Shows
The Illustration Department PodcastMichael DeasGiuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and fine artist, Michael Deas, about his early years as an illustrator; how he created “The Torch Lady” for Columbia Pictures; why he doesn’t look back on his long career; and more.To learn more about Michael, visit michaeldeas.com.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Ted Lewin, Betsy Lewin, Herbert Tauss
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2025-11-1834 min
The Illustration Department PodcastMichael MaslinGiuseppe Castellano talks to author and long-time New Yorker cartoonist, Michael Maslin, about the reasons why Michael chronicles the history of cartooning; what differentiates a cartoonist and an illustrator; what “being there” means for cartoonists… and illustrators; and more.To learn more about Michael and Inkspill, visit michaelmaslin.com.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Liza Donnelly, Roz Chast, Roxie Munroe, Jack Ziegler, Laurent de Brunhoff, Peter Arno, Helen Hokinson, Charles Addams, James Thurber, Barbara Shermund, Robert Crumb, Sam Gross, David Sipress, Whitney Darrow Jr., John Cuneo, Syd Hoff, Ludwig Bemelmans, William Steig, James Stevenson, Edward...
2025-05-271h 12
The Illustration Department PodcastMichael Dante DiMartinoGiuseppe Castellano talks to writer, producer, and co-creator of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra, Michael Dante DiMartino, about the challenges he faced in self-publishing his young adult novel, Both Here and Gone; how he weaves emotions like grief, depression, and anger into appealing stories for a young audience; how artists can bring balance to their creative lives; and more.To learn more about Michael, and his novel, visit michaeldantedimartino.com.
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2025-02-1158 min
The Illustration Department PodcastMichael MrakGiuseppe Castellano talks to Michael Mrak, Creative Director for Scientific American, about how often (and where) he looks for illustrators; why he chooses not to not use AI for SciAm’s illustration needs; why the need for good, smart, human-made illustration isn’t going away anytime soon; and more.Michael can be found on LinkedIn.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Jerome Snyder, Boris Artzybasheff, Heath Robinson, Roger Hayward, Ben Shahn, Stanley Meltzoff, Yuko Shimizu, Brian Stauffer, and Sam Falconer
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2024-07-0250 min
The Illustration Department PodcastLiza DonnellyGiuseppe Castellano talks to New Yorker Writer, Cartoonist, and Visual Journalist, Liza Donnelly, about her early days as a cartoonist; what James Thurber has meant to her, personally and professionally; how illustration—cartoons or otherwise—is the greatest form of communication; and more.To learn more about Liza, visit lizadonnelly.com.Artists mentioned in this episode include: R.O. Blechman, Mort Gerberg, Whitney Darrow, Jr., Charles Addams, James Thurber, Ethel Plummer, Ilonka Karasz, Helen Hokinson, Barbara Shermund, Roberta Macdonald, Lorraine Fox, Michael Maslin, and Barry Blitt
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2024-01-0246 min
The Illustration Department PodcastCraig FrazierGiuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and author, Craig Frazier, about Craig’s newest monograph, Drawn, and what he hopes the book can do for illustrators; how our time is precious—especially with the ones we love; what illustrators can do that AI and its prompters can never do; and more.To learn more about Craig, visit craigfrazier.com.To purchase Craig’s monograph, visit frazierbooks.com/order-book.I hope you enjoy our conversation. Artists mentioned in this episode include: Don Weller, Milton Glaser, Heinz Edelmann, John Hersey, Brian Cronin, Michael Mabry, Ivan Chermayeff, Paul R...
2023-12-121h 07
The Illustration Department PodcastJason ChatfieldGiuseppe Castellano talks to Jason Chatfield, Cartoonist, Comedian, and President of the National Cartoonists’ Society, about what illustrators can learn from Jason’s multi-hat-wearing ways; how comedians and cartoonists are cut from the same cloth; how illustrators are not alone in the fight against art theft from AI-image generators; and more.To learn more about Jason, visit jasonchatfield.com.You can follow Jason’s Substack at newyorkcartoons.com.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Ed Sorel, Rube Goldberg, Michael de Adder, Rob Rogers, Barry Blitt, Thomas Nast, Herb Block, Etta Hulme, Tom Floyd, Pat Ol...
2023-02-1449 min
The Illustration Department PodcastShaun TanArtist and writer, Shaun Tan, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how dinosaurs helped him become an artist (and combat bullies); why 95% of the art he makes never sees the light of day; how simplicity and complexity can be synonymous; why a crisis of confidence can be a good thing; and more.To learn more about Shaun, visit shauntan.net.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Michael Youens, Ann Baum, Thomas Crosby-Smith, Yōichi Kotabe, Don Freeman, and Maurice SendakShaun and Giuseppe spoke at length about this image from Shaun’s book, The Red...
2021-08-1757 min
The Illustration Department PodcastLuke FlowersLuke Flowers—illustrator, author, and self-described “creative cave-dweller”—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about why Jim Henson is a big part of Luke’s kindness and creativity; how he’s managed to illustrate more than 50 children’s books in less than a decade; how he lives with self-doubt and depression; and much more.Luke and Giuseppe also do their best impression of Kermit the Frog…To learn more about Luke, visit lukeflowerscreative.com.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Michael Smollin, Jim Henson, Cory Godbey, and Joey EllisLuke mentioned “Becoming Better Grownups” by Brad...
2020-12-2251 min
The Illustration Department PodcastNancy StahlIllustrator, and forerunner of the digital illustration age, Nancy Stahl, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about how she started her illustration career in 1971 with two hundred dollars and two years of art school.They also discuss the pleasure and pain of working in gouache; what it was like to be one of the first illustrators to “go digital” in the 1980’s; and why a company called Adobe invited her to try out a new program called, Photoshop.To learn more about Nancy, visit nancystahl.com.Illustrators mentioned in this episode include: Rick Tulka, Michael Deas...
2020-07-0750 min
The Illustration Department PodcastDavid GoldmanArtist Representative/Personal Manager/Producer and Founder of David Goldman Agency, David Goldman, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about his role as an agent; why he would rather starve than give up an artist’s rights; what fees illustrators get from magazines and children’s book publishers; and how the illustration world has changed since 1980.David also shares what he thinks is the “key most important thing” anyone in a creative field should be attempting to do.Here are a few of the artists mentioned: Norm Bendell, David Anson Russo, Michael Morgenstern, Kyle Webster, Tim Cook, and Cath...
2019-10-151h 00
The Illustration Department PodcastKrystal LaukArt director and illustrator, Krystal Lauk, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the ups and downs of the art boom in the Tech industry; why “UX/UI” is simpler than you think; and how illustration can inspire empathy.For an excellent primer on the relationship between illustration and the Tech industry, we strongly suggest reading this article by Michael Jeter, the Associate Creative Director at Dropbox.To learn more about Krystal, and her boutique agency, visit krystallauk.com.
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2019-07-1642 min