How illustrator Jill Calder built a long-lasting creative career (without losing her voice)

In this episode, our Tania chats with multi award-winning illustrator Jill Calder about 30+ years of illustration, and how she’s explored pretty much the entire “illustration atlas” without losing herself along the way.

Stuff we cover:

• Staying recognisably Jill across 30+ years of illustration
• Moving from editorial to corporate to heritage work
• Building a career with both illustration and hand lettering
• Big, bonkers corporate jobs (including handwriting as other people!)
• Making the leap into children’s books later in her career
• The reality of nonfiction vs fiction picture books (time, fees, and headspace)
• Colour palettes, maps and Google Earth “walks” for picture atlases
• Working with Jackie Kay on Coorie Doon and handling deeply emotional text
• Bringing wild, playful colour to I Love You Every Color
• Keeping energy and looseness in final artwork
• What Jill’s working on now – including a brand new picture book with Gecko Press

Rough Timestamps

00:00 – Tania introduces Jill and why she’s a Good Ship favourite02:30 – Early days: art school, editorial work and the 90s newspaper scene05:00 – “By chance, someone took a risk on me…” – moving into design & corporate jobs07:30 – Becoming “the handwriting person”11:30 – The wildest job ever15:00 – Champagne, iPads and the very fancy side of ad agency work16:30 – Exhibition days, analogue work and why looseness matters18:00 – Stumbling into children’s nonfiction with Robert the Bruce21:00 – Picture atlases, strict colour palettes and Google Earth walks22:30 – Nonfiction vs fiction picture books – fees, length and workload26:00 – Collaborating with Jackie Kay on Coorie Doon and illustrating big feelings29:30 – I Love You Every Colour – an illustrator’s dream text31:30 – Two very different books in one year: soft dreamland vs riot of colour33:30 – Handling emotion, light and character across spreads34:30 – New project: Cass and the Beast for Gecko Press35:30 – Keeping rough energy in final artwork (and managing the stress of it!)37:00 – Where Jill pops up inside Good Ship courses and Facebook groups

Stuff we mentioned

• Jill Calder – illustration, lettering and books
• Find Your Creative Voice – Fly Your Freak Flag (Good Ship course)
• The Picture Book Course (Good Ship course)
• Robert the Bruce – nonfiction picture book
• Coorie Doon – written by Jackie Kay, illustrated by Jill Calder
• I Love You Every Colour – written by Carolyn Rose, illustrated by Jill Calder
• Upcoming: Cass and the Beast – written by Clare Mabey, illustrated by Jill Calder (Gecko Press)

Byeeee for now!

x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)

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