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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This episode is sponsored by Agency Access.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This episode is sponsored by Wacom.

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.

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.

Here’s to forty-nine more!

This episode is sponsored by Wacom.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This episode is sponsored by Skillshare. Explore your creativity at Skillshare.com/ID, where you will get a free trial of Premium Membership. That’s one month free... at Skillshare.com/ID.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This episode is sponsored by Skillshare. Explore your creativity at Skillshare.com/ID, where you will get a free trial of Premium Membership. That’s one month free... at Skillshare.com/ID.

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.

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.