The Illustration Department Podcast

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, Jules Feiffer, about the early years of his life and career; how Maurice Sendak and William Steig changed his approach to illustration;…

Giuseppe Castellano talks to #1 New York Times best-selling illustrator and author, Peter Brown, about what it’s like getting “The Caldecott Call”; how an illustrator can struggle with knowing if the…

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and author, Cale Atkinson, about how to properly pitch book dummies; what to make of the fracturing social media landscape; how book creators can navigate a c…

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Oriana Leckert, Head of Publishing at Kickstarter, about the steps creators should take to start their Kickstarter journey—including one crucial one; how self-publishing …

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Tracy Shaw, Art Director for Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, about how the world of picture books is more than lollipops and rainbows; what her art department’s po…

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Jess Lomax, co-founder and director of Inkling Illustration Agency, about what special ingredient was needed to form her agency; how there’s nothing magical about generat…

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Newbery Honor-winning illustrator and author, Victoria Jamieson, about why quite a few publishing professionals know what a “doodly doo” is; what a graphic novel can be, …

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator, Noa Denmon, about how an artist’s traditional or digital tools don’t make the artist; what it’s like to get “the Caldecott call”; why…

Giuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and author, Katie Kordesh, about what creatives still need to do after “getting” a literary agent (and signing book deals); how social media can be an effecti…

Giuseppe Castellano talks to New York Times bestselling illustrator, Robin Preiss Glasser, about how she worked with Jane O’Connor on Fancy Nancy (and how close Nancy came to a horrible death); what …

Giuseppe Castellano talks to author, illustrator, designer, and educator, Brian Biggs, about how reinvention can play a part in one’s creative life; what it means to be a victim of your own success; …

Giuseppe Castellano talks to maker of books & illustrated goods, Sarah Walsh, about what separates expectation from visualization; why running your own shop as a creative is a good idea, despite its …

Giuseppe Castellano talks to concept artist, designer, and filmmaker, Drew Leung, about what storytelling has to do with concept art; what the key difference is between GenAI and actual concept artis…

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 Goosebu…

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 illustrator…

Giuseppe Castellano talks to multi-award-winning artist, Orlando Arocena (also known as Mexifunk) about how illustrators can avoid betraying their own creative vision; whether or not “fulfillment” is…

Giuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning illustrator and author, Joe Cepeda, about how Joe took the scenic route to starting his illustration career; what clogs and filters get in the way of one’s …

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Antonia Weaver Atkins, educator and daughter of the great Robert Weaver, about what it was like growing up with her outside-of-the-box father; what “The Weave” didn’t lik…

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Kate Kunac-Tabinor, Creative Director at Oxford University Press, about what part illustrators play in OUP’s diverse body of work; why creatives should avoid working in i…

Giuseppe Castellano talks to Kathryn Humphries, Art Director at Harper’s Magazine, about how she finds, keeps track of, and works with illustrators; why AI images are not gracing the pages of Harper’…