The Good Ship Illustration

• You’ll Never Feel Ready. Do It Anyway. An interview with Good Shipper Amber Au.

  What a treat of an episode! Today we’re chatting with Good Shipper and picture book author–illustrator Amber Au.Amber talks about how drawing became part of her recovery from an eating disorder and how her therapist encouraged her to send her illustration work to her first ever client. Aaand how - in two whirlwind months - she was suddenly winning awards, signing a three-book deal, and being invited to meet editors at Bologna. Whaaa!?What a blimmin' brilliant reminder to do the things. Even when you don't feel "ready". In this episode we cover:How Amber rediscovered drawing through her food diaryWhy starting with your local community can snowball into big opportunitiesHow to survive mixed feedback Competitions, and finding your peopleBeing a self-taught illustratorDiscipline, rest, and cultural expectationsPicture books, packaging, and branching out into multiple income streamsAmber's Bologna experience… including editors fangirling over her work (!)Rough Timestamps00:00 – Introducing Amber and her illustration journey 01:00 – Awards, exhibitions, and feeling overwhelmed 02:00 – From nutritionist → illustrator → private tutor → illustrator again 03:00 – Using a food diary as a creative lifeline 04:00 – Getting encouraged to approach her first client 05:00 – Community, grassroots beginnings, and early work in Hong Kong 06:00 – Entering competitions and the door-opening magic that followed 07:00 – The leap from self-taught to picture book maker 08:00 – Finding a clear voice without formal training 09:00 – Discipline, rest, and the cultural pressure to always “do more” 10:00 – Blue Tomato beginnings 11:00 – Mixed reviews, conflicting opinions, and staying true to your vision 13:00 – Bologna meetings and signing with Little Tiger 15:00 – Knowing which advice is actually useful 17:00 – Copying as learning vs developing your own voice 18:00 – Style influences: Hong Kong comics, European picture books, texture, mark-making 19:00 – Procreate, iPad life, and her work habits 20:00 – Diversifying income: packaging, food illustration, prints 21:00 – New opportunities, restaurants, markets, and thinking strategically 22:00 – Picture books, nonfiction, and future plans 23:00 – Final encouragement: “You’ll never feel ready. Do it anyway.”Links & things mentionedAmber’s blog: The Pencil BakeryBologna Children’s Book Fair (We're going to be there in 2026 - we've booked a stand! Come and say hello if you're visiting Bologna.)Inkling AgencyLittle Tiger PressBlue Tomato (Amber’s upcoming book)p.s. We have a little rest at this time of year, so the podcast is having a rest too. We'll be back in January! 🎁Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

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• An interview with Lisa Congdon - consistency and finding your creative voice

  If you're an illustrator with access to the internet and you have eyeballs, you might've seen Lisa Congdon's work. Lisa started blogging her collections and illustrations back in the good ol' days, and even remembers Instagram back when it was good. (Remember that? It was nice, wasn't it?)In this episode, Katie asks Lisa about consistency and how to keep on keepin' on when the world is the way it is. We also meander through topics like ADHD, collections, comparison, agents - whether or not she has one - and last but not least, daily projects that change everythinggg.In this episode we cover:Ceramic mushroom collection 👀The “messy middle” bit of being an illustratorHow consistency has served her wellSurviving financially in the early yearsWhy not being a perfectionist was her secret super powerInstagram in 2025How to know when to work with an agentThe magical domino effect of following excitementSquishing comparison and staying in your own laneVery rough timestamps in case you want to skip to a certain bit00:00 – Welcoming Lisa! How a decade of calendars sparked the consistency conversation 01:00 – Hyperfocus, collecting tigers, cycling five times a week, and going “all in” 02:30 – Early days: Etsy, commissions, pet portraits, and figuring out a style 04:00 – Most illustrators quit 05:30 – ADHD, Capricorn energy, and learning to be organised 07:00 – Posting imperfect work online and why it mattered 08:30 – Sharing finances, getting an agent, and diversifying income streams 10:00 – “A Collection A Day” and the power of daily projects 11:00 – Agents: when they help, when they don’t, and how pricing works 13:00 – The hardest job she’s ever done and how her agent stepped in 14:00 – Instagram then vs. Instagram now 16:00 – Why video doesn’t light her up 18:00 – The comparison trap (yes, even Lisa feels it!) 20:00 – Following your gut over the algorithm 21:00 – The daily project that led to a bestselling book 24:00 – Chronicle Books, chance encounters, and the magic of just...showing up!? 26:00 – The domino effect of doing what excites you 27:00 – Human Design chat 👀 28:00 – Byeee LisaLinks for this episode:Lisa Congdon: https://lisacongdon.comLisa's Books: https://www.chroniclebooks.comFollow Lisa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacongdonCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

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• How illustrator Jill Calder built a long-lasting creative career (without losing her voice)

  In this episode, our Tania chats with multi award-winning illustrator Jill Calder about 30+ years of illustration, and how she’s explored pretty much the entire “illustration atlas” without losing herself along the way.Stuff we cover:Staying recognisably Jill across 30+ years of illustrationMoving from editorial to corporate to heritage workBuilding a career with both illustration and hand letteringBig, bonkers corporate jobs (including handwriting as other people!)Making the leap into children’s books later in her careerThe reality of nonfiction vs fiction picture books (time, fees, and headspace)Colour palettes, maps and Google Earth “walks” for picture atlasesWorking with Jackie Kay on Coorie Doon and handling deeply emotional textBringing wild, playful colour to I Love You Every ColorKeeping energy and looseness in final artworkWhat Jill’s working on now – including a brand new picture book with Gecko PressRough Timestamps00:00 – Tania introduces Jill and why she’s a Good Ship favourite02:30 – Early days: art school, editorial work and the 90s newspaper scene05:00 – “By chance, someone took a risk on me…” – moving into design & corporate jobs07:30 – Becoming “the handwriting person”11:30 – The wildest job ever15:00 – Champagne, iPads and the very fancy side of ad agency work16:30 – Exhibition days, analogue work and why looseness matters18:00 – Stumbling into children’s nonfiction with Robert the Bruce21:00 – Picture atlases, strict colour palettes and Google Earth walks22:30 – Nonfiction vs fiction picture books – fees, length and workload26:00 – Collaborating with Jackie Kay on Coorie Doon and illustrating big feelings29:30 – I Love You Every Colour – an illustrator’s dream text31:30 – Two very different books in one year: soft dreamland vs riot of colour33:30 – Handling emotion, light and character across spreads34:30 – New project: Cass and the Beast for Gecko Press35:30 – Keeping rough energy in final artwork (and managing the stress of it!)37:00 – Where Jill pops up inside Good Ship courses and Facebook groupsStuff we mentionedJill Calder – illustration, lettering and booksFind Your Creative Voice – Fly Your Freak Flag (Good Ship course)The Picture Book Course (Good Ship course)Robert the Bruce – nonfiction picture bookCoorie Doon – written by Jackie Kay, illustrated by Jill CalderI Love You Every Colour – written by Carolyn Rose, illustrated by Jill CalderUpcoming: Cass and the Beast – written by Clare Mabey, illustrated by Jill Calder (Gecko Press)Byeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

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• How to stop your illustration style looking generic & blah

  Y'know when you feel like your work is neeearly there… but it's missing a lil something-something? This podcast episode is all about that. Overcoming that.How the heck do you put more humanness into your work?🧠 What we talk about in this one“Accomplished” isn’t the same as “alive”How generic styles can creep in without us noticingThe danger of trying to look like “a picture book illustrator”Why you need to make work that freaks you out a tiny bit 🤪The power of real memories and emotionsIdeas that stick: why some stories stay with usHow character, tension, and contradiction shape good storytellingLetting your real obsessions lead the way 🐌Yessss, research in bookshops is absolutely definitely part of the job🕰️ Timestamps00:00 – Aaccomplished work with no heart 01:00 – “Picture book style” stereotypes and why they’re dangerous 02:00 – Generic vs personal: how to tell the difference 03:00 – Making work that stops an art director mid-scroll 04:00 – Emotion in drawings (and penguins) 05:00 – True stories - using your real life 06:00 – The Nissen Hut 07:30 – Sticky ideas 09:00 – Plots built on tiny universal moments 10:00 – A “Smile in the Mind” 11:00 – Writing craft: thesis / antithesis / synthesis 13:00 – Character dynamics and why Bernard is… Bernard 🦆 14:00 – Films to study (hello, Groundhog Day) 15:00 – How Helen learned to write 16:00 – Why sitting in a bookshop absolutely counts as work 17:00 – Picture books now vs the 90s 18:00 – Jill Calder, Libby VanderPloeg, and holding onto your voice 20:00 – Don’t perform 21:00 – Honesty wins🔗 Stuff & People Wot We MentionedA Smile in the Mind - Tania's design book recommendation by Beryl McAlhone & David StuartMade to Stick (the kidney-harvesting myth book Katie mentioned!) - Chip & Dan HeathGroundhog Day - filmJill Calder: https://jillcalder.comLibby VanderPloeg: https://libbyvanderploeg.comEmily Howorth-Booth’s writing workshops that Helen lovesGood Ship Illustration courses: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.comCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

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• We’re good at failing (and you can be too) 🤣 the power of experiments

  This week on The Good Ship Illustration Podcast, we’re chatting all things experiments -  we get particularly excited about FAILED experiments. In the words of that there Bob Ross, "we don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents". 😆Behind the scenes, Helen gave Tania a haircut just before we recorded this episode. Can you hear Tania's new hair?Timestamps for our timestamp fans: 00:00 – Mmmm new ideas  01:00 – Katie’s “scaling the business” experiment that didn’t work 02:00 – Undoing things that aren’t fun anymore 03:00 – Helen’s new plan 05:00 – Tania’s in the boot of the car 06:00 – Helen’s failed online school visits experiment 08:00 – Moving from digital art back to paper 09:00 – Helen’s Substack paywall experiment (inspired by Blindboy)12:00 – The birth of The Good Ship Illustration 🚢 13:00 – Haircuts 14:00 – Art Club’s accidental success 15:00 – Why experiments matter (and how to run one properly) 18:00 – Creative defiance and why being told what to do ruins everything 😂 20:00 – From accidental experiments to a whole careerLinks & Stuff We Mentioned:The Good Ship Illustration on Instagram (the Art Club replays are here!)The Picture Book Course Sticker snail mail bonus ends 21st November 🎟️Byeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

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