Paid 2 Draw – An Illustration Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Julia Rothman is an award-winning illustrator, pattern maker, NYT columnist and party motivator from New York. Her drawings appear on a variety of things, from newspapers and magazines to posters and billboards, wallpapers, bedding, towels, apparel, mugs and other merchandise. Julia has authored and illustrated over twelve books and has an illustrated column in the New York Times called “Scratch” about small businesses with big personalities. 

A lot of her projects were self-initiated. Julia just reaches out to people she wants to work with. She enjoys having a variety of projects at the same time and a lot of them are found by proactively pitching ideas. Many artists may not know this, she says, but she encourages everyone to just take a leap and contact prospective clients. You never know who might need your art. 

Julia likes to maintain a regular drawing practice. She always keeps a sketch pad around and can be found doodling most of the time. Sometimes she draws with friends and other times she just draws to stay busy. If she hasn’t drawn for a while, she feels a certain sense of discomfort. She regularly attends drawing nights, meets up with other artists and has co-founded Women Who Draw, an open directory of female* professional illustrators, artists and cartoonists. 

On this episode we dive deep into how Julia found her way into the illustration world, what teaching at RISD and SVA has taught her, the benefits of starting the year with a More/Less list, and why you shouldn’t be afraid of bad drawings. She even shares the backstory of how she became a professional party motivator. Such a fun and informative conversation with one of the most prolific illustrators of our time! 

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MENTIONED LINKS: 

• Women Who Draw: an open directory of female professional illustrators

• Ladies Drawing Night: a female-only (trans-inclusive) drink and draw

• “Scratch”: Julia Rothman & Shaina Feinberg’s New York Times column

• The Anatomy Series: The Julia Rothman Collection

• “Every Body – An Honest and Open Look at Sex from Every Angle”, Julia Rothman & Shaina Feinberg

• Julia’s wallpapers at Hygge & West

• Skillshare course: “How to Make A Repeat Pattern with Julia Rothman”

• Purchase Julia’s books on Indiebound

• Matt Dorfman: art director of the NYT Book Review

• Lynda Barry’s “Making Comics”

• Vogue article about Julia’s More/Less lists 

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FOLLOW JULIA: 

Instagram: @juliarothman
Website: juliarothman.com
Twitter: x.com/juliarothman
Patreon: patreon.com/juliarothman

HIRE JULIA: juliaaprilrothman@gmail.com

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.

And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok. 

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Hosted by Vicky Cichoń and Dave Leutert.

Music by Amanda Deff.

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Berlin Letters Festival: Come to our live interview with Ximena Jiménez on Sunday, July 7th, at ~1:15pm at silent green in Berlin! ✨ There are also various workshops available during Berlin Letters, even for non-ticket holders. You can find a workshop overview right here. 

Aliyah Salmon is a tactile artist based out of Brooklyn, NY. Her art explores the intricate crossroads of black femininity and the Afro-Caribbean diaspora in contemporary America. Through textiles and collage, her work challenges and reframes simplistic narratives surrounding Black identity. Using traditional textile methods like hand tufting with an Oxford punch needle and bead embroidery alongside modern materials and collage techniques, Aliyah embraces “slow craft” to construct dream-like compositions. 

On this episode, Aliyah talks about how she enjoys exploring techniques and materials through 3 different sketchbooks — writing notes, trying out colors with markers and sampling yarn. She loves the process and all the work that goes into making a composition and a piece look good. But more than anything she loves playing with color. 

In the digital age it’s important to Aliyah to feel a connection to her work. Understanding how to use your hands to make things, she says, is a skill that everyone should have. Because making stuff with your own two hands is a very grounding experience. 

Aliyah embraces pieces she sees as “bad work,” because to her they’re the foundation of the really good ones. No artist creates a hit every time they pick up a pencil. People tend to get discouraged too easily by perceived mistakes, but to Aliyah they’re a gateway to the good stuff. In a way she enjoys being frustrated and challenged, so she encourages everyone to keep making bad work. 

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FOLLOW ALIYAH: 

Instagram: @tyrabanks_official
Website: aliyahsalmon.com
TikTok: @aliyahsalmon

HIRE ALIYAH: aliyah.d.salmon@gmail.com

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.
And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok. 

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Hosted by Vicky Cichoń and Dave Leutert.
Music by Amanda Deff.

Clémence Gouy is a French illustrator and graphic designer currently based in Amsterdam. She specialises in creating visual identities and illustrated content for various brands and media. After working as an art director in agencies across the world and getting a Master’s degree, she started building an illustration portfolio and ended up getting hired by clients like Apple, Nike, Google and Netflix. 

On an all-new episode of P2D, Clémence explains the role of an agent and clears up people’s misconceptions of what representation entails. Agents might be able to help you with outreach, pricing, contracts and even project management, but you’ll still have to write a ton of emails, keep your sites updated and reach out to people. It’s a true collaboration.

When Clémence is not busy with commissions, she finds herself working on socially-engaged personal pieces. Because a lot of times the work you do for free ends up paying off one way or another. She finds her clients mostly through social media, so of course her Insta account’s recent hack has been a challenge for her as a freelancer. 

Don't miss this super-insightful and inspiring convo with another incredibly talented illustrator and animator.

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FOLLOW CLÉMENCE: 

Instagram: @clemence_gouy
TikTok: @clemence_gouy
Website: clemgouy.com
Behance: be.net/ClemenceGouy

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.
And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok. 

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.
Music by Amanda Deff. 

Mary Kate McDevitt is a Vermont-based illustrator and lettering artist with a love of color, texture and humor. Since 2010 she’s written several books, hosted lettering workshops, taught five Skillshare courses and worked for clients like Nike, Nintendo, Target, Sephora and The New York Times. 

She loves trying new things. Because personal projects provide a value that commercial ones sometimes can’t. Living by her mantra “This didn’t exist yesterday,” Mary Kate invents beautiful new illustration work every day. Recently she’s been exploring frame-by-frame animation. Like this cute duck character dancing to Wu-Tang. 

On the newest episode, Mary Kate also opens up about her recent struggles with creative block and shares ways to cope with it. She talks about the importance of stepping away and taking it easy on yourself. “You have to listen to yourself,” she says. Go back to what brought you to making art in the first place. For her it’s going antiquing and looking at old ephemera. Until something clicks and she gets excited again. 

There it is: Another fun and candid conversation with one of the greatest—Mary Kate McDevitt. Listen, learn and make sure to tell all your friends about it. 

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SHOW NOTES: 

• Watch Mary Kate’s courses on Skillshare

• Read Mary Kate’s new book, “Illustration Workshop”

• Learn Motion Design with Jake Bartlett on Skillshare 

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FOLLOW MARY KATE: 

Website: marykatemcdevitt.com
Instagram: @marykatemcdevitt Twitter: @MaryKateMcD Behance: be.net/marykatemcdevitt
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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok. 

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert. Music by Amanda Deff. 

Kati Szilágyi talks to us about how much she loves her job despite having a crisis every once in a while. During her studies her style was inspired by graphic and poster design, which she translated into whimsical characters in colorful dreamscapes. Her process is to welcome little mistakes on paper and to find abstract shapes while drawing humans. 

On this episode, we chat with Kati about how it’s necessary to take breaks from drawing to get inspired and how it’s normal to sometimes not be interested in illustration at all. She opens up about how the pandemic and adopting her dog has resulted in her working from home more, even though she shares a lively studio with other creatives. 

Since 2013, Kati has been consistently sharing her work on Instagram, showcasing two slightly different styles: drawing on paper & digitally as well as cutouts — which made her think in abstract shapes even more. 

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FOLLOW KATI: 

Instagram: @katiszi
Behance: be.net/katiszi
Website: katiszi.com

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.
And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok! 

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.
Music by Amanda Deff.

Bene Rohlmann is an award-winning artist and illustrator based in Berlin. His work combines a vintage aesthetic with bold vibrant colors, geometric patterns and a love for detail. Born in Münster, he was always doodling as a kid—fuelled by comic books and his grandpa’s fairytales. Vicky and Dave have an honest conversation with Bene about how he finds inspiration in vintage advertising, old matchbooks and traveling. And how he discovered his style in South Korea. 

On this brand-new episode of Paid 2 Draw, Bene talks about how he got to work for clients like The New Yorker, Google, Disney, Apple, Nike and Patagonia. He gives valuable tips on cold-emailing and shares his strategy for contacting art directors. Because it is their job to find illustrators, he says. So you’re doing them a favor by reaching out. 

Bene shares how he developed his unique style organically through messing up. He thinks that the mistakes we make can define our style. If you put too much pressure on yourself, you’ll probably never start. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be fun. 

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FOLLOW BENE: 

Instagram: @bene_rohlmann
Behance: be.net/benerohlmann
Website: benerohlmann.com

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.
And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok! 

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.
Music by Amanda Deff. 

On the first in-person recording in Paid 2 Draw history, Vicky and Dave chat with illustrator and designer Giulia Hartz about her client work, personal projects and her online community. 

Giulia opens up about how she copes with uncomfortable feelings by customizing her living space with encouraging words and witty jokes. Turning dark thoughts into funny art, the physical act of painting calms her down in times of uncertainty. 

To connect with her audience, Giulia mixes nostalgic toys from her childhood with unexpected ironic messages to create tension, comedic relief and an almost meme-like quality in her illustrations. 

She has successfully created a personal brand by being true to herself. Giulia regularly engages with her online community by sharing personal experiences, meeting up for coffee dates and sending her followers on sticker hunts around the city. She even delves deep into technical tutorials and sharing knowledge with The Hearts Club — her devoted followers on Patreon. 

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SHOW NOTES:

• “The Freelance Manifesto: A Field Guide for the Modern Motion Designer", Joey Korenman
• Drop-Shipping Services: Printify, Printful, Moteefe

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FOLLOW GIULIA:

Instagram: @giuliahartz
Website: giuliahartz.com
TikTok: @giuliahartz
Patreon: patreon.com/giuliahartz
LinkedIn: Giulia Hartz
Behance: be.net/giuliahartz

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.
And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok.

Paid 2 Draw is back with an all-new season! On the first episode, Vicky and Dave get to talk to the almighty Dave Arcade—a cartoon surrealist and visual storyteller from Salt Lake City, Utah.

Dave explains how he found his hyper-intricate isometric style and shares his approach to creating uniquely personal work by simply drawing what you think is cool. He talks shop about his background in advertising, early cartoon influences, his passion for music, why VectorMagic is better than Image Trace, and what exactly ruined NFTs for him.

Will AI art replace illustrators? Despite the rapid advancements in AI technology, Dave remains optimistic about the future. In the end, he thinks, no one’s willing to support the death of an artistic industry.

So there you go. Another episode chock-full of doom talk, guitar pedals and Adobe bashing. Don’t miss this super-interesting conversation among three peers about the ups and downs of drawing for a living!

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FOLLOW DAVE:

Instagram: @davearcade
Website: davearcade.com
Behance: be.net/davearcade

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.
And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok.

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.
Music by Amanda Deff.

Abraham Lule is a Mexican designer, typographer and art director based in New York. He describes his hand-crafted packaging and branding work as “design with a human touch.” With an unparalleled work ethic, Abraham is eager to learn new tools and techniques whenever he gets the chance. He always makes time for personal projects to improve upon his brush lettering skills. 

His background in dancing and choreography has informed the way he approaches his design work today. Wearing many different hats as an independent designer, Abraham is all about getting things done. He doesn’t want to waste his or anyone’s time. 

On this week’s episode of Paid 2 Draw, Abraham gives listeners valuable advice about the importance of presentation, collaboration and hanging out with the right people. Because if you’re working with talented folks it’s reflected in your own work. And quality is at the forefront of everything he does. To say it in Abraham’s words: “Good design lasts forever.” 

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FOLLOW ABRAHAM:

Instagram: @abrahamlule
Website: abrahamlule.com
Behance: be.net/alule
Dribbble: Abraham Lule

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.
And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok.

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.
Music: Amanda Deff

Diana Beltrán Herrera is a Colombian artist and designer who uses paper to create and transform things. With a sharp eye for detail she is a living example of why it pays off to take the time to specialize in one thing. 

From Bristol, UK, Diana talks to Vicky & Dave about why she stuck with paper as a medium, how she connects with nature and what her pristine lab-like studio means to her — all while dropping inspirational quotes every 10 seconds. 

On this hour-long group therapy session she tells listeners about the importance of play and why you should have fun doing what you do. Diana truly encourages you to make the most of your life. Don’t miss this super-inspiring conversation about the power of patience, passion, paper-craft and procrastination! ✨

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FOLLOW DIANA:

Instagram: @dianabeltranherrera
Website: dianabeltranherrera.com
TikTok: @dianabeltranherrera
Behance: be.net/dianabeltranherrera1
LinkedIn: Diana Beltrán Herrera

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If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.
And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok.

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Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert.
Music: Amanda Deff