Illustration Hour is a long-form interview podcast about the craft and business of illustration and design hosted by illustrator Julia Dufossé. With the help of successful illustrators, designers and art directors, we unpack how you can ideate better, learn new skills, keep yourself fresh, promote yourself and your work, and maintain a profitable freelance business. NOTE: THIS PODCAST IS NO LONGER ONGOING. The website has not been renewed but the episodes will remain available for educational purposes. Thank you!
34: Haley Tippmann – Embracing Digital Tools
I chat with illustrator Haley Tippmann about her expressive observational approach to illustration, finding community on Instagram and tips to use Procreate.
4/27/2020 • 54 minutes, 16 seconds
33: Brian Blomerth - Following the 50/50 Rule
In this episode, I chat with illustrator and cartoonist Brian Blomerth about his career drawing weird dog-human hybrids, his experience finishing his first full-length graphic novel and his general approach to creativity.
4/13/2020 • 1 hour, 45 seconds
32: Nicki Field – What You Put Out There Is What You Get Back
I chat with Nicki Field, head of illustration at the illustration agency and animation production company Jelly London about the business of illustration and what she looks for in illustrators.
3/30/2020 • 1 hour, 35 minutes, 14 seconds
31: Nolan Pelletier – Keep Shaking the Tree
I chat with illustrator and designer Nolan Pelletier about collecting art and ephemera, meeting your illustration heroes and developing your voice as an illustrator.
3/9/2020 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 48 seconds
30: Melanie Lambrick – Follow Your Gut and Trust Yourself
I chat with illustrator and designer Melanie Lambrick about voice, style and her experience transitioning from full-time employment to freelance illustration.
2/24/2020 • 1 hour, 11 minutes, 9 seconds
29: Armando Veve – Everyday Is a New Opportunity to Get Better at the Craft
I talk with illustrator Armando Veve about his path, how he found his place as an illustrator and his process for creating his incredibly detailed illustrations.
2/10/2020 • 1 hour, 25 minutes, 13 seconds
28: Eleanor Taylor – Keep Your Mind Open and Push Your Work Forward
In this episode, I talk with illustrator and artist Eleanor Taylor about her creative journey and her experiences working as an illustrator for magazines and book publishers.
1/27/2020 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 34 seconds
27: George Wylesol – Do Work that Makes You Happy
In this episode, I talk with illustrator and artist George Wylesol about his path, his work and the advice he gives his illustration students.
1/13/2020 • 1 hour, 17 minutes, 15 seconds
26: Daniel Ramirez Perez – The Hardest Thing Is to Start
In this episode, I chat with illustrator, creative director, and designer Daniel Ramirez Perez about his path from being an art director working at big ad agencies to becoming a full-time freelance illustrator.
11/25/2019 • 1 hour, 19 minutes
25: Robin Davey – Success and Breaking Through Self-Doubt
In this episode, I talk with animator and illustrator Robin Davey about his long and successful career as a freelance animator, how he deals with self-doubt and how he continues to learn new skills.
11/11/2019 • 1 hour, 38 minutes, 34 seconds
24: Laurie Rowan - Take Charge of Your Creative Career
In this episode, I chat with the animator, director and illustrator Laurie Rowan about his wonderfully addictive animations and how he got to where he is now.
11/4/2019 • 1 hour, 15 minutes, 54 seconds
23: Matthew LeBaron - An Insider's Guide to the Business of Illustration
In this episode, I talk with agent and founder of Much Creative Matthew LeBaron about his experiences and lessons learned from representing artists for over a decade.
10/21/2019 • 1 hour, 36 minutes, 7 seconds
22: Cathal Duane - How to Make It as a Freelance Illustrator
In this episode, I talk with illustrator Cathal Duane about freelance life, setting realistic expectations and the importance of understanding the business side of freelance illustration.
10/14/2019 • 1 hour, 34 minutes, 57 seconds
21: Thomas Danthony - Push Yourself and Deliver Your Best Work on Every Project
In this episode, I chat with illustrator and commercial artist Thomas Danthony about his creative career path, his beautifully pared-down work and his creative process.
10/7/2019 • 1 hour, 17 minutes, 28 seconds
20: Clay Hickson - Keep Busy and Enjoy the Process
In this episode, I chat with Clay Hickson, an illustrator and the founder of Tan & Loose Press and The Smudge. We talk about Clay's path to illustration, why he keeps busy with many personal and side projects and how he works and gets inspired.
9/30/2019 • 1 hour, 30 minutes, 24 seconds
19: Party of One - Cathartic Art and the Power of Personal Projects
In this episode, I talk with designers Melissa Deckert and Nicole Licht of Party of One studio about how they started collaborating, how they used personal projects to their advantage and how they create sets and props for photo-illustrations.
9/16/2019 • 1 hour, 37 minutes, 9 seconds
18: Elena Xausa -Drawing Symbols and the Universal Language of Illustration
In this episode, I talk with italian illustrator Elena Xausa about her experience drawing for publications like the New Yorker and the ebbs and flows of freelance life.
9/9/2019 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 47 seconds
17: Hedof - Building a Thriving Career Around Your Interests
In this episode, I talk with Dutch illustrator Rick Berkelmans AKA Hedof about his amazing career as a commercial illustrator, how he got to where he is now, and what he's learned along the way.
9/2/2019 • 1 hour, 38 minutes, 59 seconds
16: How to Create A Portfolio that Gets You Work - A Strategic Approach
In this episode, I share a strategic approach for creating a portfolio that gets you clients and attention. I answer questions like how much work should I have in my portfolio, what type of portfolio builder should I use,when should I start building a portfolio and much more.
8/26/2019 • 22 minutes, 38 seconds
15: Peter Gamlen - Overcoming Creative Doubts and Growing as an Illustrator
I talk with illustrator Peter Gamlen about what he's learned in his 8 years as a freelance illustrator, how to overcome creative crises and how to grow as an artist.
8/12/2019 • 1 hour, 31 minutes, 7 seconds
14: Jing Wei - From Illustration Director at Etsy to Full Time Freelance Illustrator
I talk with illustrator Jing Wei about her experiences moving to the US as a child, how she realized she wanted to illustrate for a living and how she got to where she is now. We talk about style, finding clients, struggling, full time jobs and believing in yourself enough to keep going. Jing also reveals her favorite New York City activity and her guilty pleasure (it’s something we actually have in common).
8/5/2019 • 1 hour, 26 minutes, 53 seconds
13: Thibaud Hérem - A Philosophy of Image Making, Craft and Hard Work
I talk with French illustrator Thibaud Hérem about his insanely detailed architectural drawings, how he built his creative practice and the importance of understanding the underlying philosophy behind image-making and craft.
7/29/2019 • 1 hour, 33 minutes, 1 second
12: Marylou Faure - Building a Career, Dealing with Criticism, and Pricing your Work
I chat with Marylou Faure about her colorful and cheeky style, her start in the world of illustration and her experience with pricing her work and negotiating with clients.
7/15/2019 • 1 hour, 10 minutes, 46 seconds
11: Aaron Lowell Denton - Designing for Bands and Making a Living from Your Passion
I talk with designer Aaron Lowell Denton about how he started working for bands, what inspires him and how he manages to get so much work done. Aaron also shares some important advice about valuing your work and creativity and how he prices projects according to risk.
7/8/2019 • 1 hour, 44 minutes, 5 seconds
10: Dan Woodger - Get your Work Seen, Protect Yourself and Keep Improving
I talk with British illustrator and animator Dan Woodger about how he got his work seen, how he learned to protect himself and his art through contracts and agents and how he pushes himself to keep learning and getting better at his craft.
7/1/2019 • 1 hour, 47 minutes, 38 seconds
09: Leon Edler - Trust the Process, Support Others and Persevere
I talk with conceptual illustrator and cartoonist Leon Edler about what it was like to start in the field of illustration, how he works and how he created Room Fifty, an online business that sells high quality and carefully curated prints from the best in illustration.
6/21/2019 • 1 hour, 35 minutes, 50 seconds
08: Seb Agresti - Pushing Yourself Out of Your Creative Bubble
I talk with Dutch illustrator, designer and graphic artist Seb Agresti about books, learning from his creative hero, and how he plans to push himself out of his comfort zone creatively next year.
6/13/2019 • 1 hour, 35 minutes, 1 second
07: Kati Szilagyi - Embracing Analog Media and Thriving as an Editorial Illustrator
In this episode of the Illustration Hour, I talk with the Berlin based illustrator and graphic artist Kati Szilagyi about her practice, how she got started in editorial illustration and what she recommends young illustrators do to get noticed.
6/6/2019 • 1 hour, 38 minutes, 14 seconds
06: Brad Woodard - Building a Creative Practice with Multiple Streams of Income
This episode is all about how visual creatives can leverage their unique talent towards building a sustainable business that doesn't rely just on commission or client work. My guest is Brad Woodard, an illustrator, and designer, co-founder of his own design studio Brave the Woods and a creative who has successfully managed to break free from the uncertainties of client work.
5/30/2019 • 1 hour, 35 minutes, 20 seconds
05: Hannah K. Lee - Art Director at the NYT on Work, Art, and Life
Ever wonder exactly how art directors at big publications like the New York Times work? You're not alone. In this episode of Illustration Hour, I talked with Hannah K. Lee, art director for the Opinion section of the New York Times about her job, the process of editorial art direction and what she looks for when she's seeking illustrators to work with.
5/23/2019 • 1 hour, 42 minutes, 20 seconds
04: Magoz - Solving Problems, Following your Intuition and Writing Effective Emails
I talked with Spanish conceptual and editorial illustrator Magoz about how he approaches creative and business problems, his advice for illustrators starting out, conceptual illustration and how to build a database of clients.
5/17/2019 • 1 hour, 54 minutes, 38 seconds
03: Cabeza Patata on 3D Illustration, Self Promotion Tips, and Collaboration
In this episode, I talk with creative duo and 3D illustration masters Cabeza Patata Studio. We had an incredible conversation on a wide range of subjects, from getting started in illustration, to the secrets of successful collaboration, to the one essential platform you need to be on to promote yourself and get clients, and the many gender stereotypes that still plague the fields of illustration and animation.
5/11/2019 • 1 hour, 38 minutes, 37 seconds
02: Greg Gunn on Illustration, Animation, and Tips for Creating
In this episode of the Illustration Hour, I talk with animator, illustrator and content creator Greg Gunn of Blind Studio and the Futur about the intersections between animation and illustration and how illustrators can teach themselves to animate quickly.
5/7/2019 • 1 hour, 29 minutes, 6 seconds
01: Allison Filice on Discovering Yourself and Becoming an Illustrator
In this episode of the Illustration Hour, I talk with San Francisco based illustrator and designer Allison Filice about how she built a thriving editorial illustration career in a year and what you can do to succeed in editorial illustration.
