned. You can read it here.

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Charly Palmer

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning illustrator, fine artist, and dreamer, Charly Palmer, about why he focuses on doing better, and on putting love out into the world; why artists should work on their relationship with their art; why he thinks there’s no such thing as a self-taught artist; and more.

To learn more about Charly, visit charlypalmer.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Ezra Jack Keats, Ernest Crichlow, Lois Mailou Jones, Mark English, Bernie Fuchs, Bart Forbes, and Norman Rockwell

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Edward Gorey

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to the folks behind The Edward Gorey House (as well as other Gorey fanatics and aficionados) about the life, work, and house of Edward Gorey.

The first half of this episode was recorded at Gorey’s 100th birthday gala, which was held at The Mansion at Ocean Edge in Brewster, Massachusetts. Special thanks go to The Edward Gorey House’s director and curator, and assistant director and curator, Gregory Hischak and Coco Raymond.

To learn more about The Edward Gorey House, visit edwardgoreyhouse.org.

Photograph by Richard Avedon / © The Richard Avedon Foundation

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Michael Dante DiMartino

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to writer, producer, and co-creator of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra, Michael Dante DiMartino, about the challenges he faced in self-publishing his young adult novel, Both Here and Gone; how he weaves emotions like grief, depression, and anger into appealing stories for a young audience; how artists can bring balance to their creative lives; and more.

To learn more about Michael, and his novel, visit michaeldantedimartino.com.

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Skylar Smith

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Skylar Smith, Professor of Liberal Arts at the Ringling College of Art and Design, about why there’s no time like the present to start learning about illustration history; whether an illustration is fully complete without the interpretation of an audience; what Generative AI and a lawsuit by Albrecht Dürer have in common; and more.

You can find Skylar on LinkedIn.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jules Feiffer, Norman Rockwell, George Petty, Miné Okubo, Arthur Szyk, J.C. Leyendecker, Al Parker, Saul Tepper, Norman Bridwell, Beatrix Potter, Todd McFarlane, James Montgomery Flagg, Seymour Chwast, Hilary Knight, Ashley Bryan, Tomi Ungerer, Tex Avery, Eric Carle, George Herriman, Caravaggio, and Albrecht Dürer

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Robin Preiss Glasser

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to New York Times bestselling illustrator, Robin Preiss Glasser, about how she worked with Jane O’Connor on Fancy Nancy (and how close Nancy came to a horrible death); what “the buzz” is, and why artists should not listen to it; what art can do and be in times of hardship and pain; and more.

To learn more about Robin, visit robinpreissglasser.com.

You can listen to Giuseppe’s podcast chat with Jane O’Connor here.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Hilary Knight, Bernadette Watts, Susan Guevara, Adrienne Adams, Reginald Marsh, Jules Feiffer, E.H. Shepard, Shirley Hughes, and Gabrielle Vincent

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Brian Biggs

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to author, illustrator, designer, and educator, Brian Biggs, about how reinvention can play a part in one’s creative life; what it means to be a victim of your own success; whether or not creative types need to be inspired (if inspiration even exists); and more.

Learn more about Brian at brianbiggs.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Mike Lowery, Sarah Walsh, Traci Todd, Andrew Fairclough, Matt Cordell, Jon Klassen, Edward Gorey, and Brian Floca

Books mentioned in this episode include: Stephen King’s On Writing and Jeff Tweedy’s How to Write One Song

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Andrew Leung

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to concept artist, designer, and filmmaker, Drew Leung, about what storytelling has to do with concept art; what the key difference is between GenAI and actual concept artists; why it’s important for any artist to remember why they wanted to be an artist to begin with; and more.

To learn more about Drew, visit anihaus.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Karla Ortiz, Vicki Pui, and Craig Mullins

Giuseppe mentioned Angel Hernandez as being one of the worst Major League Baseball umpires of all time. He is. It’s true. Here’s proof.

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Kathryn Humphries

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Kathryn Humphries, Art Director at Harper’s Magazine, about how she finds, keeps track of, and works with illustrators; why AI images are not gracing the pages of Harper’s; what it means to use “unexpected” color palettes; and more.

Kathryn can be found on Instagram.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Shepard Fairey and Stephen Kroninger

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Michael Mrak

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Michael Mrak, Creative Director for Scientific American, about how often (and where) he looks for illustrators; why he chooses not to not use AI for SciAm’s illustration needs; why the need for good, smart, human-made illustration isn’t going away anytime soon; and more.

Michael can be found on LinkedIn.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jerome Snyder, Boris Artzybasheff, Heath Robinson, Roger Hayward, Ben Shahn, Stanley Meltzoff, Yuko Shimizu, Brian Stauffer, and Sam Falconer

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Toby Fox

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 14 May 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Toby Fox, Deputy Art Director at Rolling Stone, about what A.I. imagery really is (it’s not art); how stylistically open the field of editorial illustration is—for the print or digital space; how creative inspiration can come from anywhere; and more.

To learn more about Toby, visit tobyfoxdesign.com. Her Instagram is instagram.com/twodogfox.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Louise Fili, Matt Mahurin, Brad Holland, Jules Feiffer, Klaas Verplancke, and Al Hirschfeld

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Jill Pratzon

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Jill Pratzon, founder of Pratzon Art Restoration, Illustrator, and Graphic Novelist, about what it takes to restore and conserve the art of Winsor McCay, George Herriman, and other giants of illustration; what she learns about artists’ lives through examining their art; what the key to being an illustrator is, beyond talent and skill; and more.

To learn more about Jill, visit jillpratzon.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Norman Rockwell, Steven Guarnaccia, Minerva Durham, Dave Passalacqua, Henrik Drescher, Fred Taraba, Harry Beckhoff, Edwin Austin Abbey, Frank Brangwyn, Dean Cornwell, William Merritt Chase, James Montgomery Flagg, Winsor McCay, George Herriman, Jessie Willcox Smith, J.C. Leyendecker, E.M. Jackson, Haddon Sundblom, Howard Pyle, Henriette Pyle, Neysa McMein, Vernon Grant, Victor Juhasz, Charles Addams, John Held Jr., Austin Briggs, Heinrich Kley, Ralph Steadman, Jules Feiffer, Bob McGuiness, and Lorraine Fox

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Naomi Kirsten

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Naomi Kirsten, Senior Editor at Chronicle Books, about what it means to create children’s books with heart and a “felt sense”; what role “the market” and “trends” play in her acquisition process; why the term “kid-friendly” has no place in kids’ books; and more.

To learn more about Naomi and the books she edits, visit naomikirsten.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Anders Arhoj and Benjamin Chaud

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Antonia Markiet

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 09:54:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Antonia Markiet, retired Editorial Director for HarperCollins Children’s Books, about her early days as an editor at Harper & Row; what illustrators should do if they want to be great; why Maurice Sendak’s newest book, Ten Little Rabbits, was published more than a decade after his passing; and more.

Find Ten Little Rabbits at your favorite library or bookstore.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Maurice Sendak, Shel Silverstein, Eric Carle, Lois Ehlert, H.A. Rey, Victoria Kann, Brooke Goffstein, Chris Van Allsburg, David Wiesner, Ivan Chermayeff, Fred Marcellino, and Mercer Meyer

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Mary GrandPré

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 05:00:00 GMT

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, Matisse, S. Neil Fujita, Albizu, Chagall, Dalí, Fra Angelico, Giotto, Titian, and Pontormo

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Sara Frazetta

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 05:00:00 GMT

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 website.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Titian, N.C. Wyeth, Mark Taylor, Hal Foster, Milton Caniff, and Joseph Clement Coll

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Liza Donnelly

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 05:00:00 GMT

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, Mort Gerberg, Whitney Darrow, Jr., Charles Addams, James Thurber, Ethel Plummer, Ilonka Karasz, Helen Hokinson, Barbara Shermund, Roberta Macdonald, Lorraine Fox, Michael Maslin, and Barry Blitt

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Erica Rand Silverman

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 26 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT

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 about Stimola Live, visit stimolalive.com.

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Craig Frazier

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT

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/order-book.

I hope you enjoy our conversation. Artists mentioned in this episode include: Don Weller, Milton Glaser, Heinz Edelmann, John Hersey, Brian Cronin, Michael Mabry, Ivan Chermayeff, Paul Rand, Leo Lionni, Brad Holland, Alan Cober, Christoph Niemann, and Heath Robinson

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Leo Lionni

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT

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; and more.

To learn more about Leo Lionni, visit leolionni.com.

To learn more about Between Worlds: The Art and Design of Leo Lionni visit nrm.org.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Robert McCloskey, Eric Carle, Willem de Kooning, Fernand Léger, Alexander Calder, Massimo Vignelli, David Macaulay, Chris Van Allsburg, David Wiesner, and Brian Selznick

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Janine Le

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT

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, Maurice Sendak, Arnold Lobel, and Steven Kellogg

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Julia Wertz

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT

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, and Aline Kominsky-Crumb

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Fred Blunt

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT

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, P.D. Eastman, Ronald Searle, André Francois, Ed Benedict, and David McKee

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Robb Mommaerts

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT

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 episode. They were designed and art directed by Lynn Portnoff—the incomparable Executive Art Director of Penguin Workshop.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Frank Frazetta, Jim Davis, Aaron Blecha, Cory Loftis, Tony DiTerlizzi, Nico Marlet, Sergio Aragonés, and Paul Coker Jr.

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Rachel Ignotofsky

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT

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 the Electronic Frontier Foundation. You can learn more about them here.

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Ellen Keiter

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 30 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Ellen Keiter, Chief Curator of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, about the life and work of Eric Carle, and the origin story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar; why the curation of illustration may look very different in the very near future; what illustrators should start doing today if they want their work to be in a museum tomorrow; and more.

To learn more about Ellen and The Carle, visit carlemuseum.org.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Leo Lionni, Arnold Lobel, Susanne Suba, Leonard Weisgard, Virginia Lee Burton, Remy Charlip, Kuniko Craft, and Ekua Holmes

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Melissa Sweet

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, author, and Maine Master Naturalist, Melissa Sweet about the “convoluted” beginning of her children’s book career; why it’s a good idea for illustrators to care just a little less about their work; why all you need is a color wheel and a complement when it comes to working with color; and more.

To learn more about Melissa and her books, visit melissasweet.net.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Beatrix Potter and Robert Spellman

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Lisa Kollins

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Lisa Kollins, Founder and Executive Director of The Superhero Project, about the origin story of The Superhero Project; what healing, empowering, and joy-bringing force illustration can be for children with illnesses and disabilities; how illustrators can work with Lisa; and more.

To learn more about Lisa and The Superhero Project, visit superheroprojectkids.org.

If you would like to join the “League of Extraordinary Artists”, check out this YouTube video. The Superhero Project’s Artist Inquiry Form can be found here.

The Superhero Project has limited funding available to provide honoraria for young and emerging BIPOC artists and artists with disabilities who are interested in participating. To apply for their Artist Equity Program, visit docs.google.com/forms/d/e/.

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Carter Goodrich

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, character designer, and author, Carter Goodrich about his creative process—and why he finds it difficult to talk about his creative process; what his approach to character design is with animated films like Prince of Egypt, Shrek, and Despicable Me; why an artist moving through their career is like a leaf floating down a river; and more.

To learn more about Carter, visit cartergoodrich.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Nico Marlet, Chris Van Allsburg, David Macaulay, Akira Arita, Buck Lewis, Peter de Sève, Carlos Grangel, Vera Brosgol, Remy Charlip, Uri Shulevitz, Frank Frazetta, and Mort Drucker

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Jutta Bauer

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and author, Jutta Bauer, about how she went from being a “bad pupil” to building a multi-award-winning career in illustration; what she has liked and disliked most about her career; whether illustrators today can change the world; and more.

To learn more about Jutta, visit jutta-bauer.info.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Axel Scheffler, Tove Jansson, Tomi Ungerer, Jean-Jacques Sempé, and Friedrich Karl Waechter

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Dr. David R. McDuff

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Dr. David R. McDuff, sports psychiatrist and faculty member at the University Of Maryland’s School Of Medicine, about his role as a mental preparation trainer for the Baltimore Orioles; what simple, doable, healthy routines help manage anxiety and stress; why athletes and artists should accept the positive energy fear can bring into their lives; and more.

To learn more about David and his practice, visit mdsports.net. Read Giuseppe’s article on the similarities between baseball and illustration on his blog.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: James Hartzell

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Jason Chatfield

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Jason Chatfield, Cartoonist, Comedian, and President of the National Cartoonists’ Society, about what illustrators can learn from Jason’s multi-hat-wearing ways; how comedians and cartoonists are cut from the same cloth; how illustrators are not alone in the fight against art theft from AI-image generators; and more.

To learn more about Jason, visit jasonchatfield.com.

You can follow Jason’s Substack at newyorkcartoons.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Ed Sorel, Rube Goldberg, Michael de Adder, Rob Rogers, Barry Blitt, Thomas Nast, Herb Block, Etta Hulme, Tom Floyd, Pat Oliphant, Jeff MacNelly, Tom Richmond, Jack Davis, and Sarah Andersen

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Steven Heller

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to author, former New York Times art director of the Op-Ed page and Book Review, and co-chair of the SVA MFA Designer as Entrepreneur program, Steven Heller.

Steven talks about the early years of his career at the New York Times, and why the word “legacy” is on his mind; what he was looking for in an illustrator’s portfolio—beyond their ability to draw and paint; why he wrote more than seventy obituaries for illustrators, and why he stopped; and more.

This was recorded in Steven and Louise Fili’s Manhattan home (with a surprise appearance by Louise).

To learn more about Steven, visit hellerbooks.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Roz Chast, Seymour Chwast, Milton Glaser, Marshall Arisman, Harvey Kurtzman, Tom Wolfe, Ed Koren, Peter Sís, Brad Holland, Henrik Drescher, Sue Coe, Frances Jetter, Barbara Nessim, Bascove, Steven Guarnaccia, Jules Feiffer, Ronald Searle, Bernie Fuchs, James Flora, Alan Cober, Leo Lionni, Tibor Kalman, Edward Gorey, Saul Steinberg, Maurice Sendak, Philip Guston, Guy Billout, and Christoph Niemann

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C.F. Payne

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 27 Dec 2022 12:45:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and educator, C.F. Payne about the early years of his illustration career, and how a frustrating portfolio review became a turning point; why he defines illustration as “art done under the circumstances”; why “get good” is the best piece of advice illustrators will ever hear; and more.

To learn more about C.F., visit cfpayne.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Bart Forbes, Norman Rockwell, Charles Schulz, Steve Pietzsch, Sean Earley, Christina Wald, Stewart McKissick, Chris Morris, Alice Carter, Mark Summers, Frank Frazetta, Jack Unruh, Jon Foster, Tara McPherson, Mark English, Gary Kelley, Jon Whitcomb, and Bob Peak

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Bryan Collier

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 23:55:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and author, Bryan Collier about how he dealt with years of rejection and coded racism from publishers; why he thinks there is “no landing place for an illustrator”; what it means to be a “dream walker”; and more.

To learn more about Bryan, visit bryancollier.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Ezra Jack Keats, Crockett Johnson, Ernie Barnes, Tom Feelings, and Jerry Pinkney

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R. Gregory Christie

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to multi-award-winning illustrator, R. Gregory Christie about how his illustration career got its start with the help of a local dance club; why illustrators would do well to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset; what Greg’s three keys are to making it as an illustrator; and more.

To learn more about Greg, visit: rgregorychristie.com

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Ernie Barnes, Ashley Bryan, Jerry Pinkney, Floyd Cooper, Romare Bearden, and Ben Shahn

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Kennett Square Arts Festival

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to organizers and artists involved with the first annual Kennett Square Arts Festival, in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

The organizers explain why proceeds from the fair are needed to support a new library, and how libraries are funded.

The artists share their experiences with exhibiting at festivals and fairs; why collecting emails from attendees is of utmost importance; why artists might want to consider doing pet portraits; what needs to be done to keep art from blowing into a river (literally); and more.

You can donate to the construction of Kennett Square’s new library by visiting their website.

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The Illustration Department’s Illustrators’ Day

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to the attendees of The Illustration Department’s Illustrators’ Day in this “campfire” episode.

Recorded on September 24, 2022, the attendees explain why they chose illustration as a profession; why authors should never say “my illustrator” (with help from illustration collector and author, Roger Reed); what frustrates them most about being an illustrator; and more.

The sound is a little off, but what the attendees share—their wisdom, insight, and advice—is excellent.

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Loren Long

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and author, Loren Long about the early days of his illustration career, and why being a children’s book illustrator was not part of the plan; how he paints with color blindness; why he feels like he’s still trying to figure things out with his art; and more.

To learn more about Loren, visit lorenlong.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Frederic Remington, Charles Russell, Maynard Dixon, N.C. Wyeth, Gary Kelley, Mark English, Brad Holland, Leo and Diane Dillon, Alice and Martin Provensen, David Shannon, C.F. Payne, Chris Van Allsburg, Virginia Lee Burton, Wanda Gág, Gustaf Tenggren, Lois Lenski, George and Doris Hauman, Kadir Nelson, and Robert McCloskey

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Alice A. Carter

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to artist, author, and educator, Alice A. Carter about the life and love of Red Rose Girls—Jessie Willcox Smith, Elizabeth Shippen Green, Violet Oakley, and Elizabeth Cozens—and the scandal that broke them apart; why there’s been a disparity between women and men in the illustration Hall of Fame; why it’s important to view contemporary illustration through an historical lens; and more.

You can connect with Alice on LinkedIn.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Charles Dana Gibson, J.C. Leyendecker, Norman Rockwell, Al Parker, Lorraine Fox, Jesse Willcox Smith, John R. Neil, Ludwig Bemelmans, Dennis Nolan, Giotto, C.F. Payne, Violet Oakley, Elizabeth Shippen Green, Ethel Franklin Betts, Richard Amsel, Steven and Timothy Quay, Mel Ramos, Mort Drucker, Maxfield Parrish, Rose O’Neill, Vincent Van Gogh, Edwin Austin Abbey, Howard Pyle, and Franklin Booth

After the conversation, Alice sent an email about what AI-generated imagery is and isn’t for illustrators:

I recalled how the Disney animators refused to work on Tron because they thought that CGI would be the end of animation. Bill Kroyer, Syd Mead, and Jean (Moebius) Geraud took the plunge and as it turned out, theirs was the right decision.
So (in my opinion) students shouldn’t be intimidated by any new technology. Nothing has changed in 60,000 years except that we’re more likely to draw with pixels than with charcoal.

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Chris Sasaki

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to animation director, production designer, and illustrator, Chris Sasaki about how he found his way—in spite of multiple rejections—into the animation world; what he learned about character design from working at Pixar; why drawing in a sketchbook would be his ideal full-time job; and more.

To learn more about Chris, visit Chris Sasaki.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Stephen Gammell, Chris Turnham, Bill Peet, Mary Blair, Carter Goodrich, and Peter de Sève

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Jacqueline Lipton

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 10 May 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Jacqueline Lipton, founding agent at Raven Quill Literary Agency, and faculty member at The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Law. Among other topics, she explains what copyright is and isn’t for creators; how artists can legitimately protect their work; why “fear of the law” shouldn’t stop one from being creative; and more.

Jacqueline is closed to submissions. However, you can send your query to her… but only if you listen to this conversation.

To learn more about Jacqueline, visit jlipton.com.

To learn more about Raven Quill Literary Agency, visit ravenliterary.com.

Giuseppe and Jacqueline discuss her book, Law and Authors: A Legal Handbook for Writers. You can (and should) purchase it here.

Jacqueline mentioned Helen Sedwick’s book, Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook. Here’s more on Helen and her book.

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Emma D. Dryden

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Emma D. Dryden—founder of drydenbks, a children’s editorial and publishing consultancy—about what it was like to work alongside one of the great children’s book editors of all time, Margaret K. McElderry; what led Emma to forming drydenbks, after an illustrious career as an editor and publisher; why we should separate our job title from our identity; why you CAN write children’s books in rhyme; and more.

To learn more about Emma and what she offers children”s book creators, visit drydenbks.com.

To learn more about Margaret K. McElderry, her history, and her legendary colleagues, read this article.

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The 150th Episode

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 07:00:00 GMT

This is our 150th Episode! To celebrate, Giuseppe Castellano has compiled short highlights from Episodes 101 to 149.

If this is the first time you’ve listened to our podcast, you’ll hear from illustrators, agents, art directors, editors, publishers, and more.

Through these 49 episodes, we covered a wide range of topics, including: best practices in building a portfolio and submitting it to art directors; the many varied paths our colleages have taken to find their illustration career; the power of illustration; and beating imposter syndrome and creative blocks.

Our guests were (in order): Sari Levy-Schorr, Janna Morishima, Rashin Kheiriyeh, Ellen Kokontis, Darryl Cheng, Kay Fraser, David Macaulay, Ariel Schrag, Kirk Benshoff, Laura Roode, Giselle Potter, Liz Frances, Ben Zhu, Ren Renwick, Mela Bolinao, Vesper Stamper, Dave McMahon, Shaun Tan, John Hendrix, Richard Solomon, Traci Todd, Karen Katz, Guy Billout, Roy Freeman, Lauren Flower-Kim, Christopher A. Brown, Melissa Iwai, Lane Smith, Flavia Zorrilla Drago, Mary Azarian, Daniel Miyares, Tim Mendola, Mark Summers, Barry Moser, Richard Michelson, Emily Arnold McCully, Jane Dyer, Angela Navarra, Olivia Verdugo, Kellee Riley, Patrick Spaziante, Barbara McClintock, Judy Schachner, Maria Modugno, Nicole Tugeau, Greg Foley, Kat Irannejad, Arsh Raziuddin, and Roz Chast.

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Roz Chast

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Roz Chast, long-time cartoonist for The New Yorker, about the early days of her fifty-year career; what tricks she uses to work through anxiety and artist’s block; what Helen Hokinson and other women cartoonists throughout history have meant to Roz; and more.

To learn more about Roz, visit rozchast.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Lynda Barry, Sam Gross, Jules Feiffer, Stan Mack, Mark Alan Stamaty, Ethel Plummer, Mary Petty, Ilonka Karasz, Helen Hokinson, Barbara Shermund, Roberta MacDonald, and Charles Addams

Roz quotes Bartleby. You can read the full story, Bartleby, the Scrivener, by Herman Melville, here.

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Kat Irannejad

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Kat Irranejad—Co-Founder and Executive Agent at Snyder—about work ethic and entrepreneurship through the lens of being a First Generation American; how illustrators can use Instagram in a healthy, productive way; why we need to be our first, best advocate; and more.

To learn more about Kat and Snyder, visit wearesnyder.com.

Kat wrote a blog post about the intersection of Instagram and Commercial Art. Read it here.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Kelli Anderson, Alice Neel, Philip Burke, Victor Juhasz, Robert Grossman, Drew Friedman, Barry Blitt, Libby VanderPloeg, Lulu Xiao, and Aurélia Durand

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Judy Schachner

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning illustrator and writer, Judy Schachner, about how having an imagination saved her life—especially during a difficult childhood; why her first steps as an author included lying to editors; what the late, great Anna Dewdney meant to her; and more.

To learn more about Judy, visit judithbyronschachner.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Arthur Rackham, Calvin Burnett, Ed Emberley, Alice and Martin Provensen, Aubrey Beardsley, Carl Larsson, Ivan Bilibin, Trina Schart Hyman, E.H. Shepard, Anna Dewdney

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Barbara McClintock

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to best-selling illustrator and author, Barbara McClintock, about how Maurice Sendak—literally—helped her begin her children’s book career (including portfolio advice every illustrator should follow); why starting any creative project is the hardest hurdle to jump; how illustrators can process rejections in a positive way; and more.

To learn more about Barbara, visit barbaramcclintockbooks.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Maurice Sendak, Albrecht Dürer, Jean-Jacques Sempé, Walter Shandoah, J. J. Grandville, Honoré Daumier, and Eugène Delacroix

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Kellee Riley

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, Kellee Riley, about how she became a copy artist for Holly Hobby, Dora the Explorer, and other properties; what a copy artist is, and why it deserves more respect from the illustration community; how having just a little bit of confidence—no matter what kind of art you create—can go a long way; and more.

To learn more about Kellee, visit kelleeriley.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Pernille Ørum, Loish van Baarle, Ross Tran, and Brian Kesinger

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Jane Dyer

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, Jane Dyer, about the early days of her decades-long career; how believing in yourself is difficult, but necessary, if you want to be an illustrator; what it’s like to lose your serenity after a traumatic event, and what it takes to find it again; and more.

To learn more about Jane, visit janedyerchildrensbooks.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Charles Mikolaycak, Marc Brown, Barry Moser, Lauren Mills, Dennis Nolan, Maurice Sendak, Maxfield Parrish, Jesse Willcox Smith, and Maud and Miska Petersham

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Flavia Zorrilla Drago

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 07:00:00 GMT

Illustrator and author, Flavia Zorilla Drago, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about creating art outside of one‘s culture; how artists are being placed into diversity “boxes,” and by whom; why it can be difficult for artists to accept praise; and more.

To learn more about Flavia, visit flaviazdrago.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Becky Palmer, Elys Dolan, Katherina Manolessou, Javier Mariscal, Miguel Covarrubias, Hieronymus Bosch, Gabriel Pacheco, and Alfonso Ruano

Flavia mentioned the term “malinchista” when referring to being influenced by work outside of Mexico. Here is the fascinating origin of that term.

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Lane Smith

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Caldecott-winning illustrator and author, Lane Smith, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how he went from illustrating an album cover for Oingo Boingo, to publishing his first picture book; what he doesn’t like about the term “kid-friendly” when describing kids’ books; why he works in multiple styles and media; and more.

To learn more about Lane, visit lanesmithbooks.com.

Lane and Giuseppe spoke at length about Grandpa Green—which earned Lane a Caldecott Honor in 2012. You can buy it here.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Stan Lee, Georganne Dean, Matt Mahurin, Greg Spalenka, Peggy Rathmann, James Marshall, Ludwig Bemelmans, Edward Gorey, Józef Wilkoń, Tomi Ungerer, Maurice Sendak, Alice and Martin Provensen. Ralph Steadman, William Joyce, Chuck Jones, Henrik Drescher, Etienne Delessert, Rita Marshall, Jon Klassen, Keith Haring, Charles Schulz, WIlliam Steig, Grandma Moses, and Leo Lionni

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Melissa Iwai

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Illustrator and author, Melissa Iwai, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the meandering journey that led her to becoming an illustrator and author—with a little help from Richard Scarry; how she reclaimed her identity, her joy, and her drawing hand; why it’s a good idea to create art—not for a portfolio piece or social media—but for yourself; and more.

To learn more about Melissa, visit melissaiwai.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Richard Scarry

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Christopher A. Brown

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Christopher A. Brown—Special Collections Curator for the Children’s Literature Research Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how a lie helped him become a librarian; who decides what books belong in a library; why he thinks revolutions are recorded in children’s literature; and more.

To learn more about the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Children’s Literature Research Collection, visit FreeLibrary.org/clrc.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Chris Van Allsburg, Martha Rich, David Wiesner, Anna Whelan Betts, Jessie Willcox Smith, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Carolyn Haywood, and Katherine Milhous

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Roy Freeman

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Roy Freeman—scientist, artist, author, publisher, and son of Don Freeman—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about Don’s life before Corduroy; how Roy found peace with the difficult relationship he had with his father; what advice Don would share with illustrators were he alive today; and more.

To learn more about Roy and Don Freeman, visit donfreeman.info.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Al Hirschfeld, Jackson Pollack, David Edward Byrd; Beauford Delaney, and Beatrix Potter

Roy and Giuseppe talk about a short documentary of Don, his wife Lydia, and their working relationship.

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Karen Katz

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Karen Katz talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the life choice that sparked her prolific career as a children’s book creator; why working in one style might not be a good idea for illustrators; what three words have helped her navigate life, parenting, and art; and more.

To learn more about Karen, visit karenkatz.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Faith Ringgold and Lois Ehlert

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Traci Todd

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 11:01:00 GMT

Author and long-time children’s book editor, Traci Todd, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the editorial process—from her experiences as the head of multiple editorial departments; how “original” trade publishing relies on Pokemon, SpongeBob, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; what a 1975 article by Augusta Baker can teach us about the future of diversity in children’s publishing; and more.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Mariko Tamaki, Jacob Chabot, Christian Robinson, Vera B. Williams, and Don Tate

Traci and Giuseppe talk about Augusta Baker’s 1975 article, The Changing Image of the Black in Children's Literature. You can read it here.

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Richard Solomon

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Artist Representative, Richard Solomon, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about his forty-year career as an illustration agent; why he has never asked an illustrator to sign a contract with him—and never will; what the word “quality” means; what he wants etched on his gravestone (and why it matters to illustrators); and more.

To learn more about Richard and his agency, visit richardsolomon.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Greg Manchess, Alexander Calder, Frans Hals, Mark Summers, Doug Smith, and Francis Bacon

Richard was as screenwriter before he became an agent. One script he wrote was called The 16th Round. It would eventually become a movie—starring Denzel Washington—called, The Hurricane. Here is the trailer.

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John Hendrix

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Illustrator, Author, and Professor, John Hendrix, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the lessons he learned from the early days of his illustration career; how his religious faith intersects with his art (and why he thinks “God is dunking” on him); what baseball can teach us about working as an illustrator; and more.

To learn more about John, visit johnhendrix.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Barry Fitzgerald, Marshall Arisman; Milton Glaser, Seymour Chwast, Steven Heller, Grant Wood, Chris Van Allsburg, and Marjane Satrapi

Giuseppe mentioned an blog post he wrote about the similarities between baseball and illustration. You can read it here.

John is the Chair of the MFA Illustration and Visual Culture Program at Washington University in St. Louis. To learn more about the program, visit samfoxschool.wustl.edu.

John and Giuseppe spoke about the intersection of Faith and Art in John’s books. One such title is The Holy Ghost: A Spirited Comic, from Abrams ComicArts.

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Giselle Potter

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Illustrator, Giselle Potter, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how an embarrassing trip to the New Yorker launched her career; how she finds stability as a professional illustrator; why it’s good to have a little perspective—especially when you feel like giving up; and more.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Giotto, Fra Angelico, and Beatrix Potter

To learn more about Giselle and her work, visit gisellepotter.com.

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Kirk Benshoff

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Kirk Benshoff, Art Director at First Second (an imprint of Macmillan Publishers), talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the graphic novel boom; how he and his team at First Second work with graphic novel creators; and what he wishes everyone would know about graphic novels.

This episode covers the nuts and bolts of publishing a graphic novel, including: the timeline from acquisition to proofing, the art process, speech bubbles, visual techniques, trim sizes, pages count, and more.

To learn more about Kirk, visit kirkbenshoff.com.

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Janna Morishima

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Janna Morishima, Illustration and Literary Agent & Founder of Kids Comics Unite, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how she co-founded Graphix—Scholastic’s Graphic Novel imprint; why she thinks the current graphic novel boom is only the beginning; what she looks for in illustrators’ portfolios; what rules to break when querying agents; and more.

If you are planning on submitting a graphic novel to a publisher or agent… the end of this episode is for you.

To learn more about Janna and her agency, visit jannaco.com. You can email Janna at janna@jannaco.co.

You can also connect with Janna inside Kids Comics Unite, the online community she founded for graphic novel creators.

Janna mentioned an blog post by Rachel Reichenbach (aka “Rainy Lune”) about Instagram engagement. You can read it here.

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D.B. Dowd

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 08:00:00 GMT

D.B. Dowd—Professor of Art and American Culture Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, and faculty director of the D.B. Dowd Modern Graphic History Library—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the definition of illustration; whether illustration is or is not art; what advice he has for any illustrator looking to find their “style”; and so much more.

To learn more about D.B., visit dbdowd.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Gustave Doré, Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, Mead Schaeffer, Haddon Sundblom, Jim McMullan, Marshall Arisman, Bernie Fuchs, and Robert Weaver

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Chris Sickels

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 11:16:00 GMT

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 rednosestudio.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: David Beck, The Quay Brothers, Lane Smith, William Joyce, C.F. Payne, Tim Bower, and Malcolm T. Liepke

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David Soman

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 09:00:00 GMT

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 more about David, his partner, Jacky Davis, and Ladybug Girl, visit readbrightly.com.

Follow David on Instagram at davidsoman.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Gustav Rehberger, Harvey Dinnerstein, Max Ginsburg, Irwin Greenberg, Robert Henri, Burton Silverman, and Gennady Spirin

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Lindsay Nohl

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 09:30:00 GMT

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 lightgreyartlab.com.

Lindsay mentioned Coroflot.com as a way for artists to find work and clients.

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Jane O’Connor

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 09:30:00 GMT

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 learn more about Jane, visit fancynancyworld.com

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Mort Drucker, Al Jaffee, Kevin McVeigh, Nancy Harrison, Hilary Knight, Gyo Fujikawa, Tomie dePaola, and Peggy Rathmann.

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Rebecca Green

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 09:30:00 GMT

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, and to read her helpful blog posts, visit myblankpaper.com.

We discuss Rebecca’s debut picture book, How to Make Friends with a Ghost. You can learn more about it, and purchase it by visiting Rebecca’s “Books” page.

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Jeremy Wortsman

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Founder & Managing Director of The Jacky Winter Group, Jeremy Wortsman, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how he founded an illustration agency in 2007 out of his back bedroom; what he looks for when looking through a thousand portfolios a week; what illustrators can do to make sure that an art director’s “dart” lands on them; how illustration can help us find the good in troubled times; and more.

And… he answers the question: Who exactly is Jacky Winter?

To learn more about Jeremy and The Jacky Winter Group, visit jackywinter.com.

Jeremy mentioned a podcast that he hosts. You can listen to it here.

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Dian Holton

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 19:15:00 GMT

Senior Deputy Art Director at AARP, Dian Holton, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how she went from Army kid to Design Leader; what she thinks are the benefits and struggles of being a mentor and mentee; and what conversations need to be had with respect to diversity and inclusion in the applied arts.

Throughout this conversation, Dian and Giuseppe touch on the racial inequities they see in conventional teachings of art history.

To learn more about Dian, visit dianholton.com.

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David Edward Byrd

Giuseppe Castellano — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 01:30:00 GMT

Illustrator, David Edward Byrd, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about his 50-year career in illustration. David takes us on a journey that begins in Cleveland, Tennessee; detours through Miami Beach, Florida; stops in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—where he studied at Carnegie Mellon University; and settles in Port Jervis, New York—where he created posters for The Woodstock Festival.

His story then moves through New York City in the 1970’s—where he hung out with Jimi Hendrix; and where he created posters for Broadway shows, including: Follies, Godspell, and Little Shop of Horrors.

The journey concludes in Los Angeles in the 1980’s —where David illustrated for Van Halen, Warner Brothers, and Disney; he met his partner; he art directed for The Advocate; and much more.

To learn more about David, visit david-edward-byrd.com.

A few of the illustrators mentioned in this episode include: Frank Verlizzo and Alfonse Mucha

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Noah Klocek

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Art Director at Pixar, Noah Klocek, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how a childhood without a television led to simultaneous careers in feature film animation and children’s book illustration; what differentiates Pixar from Dreamworks (aside from kicks in the groin); and why it’s so important to learn about color theory.

To learn more about Noah, visit imageblock.com.

Writers and illustrators mentioned in this episode include: Tomie DePaola, Trina Schart Hyman, Lisbeth Zwerger, Gustaf Tenggren, Bill Peet, Mary Blair, Aurelius Battaglia, Hayao Miyazaki, and Bonnie Becker

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The 1-year Anniversary Episode

Giuseppe Castellano — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 00:15:00 GMT

Since June 18, 2019, Giuseppe Castellano has talked to leaders, legends, and luminaries in illustration, graphic design, publishing, animation, and other creative fields, about their beginnings, their successes, and the bumps and bruises they’ve experienced along the way.

To celebrate the podcast’s 1-year Anniversary, Giuseppe asked listeners of the podcast to answer three questions:

1. What is the best thing about being an illustrator?

2. What is the worst thing about being an illustrator?

3. What advice would you offer to illustrators?

Lastly, each of the 23 contributing illustrators share an important message.

To learn more about the contributors to this episode, here are their names (linked to their websites)—in the order that you hear them: Lalena Fisher, Nick Sweeney, Crisy Meschieri, Dave Bain, Helena Juhasz, Estefanía Santos, Guilherme Karsten, Jenny Eickbush, Christof Simons, Marina Movshina, Michelle Schneider, Nadya Bonten-Slenders, Prescott Hill, Jessica Linn Evans, Stephen Macquignon, Tara Santoro, Beverly Hall, Ximena Ross, Scott Soeder, Estrela Lourenco, Sherry Meidell, Lizzie DiFiore, and Eddie Edwards

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Claudia Z. Bedrick

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 26 May 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Co-founder, Publisher, Art Director, and Editor of Enchanted Lion Books, Claudia Z. Bedrick, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how she—and her family—started the leading independent publishing company; why Enchanted Lion has yet to be swallowed by a Big Fish—despite several attempts; what it takes for an independent to survive—and in many cases, thrive—in the marketplace; and what the publisher of beautifully illustrated books looks for in illustrators.

Lastly, Claudia and I explain why we both hope that the publishing industry does NOT go back to normal post-pandemic.

To learn more about Claudia and Enchanted Lion Books, visit enchantedlion.com.

A few of the artists mentioned in this episode include: Helen Borten, Jim Flora, Milton Glaser, Marc Boutevant, Olimpia Zagnoli, and Ping Zhu.

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Angharad Kowal Stannus

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 19 May 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Founder of Kowal Stannus Agency, Angharad Kowal Stannus, chats with Giuseppe Castellano about how the publishing industry will look post-COVID-19; why being an American in the UK gives her an advantage as an agent; what subsidiary rights are, and how they work; why her agency doesn’t use “nameless and faceless” submission forms; and what advice she would give to you, if she were your agent…

To learn more about Angharad, visit kowalstannusagency.com. Don’t be fooled by the “Website Coming Soon” message. Her agency is quite busy.

To request representation, email Angharad at angharad@kowalstannusagency.com.

Giuseppe wrote a blog post about agents. You can read it on his website, here.

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Hilary Knight

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 12 May 2020 21:00:00 GMT

Illustrator and writer, Hilary Knight, chats with Giuseppe Castellano about his life and work as an illustrator; his service for the U.S. Navy during World War II; his up-and-down relationship with Kay Thompson; the creation of “Eloise”; the mysterious theft of his “Eloise” painting from The Plaza hotel in 1960; and much, much more.

Illustrators and artists mentioned in this episode include: Peter Arno, Reginald Marsh, David Downton, George Tooker, Ronald Searle, Kay Neilsen, William Ivy Long, and Edmund Dulac

To learn more about Hilary, visit hilaryknight.com.

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Kelly Light

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 05 May 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Author and Illustrator, Kelly Light, returns to the podcast! She chats with Giuseppe Castellano about how life has changed for Kelly since our first chat with her way back in June of 2018.

She shares how she (probably) contracted COVID-19; how one—by choice or necessity—RE-starts a creative a career; and what Tove Jansson, Ashley Bryan, Judith Kerr, and others can teach us about staying creative through hardship.

To learn more about Kelly, visit kellylight.com.

If you want to listen to our first chat with her in Episode 1, go here.

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The 50th Episode

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 10:30:00 GMT

This is our 50th Episode! To celebrate, Giuseppe Castellano compiled short highlights from each guest. Through 49 episodes, illustrators, agents, art directors, and others talked about starting an illustration career, launching an art agency, understanding the history of children‘s publishing, living with depression, finding one’s artistic style, fighting in World War II, and… starting a podcast.

Our first 47 guests (two of them were double episodes) were (in order): Kelly Light, Yuko Shimizu, Mohamed Danawi, Erin Hunting, Lisa Brown, Ben Zhu, Stephen Kroninger, Krystal Lauk, Mark Mills, Jim Hoover, Leila Sales, Jess Brallier, Floyd Cooper, Jon Cockley, Leonard Marcus, Emily Keyes, Peter Jaszi, Leo Espinosa, Javaka Steptoe, David Goldman, Olimpia Zagnoli, Kayla Wasil, Will Terry, Barry Blitt, Francesca Gambatesa, Jean Dahlgren, Meghan McCarthy, Kelly Murphy, Betsy Lewin, Peter Glassman, Kevin Eastman, Jay Cooper, Zina Saunders, Kelly Delaney, Chad Reynolds, Betsy Peterschmidt, Stephanie Plunkett, Seymour Chwast, Charles Santoso, Gabriel Alborozo, Pamela Zagarenski, Betsy Bird, Anna Goodson, Steve Simpson, Dave McKean, Ashley Bryan, and Ania Marcos.

Giuseppe wrote a blog post about the top 10 things he learned after producing 35 podcast episodes. You can read it on his website, here.

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Steve Simpson

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Illustrator and Graphic Designer, Steve Simpson, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how he transitioned from animation and comics to illustration—and how he found his “style” in the process. They discuss the similarities between graphic design and illustration; the differences between influence and appropriation; and the relationships between colors.

To learn more about Steve, visit stevesimpson.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jim Flora, David Klein, William Morris, and William Addison Higgins

Giuseppe mentioned an article he had written about the lessons illustrators can learn from baseball. Guest contributors to the article include: Sarah Bunting, Tad Carpenter, John Hendrix, Kenard Pak, and Matt Tavares. You can read it here.

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Kelly Delaney

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 15:50:00 GMT

Vice President of Learning Experience Design at McGraw-Hill Education, Kelly Delaney, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about her role within an educational publisher; why she doesn’t love the word, “textbook”; and why McGraw-Hill—who published Paul Galdone, Robert Barry, and a teenage Maurice Sendak—isn’t part of “The Big 6”… yet.

Here are a few of the writers and illustrators they mentioned: Eve Titus, Paul Galdone, Crockett Johnson, Robert Barry, and a teenage Maurice Sendak.

To learn more about McGraw-Hill Education, visit mheducation.com.

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Zina Saunders

Giuseppe Castellano — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 15:50:00 GMT

Illustrator, Zina Saunders, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about growing up with her father—the legendary pulp artist, Norman Saunders; how she overcame “screwing off” with alcohol and drugs to start an illustration career; what you can and can’t expect from art directors; and so much more.

To learn more about Zina, visit zinasaunders.com.

To learn more about Norman Saunders, visit normansaunders.com.

Zina referenced an online gallery of women illustrators co-launched by Nancy Stahl. It appears to no longer exist on Drawger, but here is a link to Nancy’s response to the Society of Illustrators’ lack of representation in 2008.

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Meghan McCarthy

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 11:00:00 GMT

Author and illustrator, Meghan McCarthy, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about creating non-fiction picture books; her “depressing” experiences while working at Barnes & Noble; childhood and adulthood bullies; how Twitter criticism leads to “outrage telephone”; and what the morality clause from publishers could mean for creators.

A leader in non-fiction children’s publishing, Jeanne Bendick, was mentioned. Here’s more on her.

To learn more about Meghan, visit meghan-mccarthy.com.

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Will Terry

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 10:30:00 GMT

Illustrator and educator, Will Terry, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how he lied his way into a meeting with art director, Carol Porter, of The Washington Post; how the Society of Visual Storytelling got its start; and why the debate between online vs. brick & mortar art programs continues.

Here are a few of the artists they mentioned: P. D. Eastman, Jake Parker, Lee White, Piper Thibodeau, and C.F. Payne

Will mentioned a series of Japanese tales. Here’s a great blog post on them.

To learn more about Will, visit willterry.com.

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Kayla Wasil

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Illustrator, Designer, and Art Director, Kayla Wasil, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how Giuseppe met (and hired) Kayla; what it’s like to work on licensed properties in book form; and why the publishing design process can be frustrating.

Kayla answers questions provided to Giuseppe by The Illustration Dept. Newsletter subscribers. They cover postcards, process, trends, and more.

As a point of comparison, listen to Viking art director, Jim Hoover, answer similar questions.

To learn more about Kayla, visit kaylawasil.com.

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Olimpia Zagnoli

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 10:00:00 GMT

Illustrator, Olimpia Zagnoli talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the ups and downs of speaking a second language; why she calls herself an illustrator; how her father’s advice to “make your portfolio big” might have helped land her first New Yorker job; and what illustrators should think about when staring at a blank page.

They also discuss how the legendary Bruno Munari has been “following” Olimpia her whole life.

Here are a few of the bands and musicians they mentioned: T. Rex, Franco Battiato, Giuni Russo, Piero Ciampi, Lucio Battisti, and Mina.

I mentioned a song called, “Prisencólinensináinciúsol”, from Adriano Celentano. Here is the video. It may be one of the more bizarre things you ever see.

To learn more about Olimpia, visit olimpiazagnoli.com.

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Mark Mills

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Mark Mills, founder of Plum Pudding—one of the world’s leading children’s illustration agencies, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the origin of his agency; how art schools (and other agencies) are taking advantage of artists; and why every illustrator who submits to Plum Pudding for representation gets a reply. “Every one.”

Here are a few of the illustrators we mentioned: Quentin Blake Helen Oxenbury, Delphine Durand, Eva Montanari, Axel Scheffler, John Burningham, and Kate Pankurst

When talking about the global publishing market, Mark refers to a map created by the International Publishers’ Association. Here it is.

To learn more about Mark and his team, visit plumpuddingillustration.com.

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Krystal Lauk

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 04:10:00 GMT

Art director and illustrator, Krystal Lauk, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the ups and downs of the art boom in the Tech industry; why “UX/UI” is simpler than you think; and how illustration can inspire empathy.

For an excellent primer on the relationship between illustration and the Tech industry, we strongly suggest reading this article by Michael Jeter, the Associate Creative Director at Dropbox.

To learn more about Krystal, and her boutique agency, visit krystallauk.com.

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Elena Giovinazzo

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to literary agent and founder of Heirloom Literary and Media, Elena Giovinazzo, about publishing’s waiting game; why it’s normal for us to feel “self-I don’t know”; how illustrators can avoid getting buried in the querying trenches; and more.

To learn more about Elena and Heirloom, visit heirloomliterary.com.

Photograph © Joanna Maguire

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Maira Kalman

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning illustrator, artist, designer, and writer, Maira Kalman, about navigating life’s inconsistencies; how we can stay centered and grounded creatively; what the most important thing is about being an illustrator; and more.

To learn more about Maira, visit mairakalman.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Beatrix Potter, Remy Charlip, Maurice Sendak, Edward Gorey

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Fahmida Azim

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and storyteller, Fahmida Azim, about where and how illustrators can find validation; why a creative’s self-worth should not come from their work; what illustration really is; and more.

To learn more about Fahmida, visit fahmida-azim.com.

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Kriota Willberg

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to educator, author, and graphic medicine cartoonist, Kriota Willberg, about why she felt the need to write Draw Stronger: Self-Care for Cartoonists and Other Visual Artists; how artists can take care of their bodies, and why they don’t; and more.

To learn more about Kriota, visit KriotaWelt.blogspot.com.

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Martina Flor

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Martina Flor, award-winning lettering artist, author, and educator, about why creatives need to embrace self-promotion; what it means to be a letter designer; what it takes to be an artistic entrepreneur; and more.

To learn more about Martina, visit martinaflor.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Lisa Congdon, Jessica Hische, and Malika Favre

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Paul Buckley

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to renowned designer and art director, Paul Buckley, about what it takes to be a good art director; why illustrators and designers should aim for distinction; how depression and creativity correlate; and more.

To learn more about Paul, visit paulbuckleydesign.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jim Tierney and Sara Wood

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Matthew Forsythe

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to author, illustrator, and character designer, Matthew Forsythe, about the many forms a picture book can take—from morality books to “fantastic binomials”; how to make sense of color; how to like your creative work; and more.

To learn more about Matthew, visit comingupforair.net.

As was discussed in this episode, here is an article about Gianni Rodari’s concept of the “fantastic binomial”.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Mary Blair, Randolph Caldecott, Beatrix Potter, Wanda Gág, William Steig, Paul Klee, Lauren Tamaki, Jasmine Li, Jesse Jacobs, Richard Scarry, Don Freeman, John Steptoe, Rebecca Sugar, Adam Muto, Yuasa Masaaki, Emily Warren, and Jim Davis

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Terry Brown

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Terry Brown, former director of The Society of Illustrators, about his time at the Society; what’s behind the Society’s disparity between men and women award-winners; how life is made up of many different but connected chapters; and more.

Learn more about The Society of Illustrators by visiting societyillustrators.org.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Bob Peak, Norman Rockwell, Charles Dana Gibson, Steve Brodner, Anita Kunz, Yuko Shimizu, Bernie Fuchs, Al Hirschfeld, Robert Weaver, Murray Tinkelman, Joe Ciardiello, Mark English, Roger Kastel, Diane Dillon, Violet Oakley, Jessie Willcox Smith, Elizabeth Shippen Green, Florence Scovel Shinn, May Wilson Preston, E. Simms Campbell, Reynold Ruffins, and Rube Goldberg

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Sam Viviano

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Sam Viviano, award-winning cartoonist, and former art director of MAD Magazine, about his membership in MAD’s usual gang of idiots; what the careers of Norman Mingo and Jack Davis can teach today’s illustrators; why creatives, even the worrywarts, should keep on keeping on; and more.

Sam can be found on Instagram.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Steve Brodner, Herbert Lawrence Block, Mort Drucker, Paul Coker, Jack Davis, George Woodbridge, Al Jaffee, Dave Berg, Brad Holland, Guy Billout, Nicholas Blechman, Peter de Sève, Anita Kunz, Barry Blitt, Jack Unruh, Sergio Aragonés, and Don Martin

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Michael Maslin

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 27 May 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to author and long-time New Yorker cartoonist, Michael Maslin, about the reasons why Michael chronicles the history of cartooning; what differentiates a cartoonist and an illustrator; what “being there” means for cartoonists… and illustrators; and more.

To learn more about Michael and Inkspill, visit michaelmaslin.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Liza Donnelly, Roz Chast, Roxie Munroe, Jack Ziegler, Laurent de Brunhoff, Peter Arno, Helen Hokinson, Charles Addams, James Thurber, Barbara Shermund, Robert Crumb, Sam Gross, David Sipress, Whitney Darrow Jr., John Cuneo, Syd Hoff, Ludwig Bemelmans, William Steig, James Stevenson, Edward Frascino, Barney Tobey, Saul Steinberg, Ed Koren, Ilonka Karasz, Alan Dunn, Mary Petty, Mischa Richter, Ed Sorel, Frank Modell, Rea Irvin, Christoph Niemann, Pearl Mann

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Nicholas Kole

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and character designer, Nicholas Kole, about how being stubbornly buoyant has helped his creative career; what “feeling” has to do with character design; why artists might want to follow the 80/20 rule; and more.

To learn more about Nicholas, visit nicholaskole.art.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Shiyoon Kim, Nico Marlet, Cheyenne Curtis, Robb Mommaerts, and Brett Bean

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Asia Orlando

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to visual artist and illustrator, Asia Orlando, about why she turned away from interior design and architecture to become an illustrator; how one can leverage their past experiences, good and bad, to help define their present; why persistence really is the key to an illustration practice; and more.

To learn more about Asia, visit asiaorlando.com.

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Brett Bean

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to comic book artist, character designer, and author, Brett Bean, about why Brett wishes he had his own book on drawing when he was starting out; why adjectives and verbs come before nouns with character design; what it means to keep your goals and dreams in your own hands; and more.

To learn more about Brett, visit brettbean.com.

Brett’s book, Draw!, can be found here.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Brian Ajhar, Nathan Fowkes, Sara Frazetta, Pascal Campion, Walt Stanchfield, Andrew Loomis, and George Bridgman

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Dan Chudzinski

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Dan Chudzinski, Director of Curation and Exhibitions at The Mazza Museum, about what being a curator literally and occupationally means; why artists should make art, not excuses; what the masters’ fingerprints and clothing can teach us; and more.

To learn more about Dan and the Mazza Museum, visit mazzamuseum.org.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, Adrienne Adams, Dan Andreasen, Joan Anglund, Mitsumasa Anno, Edward Ardizzone, Mary Azarian, C.F. Payne, Bernie Fuchs, Norman Rockwell, J.C. Leyendecker, Pontormo, H.A. and Margret Rey, Susan Einzig, Peggy Fortnum, N.C. Wyeth, Steven Gammel, William Wondriska, and Bertha Boye

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Chris Haughton

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning illustrator and author, Chris Haughton, about the unfortunate difference between information and fact; what oral culture’s four R’s are, and why they matter for children‘s book creators; what advice Aristotle has for illustrators, and more.

To learn more about Chris and his book, The History of Information, visit chrishaughton.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jim Field, Benji Davies, and Richard Outcault

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Paul O. Zelinsky

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator, Paul O. Zelinsky, about what his former Yale professor, Maurice Sendak, thought about social media; why he’s aways wondering at point he can get away with not being good enough; where illustrators can find validation (hint: it’s not in an award); and more.

To learn more about Paul, visit paulozelinsky.com.

The book trailer for Z is for Moose, in which Sendak and other illustrators voice characters, can be seen here.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Maurice Sendak, Sophie Blackall, Brian Floca, Brian Zelsnick, Ben Shahn, David Stone Martin, Louis Darling, Betsy Lewin, Lois Lowry, Javaka Steptoe and John Steptoe

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Christopher Denise

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Caldecott Honor-winning, New York Times best-selling illustrator and author, Christopher Denise, about why “show, don’t tell” is advice children’s book creators should avoid; how an anthropomorphized animal can look more like a mascot, and why that’s bad; how no illustrator working today knows, entirely, what they’re doing; and more.

To learn more about Christopher, visit christopherdenise.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: N.C. Wyeth, Beatrix Potter, David Macaulay, Uri Shulevitz, Louis Darling, E.H. Shepard, Inga Moore, Fred Marcellino, Alice Bolem Preston, and Charles Santore

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Frank Cammuso

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to author, cartoonist, and educator, Frank Cammuso, about Frank’s approach to pacing with panels, and why it’s one of the most beautiful things about comics; how Steve Ditko does not get the credit he rightfully deserves; what you can learn from a good tomato sauce recipe about making comics; and more.

To learn more about Frank, visit cammuso.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: James Ransome, Marty Blake, Hergé, Neal Adams, John Buscema, John Byrne, Frank Miller, Will Eisner, Walt Kelly, Jack Cole, Charles Schulz, George Herriman, Bill Watterson, Elzie Segar, Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Herb Trimpe, and Darwyn Cooke

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Jules Feiffer

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, Jules Feiffer, about the early years of his life and career; how Maurice Sendak and William Steig changed his approach to illustration; why failure is not to be feared; and more.

Find Feiffer’s latest book, Amazing Grapes, at you favorite bookstore or library.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Theodor Seuss Geisel, P.D. Eastman, John Held Jr., Charles Addams, William Steig, Saul Steinberg, Milt Gross, Milton Caniff, Noel Sickles, George Cruikshank, Randolph Caldecott, Walter Crane, Aubrey Beardsley, Richard Doyle, and Edward Ardizzone

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Victoria Jamieson

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Newbery Honor-winning illustrator and author, Victoria Jamieson, about why quite a few publishing professionals know what a “doodly doo” is; what a graphic novel can be, and how it really is a lot of work; what perfection has to do with art; and more.

To learn more about Victoria, visit victoriajamieson.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Raina Telgemeier, Art Spiegelman, Vera Brosgol, Cece Bell, Bill Watterson, Lynn Johnston, and Bil Keane

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Tim Jacobus

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Tim Jacobus, the original illustrator for Goosebumps, about why no one working on Goosebumps thought it would last past the first few books; how the making of the Goosebumps covers is an art director’s nightmare; what it means for illustrators, and writers, to finish what they start; and more.

Learn more about Tim at jacobusstudios.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jim Thiesen, Greg and Tim Hildebrandt, and Stanisław Fernandes

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Orlando Arocena (or, Mexifunk)

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to multi-award-winning artist, Orlando Arocena (also known as Mexifunk) about how illustrators can avoid betraying their own creative vision; whether or not “fulfillment” is something artwork should provide its artist; how illustrators can find clients; and more.

You can find Orlando on Instagram.

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Katie Kalupson

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Katie Kalupson, Associate Art Director at TIME, about how transitioning from designer to art director requires personal growth; how intention separates AI-generated imagery from actual illustration; why the best thing an illustrator can do is to lean into themselves; and more.

To learn more about Katie, visit katiekalupson.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Wesley Allsbrook, Christine Lee, and Edel Rodriguez

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Chris Van Dusen

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and author, Chris Van Dusen, about the pros and cons of using gouache—and why spittle is a problem; why calling an illustrator’s work “old-fashioned” is not a productive critique; how children’s book writers can spend their time if they want to rhyme; and more.

To learn more about Chris, visit chrisvandusen.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Dahlov Ipcar, Robert McCloskey, Sam Gross, Lane Smith, Eyvind Earle, Mary Blair, Syd Mead, Esther Friend, Lowell Hess, Margaret Bloy Graham, Marc Simont, P.D. Eastman, Chuck Jones, and Maurice Noble

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Erika Gaffney

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Erika Gaffney, Acquisitions Editor in Scholarly Publishing and Founder of Art Herstory, about why everyone should brush up on their art herstory; why the “merit over gender” argument does not apply; why art, or the study of its entire history, doesn’t have to be intimidating; and more.

To learn more about Erika and Art Herstory, visit artherstory.net.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Sofonisba Anguissola, Rachel Ruysch, Jessie Wilcox Smith, Neysa McMein, Elenor Plaisted Abbott, Ethel Plummer, Jackie Ormes, Lily Renée, Lillian Astor, Retta Scott, Ellen Pyle, Bernarda Shahn, Barbara Zuber, Georgia O’Keeffe, Olive Rush, Maginel Wright Enright Barney, Judy Chicago, and Margaret Mee

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Hope Christofferson

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 09:38:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to artist and storyteller, Hope Christofferson, about why a lot of what you see on social media is fantasy (and not in a good way); why illustrators should be wary of the siren call of creative influences; why, if you’re going to believe in magic and lore, you should first believe in yourself; and more.

To learn more about Hope, visit hopechristoffersonart.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Brian Froud, Caravaggio, Rubens, Pontormo, Tony DiTerlizzi, Edmund Dulac, Arthur Rackham, John Bauer, Cory Godbey, Iris Compiet, Pauline Baynes, Rowena Morrill, Frank Frazetta, and Rien Poortvliet

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Semadar Megged

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 07 May 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Semadar Megged, former Art Director at Penguin Random House, about her approach to art direction; what makes good illustrators good; why it’s important to not just look at art, but to be curious about it; and more.

To learn more about Semadar, visit semadarmegged.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Loren Long, Maurice Sendak, Renata Liwska, David Elliot, David Small, Christian Robinson; Ben Shahn, David Stone Martin, Andy Warhol, R.O. Blechman, and Will Hillenbrand

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Philip Palmer

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to the Morgan Library and Museum’s Robert H. Taylor Curator and Department Head for Literary and Historical Manuscripts, Philip Palmer, about the behind-the-scenes decisions that went into curating Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature; what he learned about Potter that he didn’t know before; how Potter doesn’t have just one legacy, but many; and more.

To learn more about The Morgan and its exhibitions, visit themorgan.org.

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Hervé Tullet

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to multi-disciplinary artist, performer, and renowned children’s book author, Hervé Tullet, about the beginning of his children’s book career; how a children’s book illustrator’s creativity comes from within, and not from a bookstore; why you have to act like an adult, if you want to create books for children; and more.

To learn more about Hervé, visit herve-tullet.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Leo Lionni, Joan Miró, Nicolas de Staël, Jackson Pollack, and Jon Burgerman

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Scott McCloud

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to cartoonist, author, and presenter, Scott McCloud, about the very real problem of poor visual communication in our society; what comics are and could be; why living in a phenomenal world isn’t as great as it sounds; and more.

To learn more about Scott, visit scottmccloud.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Murray Tinkelman, Alan Moore, Will Eisner, Osamu Tezuka, Art Spiegelman, Dave Gibbons, Larry Marder, William Hogarth, Rodolphe Töpffer, Katsushika Hokusai, and Richard Outcault

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Yas Imamura

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning illustrator, Yas Imamura, about how establishing a stationary shop led her to a children’s book career; why it is a mistake to paint all publishers with the same brush; why it’s a good idea for artists to create in different ways; and more.

To learn more about Yas, visit yasimamura.tumblr.com.

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Don Tate

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT

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 and Diane Dillon, Floyd Cooper, Brian and Andrea Pinkney, and R. Gregory Christie

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Matthew Cordell

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT

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 matthewcordell.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Ian Falconer, William Steig, Arnold Lobel, Jules Feiifer, James Marshall, Quentin Blake, Bernard Waber, Cátia Chien, Don Tate, Beatrice Alemagna, Lilian Hoban, and Garth Williams

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Tony DiTerlizzi

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 10:20:00 GMT

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 in this episode include: Arthur Rackham, Alan Lee, Brian Froud, Frank Frazetta, Norman Rockwell, Jim Henson, Don Bluth, Scott Gustafson, J.C. Leyedecker, Winsor Mckay, Hayao Miyazaki, Fred Marcellino, Edward Gorey, Charles Addams, Tim Burton, E.H. Shepard, Richard Doyle, Louis Darling, Mœbius, Heath Robinson, Edmund Dulac, W.W. Denslow, Maurice Sendak, Heinrich Kley, Maxfield Parrish, and Kadir Nelson

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Paige Braddock

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT

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 mentioned in this episode include: Jim Davis, V.T. Hamlin, Steve Canyon, and Bill Watterson

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Brad Holland

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT

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 learn more about Brad and his work, visit bradholland.net and drawger.com/holland.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Paul Bacon, Leonard Baskin, Barry Moser, David Godine, Jack Davis, Andrew Wyeth, Milton Glaser, Giorgio Morandi, James Thurber, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Norman Rockwell, John Dioszegi, Ben Shahn, Robert Osborn, Beatrix Potter, Robert Riggs, David Levine, Gerald Scarfe, Käthe Kollwitz, and Robert Weaver

Check out these helpful links for illustrators from Brad:

His First Portfolio / Making It Personal / The Childrens Book That Wasn’t / Shel Game / Clair, Slim, Dali and Me / Resilient Reformer / Express Yourself, It’s Later Than You Think / Trojan Horse: Orphan Works and the War on Authors / First Things About Secondary Rights

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Emma Cheng

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT

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 Vandyke Carter and Frank Netter

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Dr. Rose Roberto and Tamsin Rosewell

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT

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-back-the-kate-greenaway-medal.

From their petition: “You may contact CILIP at carnegies@cilip.org.uk to let them know you share these sentiments.”

To learn more about the Chartered Institute of Library Information Professionals, visit cilip.org.uk.

See more of Rose’s work here. See more of Tamsin’s work here.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Freya Blackwood, Jim Kay, Jackie Morris, Axel Sheffler, James Mayhew, and Thomas Taylor

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Dan Berry

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT

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: Rebecca Green, John Martz, Danielle Corsetto, Loish, and Ian McQue

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Brian Pinkney

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to New York Times best-selling and two-time Caldecott Honor award-winning illustrator, Brian Pinkney about what it was like growing up—and creating art—with his father, Jerry Pinkney; why illustrators don’t have to be just one thing, or make pictures in just one way; and more.

To learn more about Brian, visit brianpinkney.net.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jerry Pinkney, Alan Cober, Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire, George and Doris Hauman, Margret and H.A. Rey, Alice and Martin Provensen, Joe and Beth Krush, Leo and Diane Dillon, James Ransom, and Charnelle Pinkney Barlow

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Kate Tardif

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Kate Tardif, founder of Sullivan Moore, about why she’s looking to grow her boutique agency… in a big way; how illustrators (whether they like it or not) are content creators; why it is not the end of the world for illustrators if they are dropped by their agent; and more.

To learn more about Kate, visit sullivanmoore.com.

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Dawud Anyabwile

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Emmy Award-winning illustrator and graphic novelist, Dawud Anyabwile about the origin story of Brotherman: Dictator of Discipline, and how it was a family affair; why it’s important to protect your intellectual property (if and when you can); what advice he has for discouraged illustrators; and more.

To learn more about Dawud, with anyabwile.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Bernard Harmon, Sonia Sanchez, Reggie Byers, Dwayne Ferguson, Jack Kirby, and Billy Graham

Dawud mentioned his father’s book, Black Family Rituals. You can purchase it here.

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Freya Blackwood

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, Freya Blackwood about her rule-breaking approach to picture book art; how asymmetry and imperfection are keys to an effective illustration portfolio; when it’s time to end your attempt at being an illustrator; and more.

To learn more about Freya and her books, visit freyablackwood.com.au.

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Mirko Ilić

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, Mirko Ilić, about how procrastination can help in one’s creative process; what role sacrifice plays in defining, and achieving, success as an illustrator; how the key to creative growth lies in both one’s future and past; and more.

To learn more about Mirko, visit mirkoilic.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Milton Glaser, Melinda Beck, Paul Rand, and Keith Haring

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Jay Cooper and Jim Hoover

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Jay Cooper (New York Times Best-Selling Illustrator and Executive Creative Director at Serino Coyne) and Jim Hoover (Senior Art Director at Penguin Random House) about the making of The Last Comics on Earth; what children’s publishing hasn’t fully figured out yet with graphic novels (hint: money, time, reviews); what selfishness has to do with achieving a work/life balance; and more.

To learn more about Jay, visit jaycooperbooks.com. You can find Jim on LinkedIn.

To purchase The Last Comics on Earth, visit penguinrandomhouse.com/books.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Chris Dickey, John Byrne, and Frank Miller

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Janine Vangool

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 09 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Janine Vangool, publisher, editor, and designer of UPPERCASE magazine about the origins and vision of UPPERCASE; why going your own way as a creative is usually the right way; why you should take a walk and a breath before you respond to a rejection; and more.

To learn more about Janine and her magazine, visit uppercasemagazine.com.

Use the discount code, illusdept, to save 10% on all UPPERCASE subscriptions, books, and back issues. This special offer ends on July 31, 2023.

Janine mentioned “B-School”, by Marie Forleo. To learn more about this online business school, visit marieforleo.com.

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Shannon McNab

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Shannon McNab, surface designer, educator, and founder of Sketch Design Repeat about how she took the leap from corporate graphic design to freelance surface design; how surface designers can build a portfolio, find clients, and negotiate fees; why illustrators should really follow their own paths; and more.

To learn more about Shannon, visit shannonmcnab.com.

Other helpful links from Shannon include: Sketch Design Repeat, Pitch Your Portfolio, Artful Pricing & Negotiation, Portfolio Myths Mini-Course, and Surface Design Industry Survey

Artists mentioned in this episode include: William Morris, Alice and Martin Provensen, Jim Flora, Mary Blair, Eyvind Earle, Lisa Congdon, and Victoria Johnson

Surtex, ABC Kids Expo, and Airtable were also mentioned in this episode.

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Leonard Marcus

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to author, critic, and children’s book historian, Leonard S. Marcus about his book, Pictured Worlds: Masterpieces of Children’s Book Art by 101 Essential Illustrators from Around the World; why Puffin’s tampering of Roald Dahl’s text opens the doors for publishers to rewrite—and re-illustrate—anything; why we should look to illustration’s history to understand its future; and more.

To learn more about Leonard, visit leonardmarcus.com. To purchase Pictured Worlds: Masterpieces of Children’s Book Art by 101 Essential Illustrators from Around the World, visit abramsbooks.com/pictured-worlds.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jerry Pinkney, Floyd Cooper, Ashley Bryan, Shirley Hughes, Leonard Kessler, Ted Lewin, Robert Quackenbush, Lois Ehlert, Mitsumasa Anno, Eric Carle, Bryan Collier, David Macaulay, Lane Smith, David Wiesner, Květa Pacovská, Elsa Beskow, Maurice Sendak, Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire, Quentin Blake, Jean de Brunhoff, Beatrix Potter, and Allen Say

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Véronique Kirchhoff

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Véronique Kirchhoff, Literary Agent & Founder of VeroK Agency, about what illustrators should never do when emailing an agent about representation; how she represents publishers, and what it takes for a children’s book from one country to sell in another; how to “put yourself out there”; and more.

To learn more about Véronique and her agency, visit verokagency.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jean-Jacques Sempé, Alain Grée, Charlotte Steiner, Gertrude Kay, Patricia Hutchins, James Flora, and Jacqueline Ayer

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Tracy van Straaten

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Tracy van Straaten, Founder and President of TvS Media Group, about the difference between marketing and publicity in children’s publishing; what illustrators and writers should realistically expect from marketing and publicity departments; why the pre-order window is important when it comes to the life or death of a book; and more.

To learn more about Tracy and TvS Media Group, visit tvsmediagroup.com.

Tracy mentioned Giuseppe’s chat with Hilary Knight. You can listen to that conversation here.

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Steve Light

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and author, Steve Light about the early years of Steve’s illustration career; why drawing should be like breathing; what it means to be a stylophile; why a little bit of tenacity can take us a long way toward our goals; and more.

To learn more about Steve, visit stevelightart.com.

Steve’s favorite pen is a Montblanc 149. He also recommends the “fude” nib. To learn more about the “fude” nib, visit janinescribbles.com/tag/fude-nib/.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Dave Passalacqua, Květa Pacovská, Marcus Pfister, Shel Silverstein, Ben Shahn, Andy Warhol, and Mozelle Thompson

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Anna Goodson

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 10:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Anna Goodson, President & Founder of Anna Goodson Illustration Agency, about why—“post-COVID”—her illustration agency is busier than ever; how an illustrator should build their portfolio; whether social media is truly a necessary marketing tool for illustrators; and more.

To learn more about Anna and her agency, visit agoodson.com.

This is Anna’s second appearance on the podcast. Click here to listen to her first episode.

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Shadra Strickland

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, author, and educator, Shadra Strickland about what led her to becoming a picture book maker—despite the naysayers; why realism in illustration is not an out-of-fashion style; what artists need to remember about being artists; and more.

To learn more about Shadra, visit jumpin.shadrastrickland.com.

Shadra has work on display from her book, Bird, in the “Imprinted: Illustrating Race” show at the Norman Rockwell Museum. To learn more, visit nrm.org.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Thomas Vroman, Roald Dahl, Jonathan Bean, Lauren Castillo, Taeeun Yoo, Paul Hoppe, Patricia Polacco, Pat Cummings, Tom Feelings, Jerry Pinkney, Bryan Collier, Keith Henry Brown, Greg Christie, Kadir Nelson, Floyd Cooper, and Chris Myers

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Eileen Christelow

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to best-selling illustrator and author, Eileen Christelow about her transition from being a photographer in the 1960’s, to becoming a best-selling children’s book maker; what illustrators (especially those in critique groups) can learn from Jim Giblin—Eileen’s long-time editor; what illustrators can do to improve (hint: it’s likely you’re already doing it); and more.

To learn more about Eileen, visit christelow.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Margaret Bourke-White, John Steptoe, Maurice Sendak, James Marshall, and Arnold Lobel

To learn more about James Cross Giblin, you can read this interview with Roger Sutton.

Eileen mentioned the Esalen Institute. To learn more about it, go to esalen.org.

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Felicita Sala

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 13:15:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, Felicita Sala about her early days as an illustrator; why illustrators need to find their “why”; what makes it so difficult to write good books for children; why being inconsistent with her picture book illustrations is fine by her; and more.

To learn more about Felicita, visit felicitasala.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Gianluca Maruotti, Kitty Crowther, Beatrice Alemagna, Isabelle Arsenault, The Fan Brothers, Gianni Rodari, Ilon Wikland, and Sydney Smith

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Antoinette Portis

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 12:06:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to best-selling illustrator and author, Antoinette Portis, about how creative expression can help one navigate life’s hardest challenges; what Maurice Sendak meant when he told her that illustrators need to be “secret agents”; where we can find the ideas for our creative expression; and more.

To learn more about Antoinette, visit antoinetteportis.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Marcel Duchamp, Rowboat Watkins, and Edward Koren

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Robyn Phillips-Pendleton, Part 2 of 2

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Robyn Phillips-Pendleton—Professor of Visual Communications at the University of Delaware, and Interim Director for the MFA in Illustration Practice at Maryland Institute College of Art—about whether social media is bending the quality of today’s illustrations toward mediocrity; why introspection is a key component to being an illustrator; and more.

This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. You can listen to Part 1 here.

To learn more about Robyn, visit rphillipspendleton.com.

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Robyn Phillips-Pendleton, Part 1 of 2

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Robyn Phillips-Pendleton— Professor of Visual Communications at the University of Delaware, and Interim Director for the MFA in Illustration Practice at Maryland Institute College of Art—about Illustration’s racist history; the power illustration has to heal… and to harm; and more.

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Part 2 can be heard here.

To learn more about Robyn, visit rphillipspendleton.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jerry Pinkney, Tom Feelings, Ernie Barnes, Charles Alston, Barbara Zuber, Lois Mailou Jones, Elton Fax, Emory Douglas, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Tom Lovell, Mozelle Thompson, Edward Mitchell Bannister, E. Simms Campbell, Alex Bostic, Rudy Gutieerez, Aaron Douglas, and Thomas Nast

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Keith Henry Brown

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 24 May 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and author, Keith Henry Brown about how music has a played a vital role in both his life and art; what it means to feel entitled to your mistakes—and how that applies to creativity; and why we must embrace our individuality in the age of Comparison Culture.

To learn more about Keith visit, keithhbrown.com.

Keith mentioned liner note written by Bill Evans about the artistry of Miles Davis. You can read it here.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Joe Ciardiello, Gary Kelley, Loren Long, Floyd Cooper, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bernie Fuchs, Frank Frazetta, Bob Peak, Robert McGinnis, and N.C. Wyeth

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Tom Lichtenheld

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 17 May 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to picture book illustrator and author, Tom Lichtenheld about why and how he works in so many different styles; why not having enough time to draw or paint or write may not actually have anything to do with time; how illustrators can approach composition; what advice you should not follow from Mem Fox; and more.

To learn more about Tom, visit tomlichtenheld.com.

Tom created a comprehensive guide for illustrators and writers who are interested in children’s publishing. You can read it here.

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Rivkah LaFille

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 03 May 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, author, and educator, Rivkah LaFille about the sequence of events that led her to becoming a graphic novel creator; why many illustrators find it difficult to believe in themselves and their work; three misconceptions people have about the creation of a graphic novel; and more.

To learn more about Rivkah, visit rivkah.com.

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Olivia Street Verdugo

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Olivia Verdugo, Art Director at The Barnes Foundation about her role at the Barnes, and the circuitous route she took to get there; what illustrators can learn from Dr. Barnes’ idiosyncratic, holistic approach to art collection; why graphic designers are both poets and engineers; what five guiding principles helped Olivia find her creative path; and more.

To learn more about Olivia, visit oliviasverdugo.design.

To learn more about The Barnes Foundation, visit barnesfoundation.org.

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Emily Arnold McCully

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Caldecott-winning illustrator and author, Emily Arnold McCully, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about her 55-year career; how she felt discouraged enough to consider quitting illustration—just before winning the Caldecott; why meeting our boundaries as artists is a good thing; and more.

To learn more about Emily, visit emilyarnoldmccully.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Betsy Lewin; Maurice Sendak, Milton Glaser, Paul Desmond Brown, Diane Dillon, and Leonardo Da Vinci

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Mark Summers

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Scratchboard artist, Mark Summers, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the mistakes Mark made early in his Hall of Fame illustration career; how playing Trivia Pursuit with his wife in 1985 “changed the world overnight” for Mark; how an artist can know if they’re going in the right direction with their work; and more.

To learn more about Mark, visit marksummers.myportfolio.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Norman Rockwell, John Tenniel, Will Davies, Anita Kunz, Richard Amsel, J.C. Leyendecker, Charles Dana Gibson, Duncan Macpherson, Bernie Fuchs, Lynd Ward, Franklin Booth, Mary Azarian, Barry Moser, Leonard Baskin, Gustave Doré, Mort Drucker, Albert Dorne, Bob Peak, N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Mark English, C.F. Payne, Gary Kelly, and Peter de Sève

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Daniel Miyares

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Illustrator and author, Daniel Miyares, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about what being a first generation American means to him, and how he unpacks it through his art; how the beginning of his career started with an agent saying, “I don’t think you’re right for the children‘s book industry”; what it means to be curious—and how it just might be, for illustrators, the key to everything; and more.

To learn more about Daniel, visit danielmiyares.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Floyd Cooper, Mark English,and Bob Kolar

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Guy Billout

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Editorial illustrator, and picture book author, Guy Billout talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how his experiences during WWII and 9/11 are connected; why self-confidence is an essential part of being an editorial illustrator; what he regrets about being inducted into the Society of Illustrators’ Hall of Fame; and more.

To see his work, visit instagram.com/gbillout.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Raymond Savignac, André François, Ronald Searle, Hergé, Marshall Arisman, Rolf Armstrong , Peter de Sève, William Glackens, Beatrix Potter, and Richard Powers

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Shaun Tan

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Artist and writer, Shaun Tan, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how dinosaurs helped him become an artist (and combat bullies); why 95% of the art he makes never sees the light of day; how simplicity and complexity can be synonymous; why a crisis of confidence can be a good thing; and more.

To learn more about Shaun, visit shauntan.net.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Michael Youens, Ann Baum, Thomas Crosby-Smith, Yōichi Kotabe, Don Freeman, and Maurice Sendak

Shaun and Giuseppe spoke at length about this image from Shaun’s book, The Red Tree.

Shaun credits A Natural History of Dinosaurs for his early artist training. You can learn more about that 1970’s book on chasmosaurs.com.

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Dave McMahon

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Dave McMahon, Director of Learner and Teacher Experience Design at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the role of an Experience Designer—and how it applies to other forms of art; what 1980’s Nintendo games taught us about the inevitability of losing; what seven-word mantra everyone would do well to follow; and more.

To learn more about Dave, visit davemcmahon.com.

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Ren Renwick

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Ren Renwick, CEO of the Association of Illustrators, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how illustrators can gain—or in some cases, reclaim—good mental health; how illustrators can confidently navigate the business end of illustration; why now is “the moment” for visual creators; and more.

To learn more about Ren and the AOI, visit theaoi.com.

An article on mental health, written by Ren, was brought up in this episode. Here is a link to that article.

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Laura Roode

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Laura Roode—Executive Art Director at Little Simon and Simon Spotlight, imprints of Simon & Schuster—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how she and her team find illustrators; what illustrators should expect and avoid when working with art directors; how she deals with imposter syndrome; and more.

If you want to send Laura your illustration work, her email address at S&S is laura.roode [@] simonandschuster.com.

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Sari Levy-Schorr

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 10:36:00 GMT

Sari Levy-Schorr, President and Owner of Levy Creative Management, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how she transitioned from being an illustration student who didn’t think she was “good enough” to being an agent who represents illustrators; and what defines a good agent/illustrator relationship.

Sari also answers questions from Patrons of the Podcast about signing with an agent; the viability of traditional art; portfolio mistakes; and more.

To learn more about Sari and her agency, visit levycreative.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Murray Tinkelman, Roger Demuth, and Bob Dacey

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The 100th Episode

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 08:00:00 GMT

This is our 100th Episode! To celebrate, Giuseppe Castellano has compiled short highlights from episodes 51 to 99.

If this is the first time you’ve listened to our podcast, you’ll hear from illustrators, agents, art directors, editors, publishers, museum curators and more…

Through 49 episodes, we covered a wide range of topics, including: restarting a creative career, living and working through the COVID19 pandemic; starting a publishing company; winning the Caldecott; hanging out with Jimi Hendrix; facing failure; defining illustration; and more.

Our guests were (in order): Kelly Light, Hilary Knight, Angharad Kowal Stannus, Claudia Bedrick, Johnny Temple, Rudy Gutierrez, 23 illustrators (for our 1-year anniversary episode), Shawna J.C. Tenney, Noah Klocek, Nancy Stahl, David Edward Byrd, Dian Holton, James Burns, Jeremy Wortsman, Deborah Feingold, Anita Kunz, R.O. Blechman, Joe Ciardiello, Cory Godbey, Rebecca Green, Amanda Burdan, Heather Campbell Coyle, Ella Lupo, Martin Salisbury, Sergio Ruzzier, Jim McMullan, Debbie Bibo, David Wiesner, John Cuneo, Kazu Kibuisihi, Jane O’Connor, Julia Rosenfeld, Lindsay Nohl, Luke Flowers, David Borgenicht, Daniel Abraham, Christine Von Der Linn, Greg Manchess, Matthew Carlson, David Soman, Frances Jetter, Andrew Fairclough, Chris Sickels, Dinalie Dabarera, Barbara Nessim, Victor Juhasz, Henrik Drescher, D.B. Dowd, and Uri Shulevitz

Here’s to 49 more.

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Victor Juhasz

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 14:30:00 GMT

Victor Juhasz—award-winning illustrator, satirist, and visual reporter—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about working “in the old school” as an illustrator in the 1970’s; the relationship between the U.S. Military and Illustration throughout history; being an artist embedded with U.S. troops; knowing when an illustration is “finished”; and more.

To learn more about Victor, visit juhaszillustration.com.

To learn more about the U.S. Air Force Art Program—and its relationship with the Society of Illustrators, visit military.com/history.

Victor mentioned the “bravura” technique in painting and drawing. For further reading on it, visit artistsnetwork.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Bernie D’Andrea, Murray Tinkleman, Jim Spanfeller, John Gundelfinger, Lorraine Fox, Stephen Kroninger, Winslow Homer, Linda Kitson, Harvey Dunn, Howard Brodie, and Miriam Troop

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Barbara Nessim

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Barbara Nessim—Illustrator, Fine Artist, and Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame inductee—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the early days of her illustrious career—starting at Pratt Institute in the 1950’s; working as one of the very few women in illustration in the 1960’s; hanging out with Milton Glaser, Tomi Ungerer, and Gloria Steinem; being one of the first artists to “go digital”; avoiding the need to “fit in”; and more.

To learn more about Barbara, visit barbaranessim.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Artists: Robert Weaver, Bob Gale, Thomas Allen, Henry Wolf, Milton Glaser, Seymour Chwast, Ed Sorel, Reynold Ruffins, Simms Taback, Jim McMullan, Tomi Ungerer, Isadore Seltzer, and Susan Perl

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Andrew Fairclough

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 09:00:00 GMT

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 more, visit truegrittexturesupply.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Shawn Kerri, WBYK, Karan Singh, and Al Parker

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Christine von der Linn

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 15:55:00 GMT

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 Galleries, visit swanngalleries.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Frederic Church, Ludwig Bemelmans, Charles Schulz, Emily Flake, Peter Arno, Charles Addams, Tom Toro, Mead Schaeffer, Barbara Shermund, Martha Sawyers, Barbara Zuber, Ilonka Karasz, Dorothy Lathrop, Miriam Troop, Albert Dorne, Howard Pyle, Violet Oakley, Jessie Wilcox Smith, and Elizabeth Shippen Green

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Daniel Abraham

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 09:30:00 GMT

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 money from—their “authorship”; and so much more.

To learn more about Daniel, copyright law, and the services he provides for artists, visit legaleasel.com. To email Daniel, click here.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Bill Mauldin, Herb Block, Keith Haring, and Kenny Sharf

Daniel shared a lot of information about protecting your art. He was kind enough to provide his advice in writing—including links. From Daniel:

The link for the Copyright Office website in general is: copyright.gov

The link for registering copyrights is: copyright.gov/registration

The direct link for logging into the ECO—the online registration system—is: eco.copyright.gov. To register works on the ECO site, one must first provide a username and password. I recommend that people also take a look at the Copyright Office circulars for guidance in the registration process. The link to the Copyright Office circulars is: copyright.gov/circs.

To repeat what I probably touched on, but did not go into detail on, in our conversation, it is possible to register up to 10 unpublished works as a “collection” (NOT a “collective work!”—To get INDIVIDUAL coverage of unpublished material, the works MUST be a “collection”!), but works, once published, must GENERALLY be registered individually, which can get expensive. It is better to register works when they are still UNpublished. One CANNOT mix published and unpublished work in a registration.

There are TWO major exceptions regarding group registration of PUBLISHED work:

It is possible to register up to one year’s worth of work done for periodicals—on a single registration form—for a single fee, using the GR/CP (Group Registration of Contributions to Periodicals) option. However, if one is doing a quantity of work for periodicals—print, online, or both—it is WISER to register one’s periodical work QUARTERLY, since that means each quarter’s registrations will have been made within the magic “Three-Months-of-First Legitimate-Publication” grace period, within which work infringed before registration is deemed registered prior to infringement, which preserves the best legal remedies.
If an artist has done a lot of work for a single item—the illustrations for a book, a graphic novel, or an advertising supplement that’s inserted in a newspaper—the artist can register ALL those images, and have them individually covered, provided that the works were all published at the same time and the artist is the sole author of the multiple images being registered.

All this may sound confusing, but it really is not. Briefly:

A copyright CANNOT be enforced if it is not registered.

Unless registration is done PRIOR to infringement, the artist loses the right to claim statutory damages and attorney’s fees, and is limited to claiming provable actual damages.
Up to ten unpublished works may be registered as a “collection.” Work is “unpublished” if it is registered prior to publication, even if it is “going to be published” in a few days.
If unpublished work is infringed before it is registered, the artist loses the right to claim statutory damages and attorney’s fees for that infringement.
If a work is registered within three months of first legitimate publication, but after infringement, the artist may still claim statutory damages and attorney’s fees as if it had been registered prior to the infringement.
The effective date of the registration relates back to when the Copyright Office logged in the application, even if the actual registration does not issue until months later.

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Julia Rosenfeld

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 09:30:00 GMT

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.

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Kazu Kibuishi

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 09:30:00 GMT

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 end of the episode, Giuseppe’s 13 year-old cohost asks Kazu about the future of Amulet.

To learn more about Kazu, visit boltcityproductions.com.

Kazu mentions Disney animator, Ubbe Iwerks, and Iwerks’s use of “xerography”. Here’s more on Iwerks and Xerography.

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John Cuneo

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 09:30:00 GMT

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, trauma, and self-harm are discussed.

To learn more about John, visit johncuneo.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Steve Brodner, Thomas Nast, David Levine, Joe Ciardiello, James McMullan, Ed Sorel, Roz Chast, Steve Guarnaccia, and Egon Schiele

While speaking about depression, John cited this line from poet, Rainer Maria Rilke: “If my devils are to leave me, I am afraid my angels will take flight as well.”

He also quotes, Irvin D. Yalom, in saying that, “Sooner or later [you] have to relinquish the goal of having a better past.”

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David Wiesner

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 09:30:00 GMT

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 picture books matter; and so much more.

To learn more about David, visit davidwiesner.com.

David and I talked about the great, Trina Schart Hyman. Here is David’s blog post about working with her when she was the art director at Cricket.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jack Kirby, Tom Sgouros, David Macaulay, Jim Steranko, Lyn Ward, Edward Gorey, Moebius, Leo and Diane Dillon, Trina Schart Hyman, Chris Van Allsburg, Maurice Sendak, James Marshall, Betsy Lewin, Ted Lewin, Pamela Zagarenski, Javaka Steptoe, John Steptoe, Barbara Cooney, and Charles Knight

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James McMullan

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 08:30:00 GMT

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.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Betsy Lewin, Milton Glaser, Egon Schiele, Ben Shahn, Robert Weaver, Seymour Chwast, Ed Sorel, R.O. Blechman, Maurice Sendak, Charles B. Slackman, Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol, and Mary Suzuki.

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Sergio Ruzzier

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 08:30:00 GMT

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 Ambrogio Lorenzetti, George Herriman, Elzie Crisler Segar, Chester Gould, Massimo Mattioli, Paul Davis, Lane Smith, Peter Sís, and Alessandro Sanna.

To learn more about Sergio, visit ruzzier.com.

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Martin Salisbury

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 08:30:00 GMT

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 in this episode include: Russell Mills, Paul Slater, Angela Barrett, Maurice Sendak, Judith Kerr, Roy Gerrard, John Minton, Esphry Slobdkina, Marshall Arisman, and James McMullen

To learn more about Martin and Anglia Ruskin University, visit aru.ac.uk/people/martin-salisbury.

Martin mentioned the book, The Education of an Illustrator, by Marshall Arisman and Steven Heller. You can purchase it here, or at your local bookstore.

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Amanda Burdan

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 08:30:00 GMT

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, Howard Pyle, Maxfield Parrish, Jessie Willcox Smith, Charles Dana Gibson, Rockwell Kent, Horace Pippin, William Trost Richards, John Neagle, Grandma Moses, Violet Oakley, Anna Whelan Betts, Ethel Franklin Betts, Ellen B.T. Pyle, Olive Rush, Blanche Grant, Alice Barber Stephens, Katharine Pyle, Edmund Dulac, Arthur Rackham, Ralston Crawford, Frank Schoonover, and Thomas Hart Benton.

To learn more about the Brandywine Museum, visit brandywine.org/museum.

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Joe Ciardiello

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 20:33:00 GMT

Illustrator and portraitist extraordinaire, Joe Ciardiello, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about his first steps as an illustrator—with the help of Murray Tinkelman; who Jim Spanfeller was, and what he taught Joe about drawing; what Joe thinks about when he thinks about drawing; how he manages the ebb and flow career of an illustrator; how procrastination affects Joe; and much more.

To learn more about Joe, visit joeciardiello.com.

Illustrators mentioned in this episode include: Murray Tinkelman, Bob Peak, Bernie Fuchs, Mort Drucker, Maurice Sendak, Lorraine Fox, Alan Cober, Chris Spollen, and Richard Egielski.

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R.O. Blechman

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Illustrator, graphic novelist, and filmmaker, R.O. Blechman, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about why he became an artist despite not loving to draw, and having no interest in art; how he went from having a “rigid” style with “no quality whatsoever” to one of the most recognizable styles in all of illustration; what happened when Maurice Sendak asked Blechman for advice; what would be his best piece of advice for today’s illustrators; and much more.

To learn more about Blechman, visit roblechman.com.

Illustrators mentioned in this episode include: Maxa Nordau, Ben Shahn, James McMullen, Charles Demuth, Maurice Sendak, and Al Hirschfeld

Blechman’s 1967 Alka-seltzer ad was discussed in this episode. You can watch it here.

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Johnny Temple

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 19:05:00 GMT

Publisher of Akashic Books, Johnny Temple, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how he went from touring with Rage Against The Machine to launching a socially conscious publishing company; why it took a “constellation of fortunate events” to form Akashic; why Johnny doesn’t like the idea of “mandatory gatekeepers” between artists and companies; and, how Go The F*ck To Sleep went from an almost-rejected proposal to a game-changing phenomenon.

Johnny talked about Samuel L. Jackson’s reading of Stay the F**k at Home on The Jimmy Kimmel Show. Here’s the clip on Youtube.

To learn more about Johnny and Akashic Books, visit akashicbooks.com.

Akashic’s new LyricPop series was discussed in this episode. Here’s more on them.

Johnny mentioned that he’s always looking for illustrators. The best way to reach him is to email him at temple450@aol.com.

A few of the writers and artists mentioned in this episode include: Marlon James, Kaylie Jones, Adam Mansbach, and Ricardo Cortés.

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Ashley Bryan

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Renowned children’s book author and illustrator, Ashley Bryan, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how—over almost 100 years—art has helped Ashley persevere through adversity. They also discuss Ashley’s experiences during World War II; Ashely’s 50-year career in children’s publishing; and why art is at the heart of what it means to be human.

To learn more about Ashley, visit ashleybryancenter.com.

Giuseppe mentioned Nancy’s Larrick’s 1965 article, The All-White World of Children’s Books. You can read it here.

You can also read about the founding of The Coretta Scott King Award by visiting their blog.

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Betsy Bird

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 20:31:00 GMT

Betsy Bird (otherwise known as “Fuse8”), the Collection Development Manager of Evanston Public Library, and former Youth Materials Specialist of the New York Public Library, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about her path to becoming a librarian; the origin of “Fuse8”; a librarian’s responsibility—particularly with “problematic” books; the mischievousness of favorite children’s book creators; the Berenstain’s and Alternate Timelines, the six-foot long mustache she once received from Giuseppe’s team at Penguin, and more.

To learn more about Betsy—and her podcast, Fuse8 & n’ Kate—visit betsybirdbooks.com.

A few authors and illustrators were mentioned in this conversation, including: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Dr. Seuss, Jacqueline Woodson, Stan and Jan Berenstain, Peggy Rathmann, Robert McCloskey, Wanda Gag, Ludwig Bemelmans, and Walter de la Mer

You can purchase Betsy’s book, Wild Things! Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature, co-written with Julie Danielson and Peter D. Sieruta, through our Book Shop. The podcast gets a small percentage of the sales; and, you support local bookstores. Win win.

Other books mentioned in this episode include: The Birchbark House, Was The Cat in the Hat Black?, A Celebration of Beatrix Potter, and The Day the Babies Crawled Away.

If you want to learn more about my reference to The Mandela Effect—and how we actually might live in an alternate timeline, read this from HowStuffWorks.com.

To buy books we mention on the podcast, visit our Book Shop! Purchasing books through our affiliate link supports independent bookstores and our podcast.

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Seymour Chwast

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 11:30:00 GMT

Recorded from his apartment, Seymour Chwast talks to Giuseppe Castellano about forming Push Pin Studios with Ed Sorel, and Milton Glaser; hanging out with Ezra Jack Keats; and what his thoughts are on Comic Sans.

To learn more about Seymour Chwast, visit pushpininc.com.

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Stephanie Plunkett

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 11:30:00 GMT

Stephanie Haboush Plunkett, the Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the Norman Rockwell Museum, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how she came to work at the museum; what lessons we can learn from Rockwell’s life and work, and why she and the museum are trying to change how the public views and appreciates the yet-to-be-fully-appreciated field of illustration.

The episode begins with a segment of “Moonlight Serenade” by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra. The track was a recording from their live show at the Glen Island Casino in New Rochelle, New York, on May 17, 1939. That same year, Rockwell and his family moved from New Rochelle, New York, to Arlington, Vermont. The album from which the track was pulled is called, Glenn Miller: A Legendary Performer. You should listen to the entire album. Find it where ever you find music.

As we learn from Stephanie in this episode, Rockwell’s paintings were restored/preserved at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center. You can visit their website, and learn about their educational offerings here.

A few artists and illustrators were mentioned in this conversation, including: Thomas Fogarty, George Bridgeman, Clyde Forsythe, Marshall Arisman, Robert Weaver, Seymour Chwast, Mead Schaeffer, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, James McMillan, Frances Jetter, and Yuyi Morales

To learn more about the Norman Rockwell Museum, visit nrm.org.

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Jean Dahlgren

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 11:00:00 GMT

The President of Delaware College of Art and Design, Jean Dahlgren, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about what sparked her lifelong interest in art education; why she’s tired of the “myth” of the “starving artist”; and how the Delaware College of Art and Design prepares future artists.

They also praise the Delaware, and the city of Wilmington—the rightful birthplace of the Golden Age of Illustration.

Here are a few of the illustrators they mentioned: Linda Kitson, Howard Pyle, Frank Schoonover, Elizabeth Shippen Green, Jessie Wilcox Smith, and Violet Oakley

Update: DCAD is no longer open. Visit dcad.edu.

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Francesca Gambatesa

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 11:00:00 GMT

Illustrator and animator, Francesca Gambatesa talks to Giuseppe Castellano about Italy’s best kept secret (spoiler: it’s Puglia); how she found a literary agent; what she thinks about when she thinks about character design; and why a career in children’s publishing isn’t for the faint of heart.

To learn more about Francesca, visit francescagam.co.uk.

Here are a few of the illustrators they mentioned: Quentin Blake, Ronald Searle, Vamba, Marc Boutavant, Fiep Westendorp, and Uri Shulevitz

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Barry Blitt

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 10:30:00 GMT

Illustrator and Cartoonist, Barry Blitt, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about why showing his drawings to Major League baseball players helped start Barry’s career; how he and art editor, Françoise Mouly, of The New Yorker have worked together for decades to create more than 100 covers; and why illustrators can be overly self-critical.

Barry mentions a Daily Show segment with Jon Stewart, in which Jon discusses Barry’s “Politics of Fear” cover. You can watch it on Comedy Central’s site.

Here are a few of the illustrators they mentioned: Russell Mills, Ian Pollock, Ed Sorel, Alan Cober, Joe Ciardiello, and Robert Andrew Parker.

To see a sample of Barry’s work with The New Yorker, visit newyorker.com/contributors/barry-blitt.

To learn more about Barry, visit barryblitt.com.

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David Goldman

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 09:30:00 GMT

Artist Representative/Personal Manager/Producer and Founder of David Goldman Agency, David Goldman, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about his role as an agent; why he would rather starve than give up an artist’s rights; what fees illustrators get from magazines and children’s book publishers; and how the illustration world has changed since 1980.

David also shares what he thinks is the “key most important thing” anyone in a creative field should be attempting to do.

Here are a few of the artists mentioned: Norm Bendell, David Anson Russo, Michael Morgenstern, Kyle Webster, Tim Cook, and Cathie Bleck

To learn more about David, visit davidgoldmanagency.com.

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Leo Espinosa

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Illustrator and Designer, Leo Espinosa talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how the passing of his father led a 13-year old Leo to drawing.

They discuss Leo’s upbringing in Bogotá, Colombia; the relationship between illustration and graphic design; Milton Glaser’s life-changing influence (professionally and personally); the beauty of a pencil; and how immigrants (and their hyphen American children) have shaped children’s literature.

Here are a few illustrators mentioned: Milton Glaser, Paul Rand, Yves Chaland, Xavier Mariscal, Mary Blair, Alice and Martin Provensen, Aurelius Battaglia, Abner Graboff, Alex Ducal, Alexander Girard, and Miroslav Šašek

I mention the mysterious Abner Graboff—about whom Maurice Sendak said, Whatever happened to him? He was really good. Here’s an interview of Jon Graboff that speaks to his father’s claim of the CBS logo.

To learn more about Leo, visit studioespinosa.com.

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Peter Jaszi

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 11:50:00 GMT

Copyright Law expert and former Professor of Law, Peter Jaszi, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about his step-grandfather—and Little Golden Books legend—Tibor Gergely.

They then discuss the legality of fan art; copyright vs. trademark; the real deal behind the “poor man’s copyright”; and why and how illustrators should legally protect their work.

Here are a few links Peter thought would be helpful:

Submitting your work to the U.S. Copyright Office.

The Organization for Transformative Works (OTW) is a nonprofit organization run by and for fans to provide access to and preserve the history of fanworks and fan cultures.

This code of best practices provides visual-arts professionals with a set of principles addressing best practices in the fair use of copyrighted materials. —College Art Association of America

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Emily Keyes

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Agent, Emily Keyes, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the esoteric world of foreign rights and sub-rights; and the 3 things you should know before submitting to an agent.

They then discuss mental health; and why Wormtongue from The Lord of the Rings is wrong about you.

To learn more about Emily—and how to submit to her—visit her Tumblr and fuseliterary.com/emily-s-keyes/.

Emily referenced her Short Fuse Guide to Publishing Contracts.

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Leonard S. Marcus

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Here are a few (of the many) authors and illustrators mentioned: Randolph Caldecott, Beatrix Potter, Wanda Gág, George Duplaix (co-founder of Little Golden Books), Nathalie Parain, Gustaf Tenggren, Ursula Nordstrom, Nicholas Mordvinoff, Maurice Sendak, Ezra Jack Keats, Langston Hughes, Mildred Taylor, John Steptoe, Jerry Pinkney, and Barbara Cooney.

Here are a few of the books, magazines, treatises, and articles mentioned: Some Thoughts Concerning Education, by John Locke (1692); The Brownies’ Book, by W. E. B. Du Bois (1920); Clever Bill, by William Nicholson (1926); The Two Reds, by William Lipkind (1950); The All White World of Children’s Books, by Nancy Larrick (1965); and Where Are the People of Color in Children's Books? by Walter Dean Myers (2014).

To learn about Leonard and his books on children’s publishing, visit leonardmarcus.com.

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Jon Cockley

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Jon Cockley, co-founder of Handsome Frank, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how fatherhood was a catalyst for starting his illustration agency; how they find illustrators to represent; and why—despite the problems he sees—illustration continues to be a viable career choice.

While they no longer respond to every submission for representation, Jon says they absolutely look at every one. Email no less than 9 illustrations as low-res JPGs (approx. 1000px longest edge) to: submissions@handsomefrank.com.

To learn more about Handsome Frank, visit handsomefrank.com.

He mentioned an article he wrote called, Algorithm Anxiety. You can read it by following this link.

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Leila Sales

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Here are a few of the editors, authors, and illustrators they mention: May Massee (Viking founder), Ludwig Bemelmans, Robert McCloskey, Ellen Tarry and Marie Hall Ets (authors of “My Dog Rinty”), William Steig, Roald Dahl, Mildred D. Taylor (author of “ Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry”), Lane Smith, Simms Taback, and Anna Dewdney.

To learn more about Leila and her books, visit leilasales.com .

Leila recommends Jon Ronson’s book, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed. It is required reading for anyone on social media.

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Jim Hoover, Part 1 of 2

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Multi-award-winning children’s book art director, Jim Hoover, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about what it’s like to talk to Maurice Sendak and Hilary Knight; how he finds illustrators; and why he never wants to hear, “Are we married to this illustrator”.

This is part 1 of a 2-part conversation. Be sure to listen to part 2—in which Jim answers your questions.

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Lisa Brown

Giuseppe Castellano — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 07:07:01 GMT

Author/Illustrator and educator, Lisa Brown, talks with Giuseppe Castellano about myriad illustrators from Edward Gorey and Ed Emberley to Kaylani Juanita and Joohee Yoon; how one tweet led to a dream job with the New York Times Book Review (although Twitter is mostly a “nest of vipers”); and why she thinks contemporary children’s book illustration is going through a revolution.

Here are a few of the illustrators we mentioned: Syd Hoff, Quentin Blake, Ivan Brunetti, Paul Rand, Ken Pak, Jon Klassen, Christian Robinson, Yuyi Morales, Isabelle Arsenault, Aaron Becker, and Catia Chien.

To learn more about Lisa, visit americanchickens.com.

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Kelly Light, Part 2 of 2

Giuseppe Castellano — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 04:37:48 GMT

Author and Illustrator, Kelly Light, and Giuseppe Castellano talk about what it means to be a good character designer; they discuss the importance of believability; they get real about social media; and they explain why publishing is one big gamble.

Lastly, Kelly pinpoints the two things everyone needs to live a life as an illustrator.

Here are a few of the artists we mentioned: P. D. Eastman, Syd Hoff, Norman Bridwell

To learn more about Kelly Light, visit kellylight.com.

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Bob Staake

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to one of the nation’s most prolific illustrators, Bob Staake, about how his creative approach aligns and differs between editorial and children’s book illustration; why children’s books shouldn’t have messages or morals, but rather truths or shares; what having a 50-year illustration career comes down to; and more.

To learn more about Bob, visit bobstaake.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Drew Struzan and Barry Blitt

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Heidi and Ryan Sanchez

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Heidi and Ryan Sanchez, Art Agents and Cofounders of Spinning Yarn, about how they formed and (with a little help from Captain Kangaroo) named their agency; how they find clients for the illustrators they represent; what is and isn’t professional when emailing an illustration agent (spoiler alert: don’t use emojis); and more.

To learn more about Spinning Yarn, visit spinningyarnreps.com.

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Noa Denmon

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator, Noa Denmon, about how an artist’s traditional or digital tools don’t make the artist; what it’s like to get “the Caldecott call”; why it’s important for creatives to spend time not creating; and more.

To learn more about Noa, visit noadenmon.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Sophie Blackall, Ashley Bryan, Rudy Gutierrez, Betsy Lewin, Pamela Zagarenski, Javaka Steptoe, Yuko Shimizu, Peter de Sève, Tom Feelings, Jackie Ormes, Ernie Barnes, Mozelle Thompson, John Steptoe, Emory Douglass, and Kadir Nelson

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Mike Lowery

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, Mike Lowery about how he managed to turn illustrating into a living; why drawing every day is a vital part of his life and work; what illustrators can learn from craft-makers; and more.

To learn more about Mike, visit mikelowery.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: John Hendrix

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Jess Lomax

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Jess Lomax, co-founder and director of Inkling Illustration Agency, about what special ingredient was needed to form her agency; how there’s nothing magical about generative AI; what she looks for in illustration portfolios—beyond variety and consistency; and more.

To learn more about Jess and Inkling Illustration Agency, visit inklingillustration.com.

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Deborah Feingold

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 16:17:00 GMT

Deborah Feingold talks to Giuseppe Castellano about her 40-year career as a photographer; what it was like taking photographs of major figures in music, politics, and popular culture—from Chet Baker to Madonna to President Obama; how she feels about the age of built-in cameras in smart phones; and why she likes to photograph illustrators.

To learn more about Deborah, visit deborahfeingold.com.

Musicians, politicians, and illustrators mentioned in this episode include: Scott Lee, David Byrne, Annie Lennox, James Brown, Mitch McConnell, Ed Sorel, Seymour Chwast, Barry Blitt, and Joe Ciardiello

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Richard Borge

Giuseppe Castellano — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, animator, director, and educator, Richard Borge about choosing a freelance life over something more (ostensibly) stable; why illustrators should embrace their work’s evolution; how to conceptualize an editorial illustration; why some great pieces of advice for illustrators aren’t that great; and more.

To learn more about Richard, visit richardborge.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Scott Santoro, Ed Bedno, Matt Mahurin, and Mark Fredrickson

Richard cited an article entitled, A Program for Developing Visual Symbols, by Ed Bedno. You can read it here.

Giuseppe talked about a blog post he wrote called, Do What You Don’t Love. You can read it here.

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Nancy Stahl

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Illustrator, and forerunner of the digital illustration age, Nancy Stahl, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how she started her illustration career in 1971 with two hundred dollars and two years of art school.

They also discuss the pleasure and pain of working in gouache; what it was like to be one of the first illustrators to “go digital” in the 1980’s; and why a company called Adobe invited her to try out a new program called, Photoshop.

To learn more about Nancy, visit nancystahl.com.

Illustrators mentioned in this episode include: Rick Tulka, Michael Deas, Barry Zaid, Seymour Chwast, James McMullan, Lance Hidy, Paul Davis, Vivienne Flesher, Philippe Weisbecker, Barbara Nessim, and J. Otto Seibold.

Nancy mentioned an article written by Steven Heller on the nascent Adobe Photoshop. You can read it here on printmag.com.

Giuseppe mentioned his podcast conversation with Seymour Chwast. You can listen to it here. He also mentioned discussing women in illustration with Zina Saunders. That episode can be found here.

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Rudy Gutierrez

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Educator, and multi-award-winning artist, Rudy Gutierrez, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how he’s “lived many dreams” over a 40-year career in Illustration; why the famous musician, Carlos Santana, chose Rudy’s art for his 2002 album, Shaman; why he thinks the role of an educator is to help students “find their validity”; what it was like getting the “Caldecott Call”; and how illustrators can find their path.

To learn more about Rudy, visit altpick.com/rudygutierrez or rudygutierrez.net.

Giuseppe mentioned educator, Murry Tinkelman’s words that celebrated Rudy’s 2005 Distinguished Educator in the Arts award. You can read it in full on the Society of Illustrators website.

A few of the writers and artists mentioned in this episode include: Mati Klarwein, Dave Passalacqua, Randy Chavez, Marshall Arisman, Andrea Loney, Murray Tinkelman, Rafael Tufiño, David Grove, and Bernie Fuchs

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Mohamed Danawi

Giuseppe Castellano — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 04:38:04 GMT

Mohamed Danawi—the founder and creative director of IlloZoo—talks with Giuseppe Castellano about the renaissance in illustration, running an art agency, the pros and cons of social media, and the necessary steps illustrators need to take to be successful—from the perspective of an agent.

Here are a few of the artists we mentioned: Jack Unruh, Ralph Steadman, Joe Ciardello, Seymour Chwast, CF Payne, Brad Holland, Jean Girard (aka Moebius), Bruno Munari, Olimpia Zagnoli, and Malika Favre

To learn more about Mohamed and IlloZoo, visit illozoo.com.

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Stanley Chow

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT

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.

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The Substack Episode

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning cartoonist, author, and comedian, Jason Chatfield, and award-winning illustrator and creator of Ten Minute Artist, Adam Ming, about what they like and don’t like about Substack, how it can benefit illustrators creatively and financially; and more.

To learn more about Jason and Adam, visit jasonchatfield.com and adamming.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Austin Kleon, Wendy MacNaughton, and Asher Perlman

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Uri Shulevitz

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Caldecott-winning Artist & Writer, Uri Shulevitz, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how he went from fleeing the Nazi’s in 1939, to publishing his first picture book with Harper & Row in 1963; why he thought his career in picture books was over before it really began; why he wrote Writing with Pictures (and how the beloved book almost didn’t happen); why he thinks illustrators should give up on the idea of the “perfect picture”; and more.

To learn more about Uri, visit urishulevitz.com.

To purchase Writing with Pictures: How to Write and Illustrate Children's Books, find it at—or order it from—a local book store.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Rufino del Carmen Arellanes Tamayo, Tintoretto, Titian, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, Arnold Lobel, Margot Zemach, and Ezra Jack Keats

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Betsy Lewin

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 11:30:00 GMT

Caldecott Honor-winning author and illustrator, Betsy Lewin, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about attending Pratt Institute in the 1950’s; how she met Ted Lewin; how a poem she wrote for Parents Magazine led her to children’s publishing; and why she didn’t know she won a Caldecott Honor after getting a phone call from the Caldecott committee.

We recorded this conversation in the dining room of Ted and Betsy’s lovely brownstone in Fort Green, Brooklyn.

To learn more about Betsy, visit betsylewin.com.

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Floyd Cooper

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Author and illustrator, Floyd Cooper, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how a weatherman in Tulsa, Oklahoma—and his character “gusty”—stoked Floyd’s love of drawing. He also talks about his bumpy experiences with Hallmark; how Mark English became a friend and mentor; and why an author’s insistence—in 1989—that her publisher hire a black illustrator launched Floyd’s publishing career.

Here are a few of the authors and illustrators mentioned: Mark English, Thomas Blackshear, Alex Bostic, Eloise Greenfield, Tom Feelings, Jerry Pinkney, Virginia Hamilton, and Bernie Fuchs

To learn more about Floyd, visit floydcooper.com .

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Stephen Kroninger

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 10:00:00 GMT

Author/illustrator, Stephen Kroninger, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the art of collage; how a kid from “the sticks” got his own show at the MOMA; and why he thinks artists should always say they can—even if they can’t.

Here are a few of the illustrators we mentioned: Eric Carle, Leo Lionni, Romare Bearden, Esphyr Slobodkina, George Gross, Henri Matisse, Kurt Schwitters, Hannah Höch, and John Heartfield.

To learn more about Stephen, visit stephenkroninger.net.

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Emily Kleinman

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 12:35:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Emily Kleinman, Art Director at Mudpuppy, about her role in the creation of Mudpuppy’s toys, puzzles, books, and other products; where she goes first to look for illustrators (listeners of this podcast won’t be surprised by her answer); how art directors are just like us; and more.

Emily can be found on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Priscilla Moreno, Ekaterina Trukhan, and Katy Tanis

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Anna Goodson

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 22:30:00 GMT

President & Founder of Anna Goodson Illustration Agency, Anna Goodson, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the founding and management of her world-renowned agency; the top 5 mistakes she’s seen illustrators make; how COVID-19 has affected—and may affect—the illustration community; and what illustrators can do to stay responsibly productive during a time of isolation.

To learn more about Anna and her agency, visit agoodson.com.

To buy books we mention on the podcast, visit our Book Shop! Purchasing books through our affiliate link supports independent bookstores and our podcast.

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Pamela Zagarenski

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Two-time Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator, Pamela Zagarenski, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about why personal hardship—which led to professional abandonment—almost torpedoed her career; how she picked up the pieces; how her company’s name, Sacred Bee, came from a near-death experience; and what Goethe teaches us about achieving our creative goals.

To learn more about Pamela, visit sacredbee.com.

Be sure to check out her newest book, The Fabled Life of Aesop, by Ian Lender, where you buy or borrow books.

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Mary Ann Naples

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 20 May 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Mary Ann Naples, the COO & Publisher of Publishers Marketplace, about what it means (and why it’s hard) for publishers to sell books to book-sellers; what value PM brings to the publishing community; what advice all creatives should follow, if they want to be a publishing or published professional; and more.

To learn more about Publishers Marketplace, visit publishersmarketplace.com.

To learn more about Publishers Lunch, visit lunch.publishersmarketplace.com.

Check out the Publishers Marketplace Writers (and Illustrators) Guide: publishersmarketplace.com/help/WritersGuide.cgi

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Holly Hoover

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 05:00:00 GMT

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

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Eugenia Mello

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, designer, and educator, Eugenia Mello about what “draw what you know” means—and why it’s both good and frustrating advice; why she thinks the act of illustrating is like a dance; how illustrators are music makers, and why the music they make is as magical as anything; and more.

To learn more about Eugenia, visit eugeniamello.com.

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Peter Glassman

Giuseppe Castellano — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 11:30:00 GMT

The founder of Books of Wonder, Peter Glassman, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about opening his first book store in 1980; coming out to his parents in the late 1970’s; the genius and heart of Maurice Sendak; and the connections Peter made with Arnold Lobel, Madeleine L’Engle, and many of the brightest stars in children’s publishing.

Here are a few of the writers and illustrators they mentioned: Arnold Lobel, Maurice Sendak, Crockett Johnson, Ruth Krauss, and Lloyd Alexander

To learn more about Peter and Books of Wonder, visit booksofwonder.com.

To purchase signed artwork, original editions, and other collectable ephemera, visit their auction page (and help Books of Wonder raise funds to move to a new location).

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Javaka Steptoe

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 09:30:00 GMT

Author and illustrator, Javaka Steptoe, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about growing up with his father, John Steptoe; why collage is “a means of survival”; getting the 3:00 AM phone call from the Caldecott committee; and the life and work of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

To learn more about Javaka, visit javaka.com.

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Hana Nakamura

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 28 May 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Hana Nakamura, Art Director for Norton Young Readers, an imprint of W.W. Norton, about how she finds and keeps track of illustrators; how she art directs a children’s book; why a big key to being an illustrator is… to illustrate; and more.

Hana can be found on Instagram.

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Beth Spencer

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, writer, and creator of Introvert Drawing Club on Substack, Beth Spencer, about what she’s learned from Introvert Drawing Club; why we should always use human intelligence when creating art; how illustrators don’t need much to do what they want; and more.

To learn more about Beth, visit bethspencerillustration.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Richard Scarry, Emma Carlisle, and Shel Silverstein

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Janelle Washington

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 11:00:00 GMT

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: Romare Bearden and Moses Williams

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Dave McKean

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Dave McKean talks to Giuseppe Castellano about being a writer, illustrator, filmmaker, and all around “creativo”; why he dislikes being called “artist” and “genius”; and how he managed to talk to artist Paul Nash—an early-20th-century British Modernist who passed in 1946.

A few authors and artists were mentioned in this conversation, including: Marshall Arisman, Moebius, Alan Moore, Francis Bacon, and Federico Fellini

Dave and Giuseppe also talk about jazz, including these musicians: Herbie Hancock, Chick Correa, Bill Evans, and Stefano Bollani

To learn more about Dave, visit davemckean.com.

Dave mentioned John Cleese’s “Open Mode” theory on creativity. Here is Cleese’s full lecture on creativity—in which he mentions the “open mode”.

You can purchase Dave’s book, Black Dog: The Dreams of Paul Nash, through Dark Horse.

Other books/comics mentioned in this episode include: Violent Cases, Sandman, Cages, Arkum Asylum, and Coraline.

Dave said that he listens to Oud Music by Anouar Brahem. You can listen to a few of his songs here.

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Gabriel Alborozo

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 11:30:00 GMT

Illustrator and Cartoonist, Gabriel Alborozo, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the anxiety-inducing choice to be a children’s book author and illustrator; why he sometimes sees the agent-illustrator relationship as “owner-pet”, how he handled rejections from agents for being “just a cartoonist”; what your big social media following says about you and your art (hint: not much); and how Gabriel dreamt of being a matte painter after watching Star Wars in 1977—and why it never happened.

To learn more about Gabriel, visit alborozo.co.uk.

Here are a few of the illustrators we mention: E.H. Shepard, Quentin Blake, Edward Ardizzone, Ronald Searle, Jean-Jacques Sempé, Gerald Scarfe, André François, Ralph Steadman, Harrison Ellenshaw, Frank Ordaz, Christoper Evans, and Ralph McQuarrie

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Alexis Orgera and Chad Reynolds of Penny Candy Books

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 16:30:00 GMT

Co-owners and publishers of Penny Candy Books, Alexis Orgera and Chad Reynolds, talk to Giuseppe Castellano about how they started a publishing company; what 5 steps are needed to publish a book; why they accept unsolicited manuscripts; and why diversity is integral to their mission.

Lastly, they discuss if Penny Candy Books—with employees living in Oklahoma, North Carolina, Georgia, and New Jersey—is the future of children’s book publishing.

Chad brought up the book, Publishing for Profit: Successful Bottom-line Management for Book Publishers. You can purchase a copy from Chicago Review Press, here.

To learn more about Penny Candy Books, visit pennycandybooks.com.

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Jay Cooper

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 11:30:00 GMT

Executive Creative Director at Serino Coyne, Jay Cooper, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about his path to becoming an “Ad Man”; what it’s like to be in the room where Jay and his team created visual ad campaigns for Frozen, Hamilton, and Boys in the Band; how he manages to double as a prolific author and illustrator; and all that jazz.

Here are some of the artists mentioned in this conversation: Drew Hodges, Chip Kidd, Olly Moss, Robert Tracthenberg, David Edward Byrd, Peter de Sève, Arthur Rackham, and Lisbeth Zwerger.

Jay mentions a poem by Billy Collins, I Go Back to the House for a Book. You can read it here.

To learn more about Jay and his books, visit jaycooperbooks.com.

To learn more about Serino Coyne, visit serinocoyne.com.

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Kevin Eastman

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 24 Dec 2019 11:00:00 GMT

Writer, artist, publisher, and co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kevin Eastman, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how a “dumb” drawing sparked a global phenomenon; how he and Peter Laird self-published the first TMNT comics; what he sees in the current Turtles renaissance; and what his one big regret has been since the first comic published in 1984.

His audio was a little off—but we’re chalking it up to the possibility that he was talking to us from his lair in the sewers of New York City.

Here are some of the artists mentioned in this conversation: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, Jack Kirby, Frank Miller, Alan Moore, Steve Ditko, Bob Kane and Bill Finger.

To learn more about Kevin, visit kevineastmanstudios.com.

To learn more about Peter Laird, visit peterlairdstmntblog.blogspot.com.

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Heather Campbell Coyle

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 08:30:00 GMT

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, William Glackens, Howard Pyle, Frank Schoonover, Raphaelle Peale, Frederic Edwin Church, Edward Mitchell Bannister, Henry Ossawa Tanner, and Pearl Mann

To learn more about the Delaware Art Museum, visit delart.org.

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Henry Cole

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Illustrator and author, Henry Cole, about the early years of his long career; what he experienced with the banning of And Tango Makes Three; how (and how not) to learn from artistic influences; and more.

To learn more about Henry, visit henrycole.net.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Steven Kellogg, John James Audubon, Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth, John Singer Sargent

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Vicki Willden-Lebrecht

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 23 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Vicki Willden-Lebrecht, CEO and Founder of The Bright Agency, about the founding of Bright, and whether or not it’s “too big”; why illustrators should be less precious about their work; and other topics.

Vicki also answers questions from patrons of the podcast about portfolios, book-banning, AI, and more.

To learn more about Vicki and The Bright Agency, visit thebrightagency.com.

Agents at Bright include: Alex Gehringer, Anne Moore Armstrong, Freddie Dawson, James Burns, Robyn Newton, Susan Penny, Lucie Luddington, Ilaria Vigilante, Edward Palmer, Arabella Stein, and Zuzi Wojciechowska

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Frances Soo Ping Chow

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Frances Soo Ping Chow, VP & Creative Director for Running Press and Black Dog & Leventhal, about her role and her time at Running Press; what words illustrators should never use when submitting portfolios to art directors; why illustrators should focus less on style, and more on quality; and more.

To learn more about Running Press, visit runningpress.com. You can email Frances your illustration portfolio by clicking here.

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Kerry Martin

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Kerry Martin, Creative Director of Holiday House, Peachtree, and Pixel+Ink.

Kerry answers questions from Patrons of the podcast on submitting picture book dummies; what good habits she thinks illustrators should have; what catches her attention when she looks at portfolios; and more.

They also discuss what might be the worst piece of advice for illustrators.

You can follow Kerry on LinkedIn. You can also email her examples of your illustrations, and a link to your portfolio.

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Greg Manchess

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 09:30:00 GMT

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.

Greg’s blog post on Failure was mentioned in this episode. You can read the post on muddycolors.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Gary Kelley and M.C. Escher

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Jess Brallier

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Publisher and author, Jess Brallier, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how an industrial engineer major at the University of Pittsburgh became a children’s book publisher; how he and Jeff Kinney launched The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and what a “P&L” is (and why you should care).

Here are a few of the authors Jess mentioned: Virginia Woolf, Anaïs Nin, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Norman Mailer, Tracy Kidder, and Lillian Hellman.

To connect with Jess, you can find him on LinkedIn .

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Darryl Cheng

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 18 May 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Darryl Cheng—author of The New Plant Parent and creator of House Plant Journal—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about being a plant parent; how he approaches house plant care, technically and philosophically; why illustrators should avoid “plant blindness” when it comes to growing or illustrating plants; and more.

To learn more about Darryl, visit houseplantjournal.com.

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Darren Di Lieto

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Darren Di Lieto, Creative Director at Hireillo, about the founding and early years of Hireillo; why marketing for illustrators involves a million degrees of nuance; how there is no silver bullet to finding an easy path to being an illustrator; and more.

To learn more about Darren and Hireillo, visit hireanillustrator.com.

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Arabelle Liepold

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Arabelle Liepold, Executive Director of The Society of Illustrators, about the past, present, and future of the Society; why illustrators should consider becoming members; what the Society can be for… society; and more.

To learn more about the Society, visit societyillustrators.org.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Norman Rockwell, Dean Cornwell, Charles Dana Gibson, Liza Donnelly, Edel Rodriguez, and Steve Brodner

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Peter Brown

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to #1 New York Times best-selling illustrator and author, Peter Brown, about what it’s like getting “The Caldecott Call”; how an illustrator can struggle with knowing if their illustration is good and done; why Roz from The Wild Robot is more than a wild robot; and more.

To learn more about Peter, visit peterbrownstudio.com.

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Greg Foley

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Greg Foley—illustrator, writer, designer, and all-around creator—about how studying fashion design at the Rhode Island School of Design led him down many varied creative paths; how Greg’s picture book, Thank You Bear, inadvertently and perfectly describes the picture book submission process; how we can achieve simplicity and authenticity with the work we create; and more.

To learn more about Greg, visit gregfoley.co.

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Mary Azarian

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator and author, Mary Azarian, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about her career—and how much of it came from “randomness, circumstance, and luck”; how farming fed her creativity; what she thinks every creative person should do—regardless of their age or experience; and more.

To learn more about Mary, visit maryazarian.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Leonard Baskin and Barry Moser

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David Macaulay

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Caldecott-winning illustrator and author, David Macaulay, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about his first steps in publishing—from rejections to Caldecott wins. He also shares this thoughts on: “breaking into publishing”, developing curiosity, quitting illustration, and more.

To learn more about David, visit davidmacaulay.com.

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Betsy Peterschmidt

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 11:30:00 GMT

Betsy talks about what it was like working with Giuseppe Castellano at Penguin Young Readers Group; how they both live with depression; how she finds illustrators to hire; and what Clifford the Big Red Dog creator, Norman Bridwell, teaches us about rejection, imposter syndrome, and perseverance.

To learn more about Betsy, visit betsyillustration.carbonmade.com.

Betsy’s always looking for artists. Email her!

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Darrel Rees

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 02 May 2023 09:40:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, author of “How To Be An Illustrator”, and founder of Heart, Darrel Rees about why he chose to form an illustration agency; why—when it comes to creating an illustration—good enough is pretty good; how illustrators can best communicate with agents and clients; and more.

To learn more about Darrel and his agency, visit heartagency.com.

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Scott Nash

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to author, illustrator, creative director, and executive director of Illustration Institute, Scott Nash about welcoming discomfort and change into one’s creative practice; who’s to blame for the general public’s ignorance of illustration; why you should know who Dahlov Ipcar, Barbara Cooney, and other great illustrators are from the great state of Maine; and more.

To learn more about Scott, visit scottnashillustration.com.

To learn more about Illustration Institute, visit illustrationinstitute.org.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Edward Gorey, Katie Yamasaki, Chris Van Dusen, Thomas Nast, Haddon Sundblom, Pearl Mann, Jerry Pinkney, Emily Flake, Joe Ciardiello, Barbara McClintock, Ashley Bryan, Barbara Cooney, Andrew Wyeth, Garth Williams, Dahlov Ipcar, Maurice Jake Day, and Alan Cober

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Charlie Bowden

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Charlie Bowden, agent and founder of Pickled Ink about the founding of her illustration agency; how illustrators should negotiate fees with clients; what it means to be a friendly agent; and more.

To learn more about Charlie and Pickled Ink, visit pickledink.com.

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Patrick Spaziante

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and comic book artist, Patrick Spaziante, about his career—from his early days at Archie Comics to becoming what Sonic the Hedgehog fans call “the legendary Spaz”; what lessons he’s learned from being a life-long copy artist; what illustrators can do if they don’t like any of the work they create; and more.

As discussed in this episode, Patrick is one of the few artists who can have a career and not be online. You can learn more about him on his Wikipedia page.

Artists mentioned in this epsiode include: Manny Galán, Jack Kirby, Ralph McQuarrie, Arthur Adams, Don Bluth, and Emily Warren

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Katty Huertas

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to artist, illustrator, and art director, Katty Huertas, about what she looks for in illustrators (hint: it’s not “being the best”); what simple portfolio advice illustrators should follow; why any creative might want to look into being a “polyteche”; and more.

To learn more about Katty, visit kattyhuertas.com.

Websites Katty and Giuseppe mentioned include: It’s Nice That, Creative Boom, Grain Edit, Creative Review, Illustration.lol, and Working Not Working

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Yuko Shimizu

Giuseppe Castellano — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 04:37:59 GMT

Illustrator and Educator, Yuko Shimizu, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the fear of failure, negotiating with clients, finding your true self, Hokusai and the zen of brush and ink, and the necessary steps illustrators need to take to be successful.

Here are a few of the illustrators we mention: Christoph Niemann, William Steig, Katsushika Hokusai, Mirko Ilić, and Leo Lionni

To learn more about Yuko Shimizu, visit yukoart.com.

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Lisa Maltby

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and designer, Lisa Maltby, about why freelance creatives should know the difference between constant and consistent; how illustrators, designers, and other creatives, can negotiate fees with clients; why the only artist, the only person, you should be comparing yourself to is yourself; and more.

To learn more about Lisa, visit lisamaltby.com.

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Luke Flowers

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 09:30:00 GMT

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 more about Luke, visit lukeflowerscreative.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Michael Smollin, Jim Henson, Cory Godbey, and Joey Ellis

Luke mentioned “Becoming Better Grownups” by Brad Montague. You can purchase it here.

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Maria Modugno

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Maria Modugno, Executive Editorial Director at Random House Studio, about how Tomie dePaola taught her to become an editor; what the acquisition process is like for a children’s book; why debut children’s book creators need to learn about marketing—STAT; what Maria looks for in illustrations; and more.

You can find Maria on LinkedIn.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jane Dyer, Tomie DePaola, Holly Hobbie, Rob Scotton, Victoria Kann, Brigette Barrager, Max Lang, and Pete Oswald

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Victoria Kann

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to New York Times Best-selling illustrator and author, and creator of Pinkalicious, Victoria Kann, about how Rolling Stone helped kickstart her illustration career; how a made-up disease led to her popular Pinkalicious franchise; why we shouldn’t have just one favorite color; what it means to fear success; and more.

To learn more about Victoria, visit ilikeart.com

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Tim Mendola

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 10:22:00 GMT

Tim Mendola—President of Mendola Artists and Rapp Art—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about Tim’s first experiences as agent; what best business practices all illustrators should embrace; what the “market” is and isn’t; why we may never see a sustainable union for illustrators; and more.

To learn more about Tim and his agencies, visit mendolaart.com and rappart.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Murray Tinkelman, Leonard Baskin, Bernie D’Andrea, Lorraine Fox, Ben Shahn, Coby Whitmore, Norman Rockwell, and Robert Heindel

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Ella Lupo

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 08:30:00 GMT

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 purplerainillustrators.com.

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Shawna J.C. Tenney

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Author and illustrator, Shawna J.C. Tenney, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about getting into illustration thanks to a scheduling snafu in high school; why illustrators sometimes need to break up with their agent (or agents); why her illustration and animation podcast, Stories Unbound, was short-lived—and what she regrets about it; and why—as Mercer Meyer would agree—rejection should be viewed as a normal part of an illustrator’s career.

To learn more about Shawna, visit shawnajctenney.com.

Writers and illustrators mentioned in this episode include: Mercer Meyer, Ruth Sanderson, Carter Goodrich, and Mary Grandpré.

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Vanessa Dina

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT

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 designfellowship.chroniclebooks.com. To learn more about the consumer trends website that Vanessa mentioned, visit wgsn.com/en.

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Max Ulichney

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, character designer, and “brushmancer”, Max Ulichney about the importance of studying from your favorite artists’ favorite artists; why not having a stylistic home-base may not be a bad thing; how he designs (and how you should use) his MaxPacks brushes; and more.

To learn more about Max, visit maxulichney.com.

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Sarah Walsh

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to maker of books & illustrated goods, Sarah Walsh, about what separates expectation from visualization; why running your own shop as a creative is a good idea, despite its ups and downs; why artists should get out of their own head when they’re making art; and more.

To learn more about Sarah, visit sarahwalshmakesthings.com.

Sarah mentioned they-draw.com.

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Nicole Tugeau

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Nicole Tugeau, Agent and Founder of Tugeau 2 (also known as T2) about the founding of her agency; what she looks for in an illustrator’s submission (hint, don’t stress about your submission letter); what mistakes to avoid when submitting your portfolio or picture book dummy to agents; how she parts ways with illustrators; what doing “spec work” really looks like; and more.

To learn more about Nicole and her agency, visit tugeau2.com.

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Emma Carlisle

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, artist, and author, Emma Carlisle, about how an illustration practice can be a bit of a whirlwind; why some illustration advice is infantilzing; why finding joy in your art is more important than it sounds; and more.

To learn more about Emma, visit emmacarlisle.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: London Ladd, Helen Stephens, Beth Spencer

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Vanessa Robles

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Vanessa Robles, Director of Production for Penguin Young Readers, about a production team’s role in bringing a book to life; why the number sixteen is important in book production; why we all need to put more respect on Production’s name; and more.

Vanessa can be found on LinkedIn.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Judy Schachner

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Oriana Leckert

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Oriana Leckert, Head of Publishing at Kickstarter, about the steps creators should take to start their Kickstarter journey—including one crucial one; how self-publishing differs from traditional publishing; what work needs to be done to publish through Kickstarter; and more.

To learn more about Oriana, visit oriana-leckert.com.

Links mentioned in this episode include:

kickstarter.com/creators/publishing

https://updates.kickstarter.com/how-to-create-an-expert-kickstarter-budget

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Antonia Weaver Atkins

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Antonia Weaver Atkins, educator and daughter of the great Robert Weaver, about what it was like growing up with her outside-of-the-box father; what “The Weave” didn’t like about being a commercial artist; what advice she thinks her father would share for illustrators today; and more.

Learn more about Robert Weaver at library.wustl.edu.

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Shaun Tan

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to artist and writer, Shaun Tan about his new book, Creature: Paintings, Drawings, and Reflections—and what he learned from compiling twenty-six years worth of his work; how illustrators can avoid falling into the rabbit hole of self-imitation; why having fun might be the best guide for any artist’s creative journey; and more.

To learn more about Shaun, visit: shauntan.net.

This is Shaun’s second appearance on the podcast. Click here to listen to his first episode.

To purchase Creature: Paintings, Drawings, and Reflections, visit our book shop.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Chris Ware and Frank Auerbach

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Genevieve Bormes

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Genevieve Bormes, Deputy Covers Editor for The New Yorker, about how she oversees the magazine’s covers; what real and scary questions artists ask themselves; what lesson all creatives need to learn and relearn; and more.

Genevieve’s email address at The New Yorker is genevieve_bormes(at)newyorker.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Bob Staake, Peter de Sève, John Cuneo, Arthur Getz, Diana Ejaita, and Rea Irvin

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Matthew Carlson

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 09:00:00 GMT

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.

They discuss Matthew’s successful Kickstarter campaign for a role-playing tabletop game, called WanderSquares. Learn more about the game by visiting, wandersquares.com

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Matt Stevens, Owen Davey, the other Matthew Carlson, and Iris Compiet

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Joe Cepeda

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning illustrator and author, Joe Cepeda, about how Joe took the scenic route to starting his illustration career; what clogs and filters get in the way of one’s creativity; why he’s not that into looking at other illustrators for inspiration; and more.

Learn more about Joe by visiting joecepeda.com.

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Lori Steel

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Lori Steel, Literary Agent and Founder of SteelWorks Literary, about launching a literary agency amid concerns (from some) surrounding the health of the children’s book industry; what she looks for in a children’s book creator; what Henry David Thoreau can teach illustrators; and more.

To learn more about Steelworks Literary, visit steelworksliterary.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Yuko Shimizu, Anoosha Syed, Vera Brosgol, and Alex T. Smith

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Tracy Shaw

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 09:50:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Tracy Shaw, Art Director for Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, about how the world of picture books is more than lollipops and rainbows; what her art department’s policy is on Generative AI; she answers questions from podcast patrons about emails, styles, palettes; and more.

You can find Tracy on LinkedIn.

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Cathy Olmedillas

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Cathy Olmedillas, founder of Anorak and Dot Magazines, about the early days of her career as a children’s magazine publisher; why respecting readers and paying illustrators seem to be novel business models in the children’s magazine world; why you should start an illustration career, or a podcast, or a magazine, with joy; and more.

To learn more about Cathy and her happy work, visit studioanorak.co.uk.

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Ed Vere

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, author, and visual literacy advocate, Ed Vere about growing up with Jan Michał Pieńkowski—and the life-lessons Jan imparted upon him; why it is so important to teach visual literacy to teachers; why “supposed to” should not be part of any creative process; and more.

To learn more about Ed, visit edvere.com.

To learn more about The Power of Pictures, visit clpe.org.uk/books/power-of-pictures/about.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jan Michał Pieńkowski, Quentin Blake, Chris Haughton, Viviane Schwarz, and Benji Davies

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Mariam Quraishi

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Mariam Quraishi, Senior Designer at Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, about how she works with illustrators. She also answers questions from listeners about the efficacy of postcards, querying agents, and more.

To learn more about Mariam, visit mariamquraishi.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Matthew Forsythe, Kelly Murphy

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Ânia Marcos

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Illustrator, Entrepreneur, and Podcast Producer-extraordinaire, Ânia Marcos, chats with Giuseppe Castellano about living and working in Portugal; how and why she’s helped produced countless creative podcasts; and why she thinks “failure” is a good thing.

They also trade “war stories” from the front lines of podcasting.

To learn more about Ânia, visit aniamarcos.com.

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Sarah Gonzales

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning illustrator, Sarah Gonzales, about what the Ezra Jack Keats Award brought to her creative practice; why using traditional media and digital media is not an either/or proposition; what piece of very good advice she has taped to her wall; and more.

To learn more about Sarah, visit sgonzalesart.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Ezra Jack Keats, Rebecca Lee Kunz, and Sydney Smith

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Leslie Mechanic

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Leslie Mechanic, art director at Simon & Schuster, about what catches her eye in an illustrator’s portfolio; why saying “it’s a competitive market” isn’t the most accurate take on the illustration industry; what all illustrators should know about the art director/illustrator relationship; and more.

To learn more about Leslie, visit lesliemechanic.com.

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Ali Fitzgerald

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to comics creator, writer, and educator, Ali Fitzgerald, about where art and art education intersect with social justice; what we can learn from the life and work of Käthe Kollwitz; how art can—especially in trying times—offer connection and solace; and more.

To learn more about Ali, visit alifitzgerald.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Bill Watterson, Gary Larson, Emil Ferris, and Käthe Kollwitz

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Philip Lee

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Philip Lee, cofounder and publisher of Readers to Eaters, about the founding of Lee & Low Books and the philosophy behind its mission; how wabi-sabi guides his editorial process; why “diverse” isn’t the right word when we talk about diverse children’s books; why he’s promoting food literacy from the ground up; and more.

To learn more about Philip and Readers to Eaters, visit readerstoeaters.com.

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Véronique Sweet

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Véronique Sweet, Art Director for Crown Picture Books and Little Golden Books at Penguin Random House, about what she looks for in an illustrator’s portfolio; how Little Golden Books aren’t just for little readers; what it means for illustrators to be storytellers; and more.

Véronique’s email address vsweet@penguinrandomhouse.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Irene Chan, Jill Howarth, Richard Scarry, and Gustaf Tenggren

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Maria Middleton

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Maria Middleton, Senior Art Director at Candlewick Press, about the role of an art director within the collaborative inner-workings of children’s publishing; what she looks for in illustrators; why illustrators should make work that makes them happy; and more.

To learn more about Maria, visit mariamiddleton.com.

To send Maria your illustration portfolio, email her at Maria.Middleton@candlewick.com.

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Grant Snider

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to cartoonist and author, Grant Snider, about how he aligns his creative life; what similarities there are between illustration and Grant’s work in orthodontics; why artists should zigzag every now and then; and more.

To learn more about Grant, visit grantsnider.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Shaun Tan, John Hendrix, Bill Watterson, and Mike Lowery

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Sol Cotti

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning illustrator, Sol Cotti, about how a little shamelessness can go a long way in establishing an illustration practice; why illustrators should generate ideas without using generative AI; why now is the time for illustrators to share their work; and more.

To learn more about Sol, visit solcotti.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Horace Pippin and Yuko Shimizu

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Marc Burckhardt

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to artist and illustrator, Marc Burckhardt, about “real opportunities” for illustrators; how Generative AI is a degradation of the making and perception of art; what “talent” really is among creatives; and more.

To learn more about Marc, visit marcburckhardt.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: C.F. Payne, Anita Kunz, and Greg Manchess

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Cale Atkinson

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and author, Cale Atkinson, about how to properly pitch book dummies; what to make of the fracturing social media landscape; how book creators can navigate a career in children’s publishing; and more.

To learn more about Cale, visit cale.ca.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Pascal Campion, Lynn Avril, Ekaterina Trukhan, Jarvis, and Brett Bean

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Katie Kordesh

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and author, Katie Kordesh, about what creatives still need to do after “getting” a literary agent (and signing book deals); how social media can be an effective promotional tool; why achieving a work/life balance may not be all it’s cracked up to be; and more.

To learn more about Katie, visit katiekordesh.com.

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Timothy Travaglini

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 21 May 2024 11:43:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Timothy Travaglini, Senior Literary Agent at Transatlantic Agency, about how illustrators and writers aren’t the only ones who experience rejection in publishing; why being open to the editorial process is almost always a good thing; why it’s important to find joy in creating art; and more.

To learn more about Tim and Transatlantic, visit transatlanticagency.com.

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Skye Kelly-Barrett

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 11:24:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Skye Kelly-Barrett, Founder & Agent at Roar, about the psychology of parting ways with an illustrator; what “visual voice” is and isn’t; how illustration (and illustration work) is everywhere; and more.

To learn more about Skye and Roar, visit roarartists.com.

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Helen Stephens

Giuseppe Castellano — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 01:15:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning children’s book creator and co-founder of The Good Ship Illustration, Helen Stephens, about the rules she ignored in the early days of her career; why “have fun” might be the most no-nonsense piece of advice illustrators will ever hear; why an illustrator’s work should not be called “imaginative”; and more.

To learn more about Helen, visit helenstephens.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Tania Willis, Katie Chappell, Bruce Ingman, and Tor Freeman

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Aram Kim

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Aram Kim, Art Director at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, about how she manages her creative duality as both art director and illustrator/author; what it feels like when a book you art direct (not illustrate) wins a Caldecott; why illustrators don’t need to know what she looks for in portfolios; and more.

To learn more about Aram, visit aramkim.com.

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Alan Lynch

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustration agent and founder of Alan Lynch Artists, Alan Lynch about what has and hasn’t changed in illustration during his 30-year career as an agent; how conversations about AI-generated imagery sound very familiar (and why that might be good news for illustrators); how agents have a negative reputation, and why it’s unfair “for the most part”; and more.

To learn more about Alan and his agency, visit alanlynchartists.com.

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Mumtaz Mustafa

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Mumtaz Mustafa—Senior Art Director for William Morrow, Harvest Books, and Mariner Books at HarperCollins—about how she oversees and art directs hundreds of books a year; what the four main steps are when designing a book cover (and why they’re judged, often harshly, within Publishing); how illustrators can get her attention; and more.

To learn more about Mumtaz, visit mmdesignbookcovers.com.

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Charlie Moyler

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 31 May 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Charlie Moyler, Fiction Art Director at Little Tiger, about how her path to becoming an art director; and how making a little noise helped her get there. She answers questions from Patrons of the podcast on connecting with children’s book art directors, the importance of blogs, the professionalism of “DMing” art directors; and more.

Charlie is @charliemoyler on Instagram.

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Ben Zhu

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Ben Zhu—founder of Gallery Nucleus, illustrator, and author—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about COVID19’s affect on Gallery Nucleus; the ups and downs of creating, selling, debuting, and marketing a picture book; and more.

To learn more about Ben, visit benzhudraws.com.

To learn more about Gallery Nucleus, visit gallerynucleus.com.

Ben was a guest in Episode 7 of the podcast. To listen that interview, visit illustrationdept.com/podcast/benzhu.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Babs Tarr, Jon Klassen, LeUyen Pham, and Chris Sasaki

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Ariel Schrag

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Cartoonist and Writer, Ariel Schrag, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about her first steps—starting in high school—as a comics creator; how the current discourse surrounding what illustrators and writers can and can’t do with their work has its pros and cons; how illustrators and writers can get going on the thing they want to create; and more.

To learn more about Ariel, visit arielschrag.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Robert Crumb, Linda Barry, Mimi Pond, and Matt Groening

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Rashin Kheiriyeh

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 04 May 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Illustrator and Author, Rashin Kheiriyeh, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how she became an illustrator—with help from her mother and the Iranian Government; what cultural differences she’s noticed while working with Publishers around the world; why your life’s experiences are worth sharing through illustration; and more.

To learn more about Rashin, visit rashinart.com.

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Cory Godbey

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 09:30:00 GMT

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 learn more about Cory, visit corygodbey.com.

They discussed Cory’s tribute website to Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. It’s called “Terrible Yellow Eyes”. You can still visit it here.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Kazu Kibuisihi, Brian Froud, Arthur Rackham, and Edmund Dulac.

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James Burns

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Vice President, and Managing Agent, for the Bright Agency, James Burns, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the role of an artist rep; how COVID-19 has affected publishing; what the facts are regarding the graphic novel boom (including fees); what an illustrator can do to improve their portfolio; and so much more. James also answers questions from Patrons of The Illustration Department Podcast.

To learn more about James, visit his page on Bright’s website.

Several podcast episodes with other agents were mentioned in this episode. They include Giuseppe’s chats with Angharad Kowal Stannus of Kowal Stannus Agency, and Mark Mills of Plum Pudding Illustration Agency. Listen to all three to get a sense of how different agencies have different (and similar) perspectives on the illustration industry.

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Jim Hoover, Part 2 of 2

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 09:15:00 GMT

Children’s book art director, Jim Hoover, answers questions from illustrators.

Among other topics, he covers: postcards, portfolios, websites, getting work, digital vs. traditional methods, social media, and style.

This is part 2 of a 2-part conversation. Be sure to listen to part 1—in which Jim talks about the ups and downs of being a children’s book art director.

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Erin Hunting

Giuseppe Castellano — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 04:38:09 GMT

Illustrator, Erin Hunting, talks with Giuseppe Castellano about living in Melbourne, Australia; 1980’s video games and cartoons; how Grumpy Cat changed her life; what you can and can’t do with art piracy; what it means to be a Copic Ambassador; and why fan art is art.

Here are a few of the cartoons and video games we mentioned: Danger Mouse, He-Man, Thundercats, Silverhawks, Cops, Snorks, Care Bears, Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., and Tetris

To learn more about Erin, visit erinhunting.com.

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Nishant Jain

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to writer and (sneaky) artist, Nishant Jain, about why it’s okay for artists to say, “I am a creative”; how we can break free of social media prison; why one’s creative practice is like an infinite game; and more.

To learn more about Nishant, visit sneakyartist.com.

Books mentioned in this episode include: The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction and On Photography

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Toshiki Nakamura

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to children’s book illustrator and character designer, Toshiki Nakamura, about the all-important three months before and after a picture book’s publication; what his approach is to character design for clients like DreamWorks and Netflix; what your past, creatively or otherwise, has to do with your future; and more.

To learn more about Toshi, visit artoftoshi.com.

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Alyssa Walker

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Alyssa Walker, Design Director at WIRED, about her approach to editorial design, and how illustration fits into that approach; what hierarchy form and function follow with editorial illustration; why, if certain failsafes are put in place (and that’s a big if), illustrators may not need to worry about AI; and more.

To learn more about Alyssa, visit alyssawalker.me.

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Michael Deas

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and fine artist, Michael Deas, about his early years as an illustrator; how he created “The Torch Lady” for Columbia Pictures; why he doesn’t look back on his long career; and more.

To learn more about Michael, visit michaeldeas.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Ted Lewin, Betsy Lewin, Herbert Tauss

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Lauren Flower-Kim

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Marketing Consultant, Lauren Flower-Kim, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about her career as a marketing leader at both Random House and HarperCollins; what role—and power—Marketing Departments have in Children’s Publishing; what three ways a book creator can market their book; and more.

You can connect with Lauren on LinkedIn.

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Kay Fraser

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 25 May 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Kay Fraser, Senior Art Director at Capstone, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about her path to becoming an art director—from Buenos Aires to Minnesota; how she and her team look for—and work with—illustrators; what the best practices are when emailing art directors; and more.

If you want to email Kay a link to your portfolio, click here.

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Bob Shea

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to the author and illustrator of your favorite children’s books, Bob Shea, about how a logo and Lane Smith helped him launch his children’s book career; what ADHD is and isn’t, especially for creatives (or loved ones); what illustrators should let go to enjoy being an illustrator; and more.

To learn more about Bob, visit bobshea.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Lane Smith, Richard McGuire, Jim Flora, Jarvis, Sophie Blackall, Eric Carle, Linzie Hunter, and Zachariah OHora

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Kate Kunac-Tabinor

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Kate Kunac-Tabinor, Creative Director at Oxford University Press, about what part illustrators play in OUP’s diverse body of work; why creatives should avoid working in isolation; what simple career advice illustrators should follow; and more.

Kate can be found on LinkedIn.

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Emily Flake

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to cartoonist, writer, and comic, Emily Flake, about her work as a staff artist for The New Yorker; what “rejection” is and isn’t for illustrators (and comics); what it means to burden our work with the weight the world; and more.

To learn more about Emily, visit emilyflake.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jason Chatfield, Julia Wertz, Roz Chast, Sam Gross, Charles Addams, Gahan Wilson, Lynda Barry, and Mimi Pond

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Stephanie Alexander-Jinks

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT

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.

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David Borgenicht

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 09:30:00 GMT

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, visit quirkbooks.com.

If you would like to submit a portfolio or book idea to Quirk, visit quirkbooks.com/page/submissions.

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Arsh Raziuddin

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Arsh Raziuddin, Creative Director at Bon Appétit and Epicurious, about her career in editorial design and art direction; what experiences she’s had as an art director at The Atlantic and The New York Times; what she looks for in an illustrator’s portfolio; why we’ll be seeing more illustrations in Bon Appétit; and more.

To learn more about Arsh, visit arshraziuddin.com.

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Corey Peterschmidt

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Corey Peterschmidt, Book Art and Design Manager at Blizzard, about what they look for in illustrators’ portfolios, and why they say there’s magic in fan art; how trauma can split you into more than one person; what has helped them work and live with Depression (including the healing power of illustration); and more.

Corey’s Instagram handle is @bcpeterschmidt.

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Barry Moser

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Bookwright, Barry Moser, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the early years of his career—from teenage minister to renowned artist; what similarities there are between illustrating a picture book and composing a piece of music; what it was like hanging out with—and posing for—Eric Carle; and more.

To learn more about Barry, visit moser-pennyroyal.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Leonard Baskin, Albrecht Dürer, Eric Carle, Chris Van Allsburg, David MacCaulay, and Jane Dyer

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Melissa Castrillón

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 13:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, Melissa Castrillón about how she went from being “pretty bad” at approaching publishers to becoming a full-time illustrator; what her approach is with character design, color, and negative space; how—through limitation—illustrators can find freedom with their creativity; and more.

To learn more about Melissa, visit melissacastrillon.co.uk.

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Henrik Drescher

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Visual Artist, Henrik Drescher, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the early days of Henrik’s career in New York City; how artists can stoke the fire of interest and creativity; what publishing professionals mean when they say that illustration needs to be “unique”; what the word “ commercial” really means; and more.

To learn more about Henrik, visit hdrescher.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Marshall Arisman, Brian Cronin, Alan Cober, and Vivienne Flesher

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Angela Navarra

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Art Director and Illustrator, Angela Navarra, about her role as Art Director at Callisto Media; how she finds illustrators, and what she looks for; what she wishes she knew about being a freelancer when she started; what it’s like balancing single parenthood and a creative practice; and more.

To learn more about Angela, visit signorinanavarra.com.

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Dinalie Dabarera

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 10:58:00 GMT

Illustrator and Author, Dinalie Dabarera, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how she went from querying agents, to getting an agent, to receiving a two-book deal from Macmillan—in the span of a year; what valuable lesson she learned from illustrating her first picture book; why some illustrators feel they need permission to make the art they want to make; and more.

To learn more about Dinalie, visit dinalie.com.

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Ellen Kokontis

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 11 May 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Ellen Kokontis—Art Director at Cottage Door Press—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the circuitous route she took to becoming a children’s book art director; what she looks for in illustrations (beyond “I know it when I see it”); what three big mistakes she sees illustrators make; and more.

To learn more about Ellen, visit ellenkokontis.com.

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Liz Frances

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Liz Frances, Publisher and Founder of Street Noise Books, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about why she started a publishing company during a pandemic; how zen designing novel interiors can be; where social and political views intersect with children’s publishing; and more.

To learn more about Liz, visit streetnoisebooks.com.

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Ben Zhu

Giuseppe Castellano — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 10:00:00 GMT

Ben Zhu, the founder of Gallery Nucleus, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about being a child of immigrants; using a fortune cooking to get a job in video games; owning an art gallery; and why he thinks illustrators “deserve to be seen”.

Here are a few of the illustrators mentioned: Chris Appelhans, Ronald Kurniawan, Catia Chien, Jamie Zollars, James Jean, Rebecca Sugar, Pendleton Ward and Damien Hirst

To learn more, visit gallerynucleus.com.

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Kelly Light, Part 1 of 2

Giuseppe Castellano — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 04:37:27 GMT

Author and Illustrator, Kelly Light, and Giuseppe Castellano, talk about how Chuck Jones and P. D. Eastman influence Kelly’s work; they discuss the beauty of a line; and they talk about the art director who—in 2010—told Kelly that she had no business getting into children’s publishing.

Here are a few of the artists we mentioned: Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Friz Freleng, Walt Kelly, Roger Duvoisin, and P. D. Eastman.

To learn more about Kelly Light, visit kellylight.com.

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Vesper Stamper

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Illustrator and author, Vesper Stamper, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how her beloved grandfather guided her early steps into illustration; why it’s important to draw attention to the repairs we make within our lives; how her podcast, Vesperisms, combats censorship; why Hilary Knight is punk rock; and more.

To learn more about Vesper, visit vesperillustration.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Makoto Fujimora, Hilary Knight, and Felicita Sala

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Jaleen Grove

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustration historian, educator, and visual communicator, Jaleen Grove about the public’s lack of awareness of illustration (and why that matters); what women illustrators were doing at the turn of the 20th century; why the illustration industry has had many “deaths” over the past 150 years; and more.

To learn more about Jaleen, visit jaleengrove.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: William Morris, Katheryn Beverley, Elizabeth Ellender, Sidney Sime, Arthr Rackham, and Robert Seymour

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Anita Kunz

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Illustrator and Artist, Anita Kunz, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how art saved her life; how she achieved an illustrious career in spite of “hundreds” of rejections; why she calls illustrating her first New Yorker cover—called “Mohawk Manhattan”—“one of my worst experiences”; why there continues to be great power in art; what advice Anita has for today’s illustrators; and more.

To learn more about Anita, visit anitakunz.com.

Anita’s “10 Tips for Creative Success”, by Marie DeFreitas, was mentioned in this episode, You can read them in full here: hercampus.com

Illustrators mentioned in this episode include: Robert Kunz (Anita’s uncle), Sue Coe, Ralph Steadman, Russell Mills, and Milton Glaser.

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Jason Chin

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT

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 Schart Hyman, Arthur Rackham, Erin Stead, Chris Van Dusen, Mary Blair, Iyvind Earle, and James Gurney

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Mela Bolinao

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Mela Bolinao, Art Agent and Owner of MB Artists, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the precarious steps she took to becoming an agent; why she’s always looking at illustrators’ portfolios (and what she looks for) even when she’s closed to submissions; what she thinks is a sign of great illustrator; and more.

To learn more about Mela and her agency, visit mbartists.com.

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Nathaniel Mell

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 12:05:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Nathaniel Mell, Founder and CEO of Felt+Fat, about the founding of his Philadelphia-based ceramic design studio; what “working hard” really means for artists; why demand for hand-made art and craft is as hot as ever; and more.

To learn more about Nathaniel and Felt+Fat, visit feltandfat.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Joseph Beuys, Keith Shore, and Armando Veve

(Be)Philly was mentioned in this episode. To learn more about them, visit BePhilly.org.

Nathaniel recommended the book, Fewer Better Things, by Glen Adamson.

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Debbie Bibo

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 09:30:00 GMT

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 agent; how COVID19 is affecting—and will affect—her agency and the children’s book industry; and so much more.

To learn more about Debbie and her agency, visit debbiebiboagency.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Olimpia Zagnoli, Andrea D’Aquino, Chris Haughton, and Benjamin Chaud

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Charles Santoso

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 11:30:00 GMT

Charles Santoso talks about why he chooses to work in multiple styles; how he lives with imposter syndrome; and what three words uttered ten years ago by concept artist, Ian McCaig, still give Charles goosebumps.

To learn more about Charles, visit charlessantoso.com.

Here are a few of the illustrators we mentio: Charles Santore, Paul Topolos, Ian McCaig, Eric Carle, Milton Glaser, and Leo and Diane Dillon

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Daniel Liévano

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 09:14:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to author and conceptual illustrator, Daniel Liévano, about the job of an editorial illustrator; how he connects philosophy and illustration; how illustrators are “traitors”; and more.

To learn more about Daniel, visit lifeisanillusion.com.

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Briana Mukodiri Uchendu

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 11:45:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator, Briana Mukodiri Uchendu about why having no one to disappoint helped her begin her children’s book career; why the multi-honor-winning picture book, The Talk, was a “rollercoaster of emotions” for Briana; at what point do you feel like your art (and you) are enough; and more.

To learn more about Briana, with mukoart.com.

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Kelly Murphy

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 11:00:00 GMT

Illustrator and Educator, Kelly Murphy, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about their shared experiences at the Rhode Island School of Design; Kelly’s first phone call with an editor; what it’s like teaching at RISD; why she doesn’t have an agent; and how author/illustrators can sneak around a publisher’s “no unsolicited manuscript” policy.

Here are a few of the artists they mentioned: John Tenniel, Arthur Rackham, J.C. Leyendecker, Lizbeth Zwerger, and Kate Greenaway

To learn more about Kelly, visit kelmurphy.com.

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Emily Harris

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Emily Harris, Associate Art Director at Lerner Publishing Group, about how illustrators can know what art directors want (spoiler: they can’t); how she finds illustrators for the myriad books she art directs; what myths need to stop spreading about being—and creating art as—a children’s book illustrator; and more.

To learn more about Emily, with cargocollective.com/emilyharris.

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Frances Jetter

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 09:00:00 GMT

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, visit fjetter.net.

Frances mentioned a book called, The Golden Encyclopedia of Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, and Ornament, from Prehistoric Times to the Twentieth Century. She said it was highly influential to her—and a big reason she because an artist. If you’re interested, there are used copies available through online sources.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Kathe Kovitz, George Grosz, and Larry Fink

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Rick Richter

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 16 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Rick Richter, Literary Agent and Senior Partner at Aevitas Creative Management, about the early days of Rick’s publishing career, including the co-founding of Candlewick; what made the late, great Ian Falconer so special; why providing comparison titles (or comp titles) when querying agents is a waste of time; and more.

To learn more about Rick and Aevitas Creative Management, visit aevitascreative.com/agent/rick-richter.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Lisbeth Zwerger, Ian Falconer, Helen Oxenbury, E.H. Shepard, and N.C. Wyeth

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Richard Michelson

Giuseppe Castellano — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Richard Michelson, owner and founder of R. Michelson Galleries, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the founding of his gallery (thanks to a ping-pong game); why the term “kid-friendly” with respect to picture books is “kid-unfriendly”; how an illustrator can exhibit at his gallery; what it was like being neighbors with Maurice Sendak and Eric Carle; and more.

To learn more about Richard and his gallery, visit rmichelson.com.

Artists mentioned in this episode include: Barry Moser, Leonard Baskin, Dr. Seuss, Virginia Lee Burton, Jerry Pinkney, James Marshall, Trina Schart Hyman, Ezra Jack Keats, Diane Dillon, Tomie dePaola, Alice and Martin Provensen, Eric Carle, Jane Dyer, Maurice Sendak, Jules Feiffer, Gerald McDermott, Mordicai Gerstein, Adam McCauley, Raúl Colón, R.G. Roth, Diane deGroat, Tony DiTerlizzi, Albrecht Dürer, and Bryan Collier

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