Thoughts on Illustration is a bi-weekly podcast about Showing Up and Growing Up as a commercial artist. Join award-winning illustrator and top teacher, Mr. Tom Froese, as he shares valuable tips, insights, and reflections from his own experience as an illustrator. Tom wants to encourage his fellow creatives and help them get further on by sharing in a transparent, accessible way. If you are passionate about unlocking professional and personal creative fulfillment, you are invited to follow along as Tom does the same!
Site
RSS
Data updated on 04/07/2026
Recent rankings
Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.
Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
Today's scheduled epsiode (Episode 41) will be postponed until next week. Stay kind!
The Illustrator's Guide with James Hughes
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 • Duration 01:14:57
In this episode I chat with James Hughes about his new book, The Illustrator's Guide, a comprehensive, motivational handbook for artists trying to break into the freelance illustration market. James is an agent at Folio Illustration and Animation Agency, representing some 60 illustrators around the world. Taking advice from James means learning from someone who sits at the front lines of both illustrators and the clients who hire them every day.
Listen to This if You're Bored With Your Style
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 • Duration 39:35
Develop a Drawing Habit in 30 Days. Take my class, Drawing Is Important – https://www.tomfroese.com/teaching/drawing-is-important. Use my links to get 30 days free on Skillshare.
In this episode of My Thoughts on Illustration, I dive deep into my recent experience with a style crisis and how I turned to a daily drawing challenge to reignite my creativity.
Making the Big Leap with Martina Flor
Tuesday, September 24, 2024 • Duration 01:52:33
Skillshare class promo link
In this episode I talk with lettering artist Martina Flor. Martina started as a designer in Argentina, but she soon discovered the joy of hand lettering. From there she built a successful career as a lettering artist, which has now become a small empire of inspiring work, masterclasses, coaching groups, books, and even a podcast. Of course, she couldn’t do all of this on her own. She’s built an entire team around her so she can focus more on doing what she loves most, while being able to grow her business well beyond what she could do alone. As she puts it best, ““There’s no progress in isolation.”
Let Your Ideas Gain Interest Over Time
Tuesday, September 10, 2024 • Duration 33:54
Take Drawing is Important on Skillshare — https://skl.sh/3UWWY00 — Use my link to get 30 free days on the platform!
Just like saving money in the bank, your drawings can gain interest over time. In this episode I explain how this works, and I share how this principle has yielded both creative and financial rewards in my own life. I open up the episode with some recap from the summer! In the end you’ll learn how to set your daily drawing practice up for success with my 5-step plan. Happy to be back for Season 3!
Midsummer Update (August 2024)
Wednesday, August 7, 2024 • Duration 18:00
Take Inky Maps (Procreate Edition): Illustrate an Analog-inspired Map on Your iPad — Use my link to get 30 days free! — https://skl.sh/3Swd9SK
I'm just dropping this bonus episode to say hi, I miss you, and I will be back at it in September. There will be some changes around here, and I talk about what those are. Also, please don't miss my new class on Skillshare, Inky Maps (Procreate Edition).
Lisa Bardot, Procreate Artist and Brush Designer
Tuesday, June 18, 2024 • Duration 01:21:30
Take Lisa's class, Imaginative Map-Making in Procreate on Skillshare — Use this link to get 30 days free! — https://skl.sh/3z8zI9a
Join in on my conversaion with Lisa Bardot, who teaches people how to make art on their iPad. But that job description is deceivingly simple. She may be best known for her vast catalogue of analogue inspired procreate brushes, aka Bardot Brush. (She’s kind of the Kyle T. Webster of procreate brushes). But she also teaches making digital online in places like Skillshare, YouTube and her own membership platform called Art Maker’s Club. She also runs in-person art trips — her most recent one being in France. If that weren’t enough, she’s also the author of a brand new book called Drawing Digital, The Complete Guide for Learning to Draw and Paint on Your iPad, AND she even provides monthly prompt lists for inspiration-seeking artists, which she calls Make Art Every Day. Lisa has created an entire universe of creativity and community around her passion for drawing and illustrating in Procreate. I really think she’s a perfect guest for the podcast, as she embodies the whole ethos of this podcast of showing up everyday and growing through it, no matter what (and thriving because of it).
>>> Video edition available on YouTube. <<<
Illustration is Not Dead with Chris Piascik
Tuesday, June 4, 2024 • Duration 01:32:09
Learn how to make better art! Take Composition for Illustrators on Skillshare — Use my link to get 30 days free! — https://skl.sh/3TLdkeh Today I chat with my friend Chris Piascik. Chris is an illustrator for clients like Nike, Nickelodeon and Google. He's also a YouTuber and a Top Teacher on Skillshare. We have a free-ranging, loosey goosey conversation about things like: Whether you need to go to art school to become an illustrator; Why Chris and I feel like we don’t quite fit into the “traditional illustrator” mould; We discuss whether the ability to draw realistically is necessary for illustrators today; We commiserate about angry dudes leaving nasty comments on our videos and — We start off with an unexpectedly long conversation about vector files (but as far as these kinds of conversations go, I think it was pretty interesting).
Should You Work for Friends and Family?
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 • Duration 53:35
In this episode, we tackle a question many creatives grapple with: should you work for your friends (and family)? Combining personal and professional relationships can be a double-edged sword, offering both unique advantages and significant challenges. We explore both sides the debate — FOR and AGAINST working for friends — and then, I'll give you 7 tips to help set you up for success (and safety) for those times when you decide to go ahead and do it.
Bad Clients: How to Turn Them Before They Burn You
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 • Duration 01:01:03
Learn How to Make Good Work AND Please Your Clients — Take The Six Stages of Illustration: https://skl.sh/4cCTxEH — Use this link to get 30 days of free membership on Skillshare.
What makes otherwise good people such bad clients? How do you deal with them — and how can you avoid them in the first place? In this episode, I explain why there almost never truly bad clients. In my 10+ year career, I've had very few bad clients. Most of them were in the beginning, when I didn't have enough experience to spot them before it's too late. By listening to this episode, you'll learn what I wish I knew when I was starting out — and this will help you make sure every client is a good client! That means they'll trust you to do what you do best (the art!) and they'll give you everything you need to do your job.
Related Shows Based on Content Similarities
Discover shows related to Thoughts on Illustration, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.