Shows
The Illustration Department PodcastAxel SchefflerGiuseppe Castellano talks to renowned children’s book illustrator, Axel Scheffler, about the deep, dark mistake he made with The Gruffalo; what he thinks about his “imperfect” art style; why he prefers to be called a family book creator; and more.To learn more about Axel, visit axelscheffler.com.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Posy Simmonds, Jean-Jacques Sempé, Tomi Ungerer, Judith Kerr, Lisa Brown, William Steig, Wolf Erlbruch, Maurice Sendak, Edward Gorey, N.C. Wyeth, Norman Rockwell, Janet Ahlberg, Alice and Martin Provensen, and Leo and Diane Dillon
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2025-11-2543 min
The Illustration Department PodcastN.C. WyethGiuseppe Castellano talks to Amanda Burdan, Senior Curator at The Brandywine Museum of Art, about N.C. Wyeth’s early life; what led to the restoration and permanent exhibition of Wyeth’s The Apotheosis of the Family; what today’s illustrators can do for tomorrow’s curators; and more.To learn more about the Brandywine, visit brandywine.org. For tours and the mural experience, visit brandywine.org/mural.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Howard Pyle, Jamie Wyeth, Norman Rockwell, J.C. Leyendecker, Stanley Arthurs, Harvey Dunn, Clifford Ashley, Violet Oakley, Thomas Hart Benton, George Bellows...
2025-10-2838 min
The Illustration Department PodcastHenry ColeGiuseppe Castellano talks to Illustrator and author, Henry Cole, about the early years of his long career; what he experienced with the banning of And Tango Makes Three; how (and how not) to learn from artistic influences; and more.To learn more about Henry, visit henrycole.net.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Steven Kellogg, John James Audubon, Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth, John Singer Sargent
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2025-09-2353 min
The Illustration Department PodcastDan ChudzinskiGiuseppe Castellano talks to Dan Chudzinski, Director of Curation and Exhibitions at The Mazza Museum, about what being a curator literally and occupationally means; why artists should make art, not excuses; what the masters’ fingerprints and clothing can teach us; and more.To learn more about Dan and the Mazza Museum, visit mazzamuseum.org.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, Adrienne Adams, Dan Andreasen, Joan Anglund, Mitsumasa Anno, Edward Ardizzone, Mary Azarian, C.F. Payne, Bernie Fuchs, Norman Rockwell, J.C. Leyendecker, Pontormo, H.A. and Margret Rey, Susan Einzig, Peggy Fortnum, N...
2025-01-0751 min
The Illustration Department PodcastChristopher DeniseGiuseppe Castellano talks to Caldecott Honor-winning, New York Times best-selling illustrator and author, Christopher Denise, about why “show, don’t tell” is advice children’s book creators should avoid; how an anthropomorphized animal can look more like a mascot, and why that’s bad; how no illustrator working today knows, entirely, what they’re doing; and more.To learn more about Christopher, visit christopherdenise.com.Artists mentioned in this episode include: N.C. Wyeth, Beatrix Potter, David Macaulay, Uri Shulevitz, Louis Darling, E.H. Shepard, Inga Moore, Fred Marcellino, Alice Bolem Preston, and Charles Santore
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2024-12-1755 min
The Illustration Department PodcastSara FrazettaGiuseppe Castellano talks to Sara Frazetta, co-founder of Frazetta Girls, and granddaughter of Frank Frazetta, about her relationship with her grandpa; what Frazetta influenced, and who influenced him; what illustrators today can learn from Frazetta; and more.Learn more about Sara and Frazetta Girls at frazettagirls.com.You can buy Taschen’s The Fantastic Worlds of Frank Frazetta from their website.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Titian, N.C. Wyeth, Mark Taylor, Hal Foster, Milton Caniff, and Joseph Clement Coll
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2024-01-0957 min
The Illustration Department PodcastBrad HollandGiuseppe Castellano talks to award-winning, Hall of Fame illustrator, Brad Holland about the early days of Brad’s fifty-plus-year career; how he found bits and pieces of himself, artistically speaking; how he helped bring about the modern-day approach to editorial illustration; why his days as a supervisor at Hallmark taught him that “everything turns into a bunny sooner or later”; and more.To learn more about Brad and his work, visit bradholland.net and drawger.com/holland.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Paul Bacon, Leonard Baskin, Barry Moser, David Godine, Jack Davis, Andrew Wyeth, Milton...
2023-09-261h 31
The Illustration Department PodcastRick RichterGiuseppe Castellano talks to Rick Richter, Literary Agent and Senior Partner at Aevitas Creative Management, about the early days of Rick’s publishing career, including the co-founding of Candlewick; what made the late, great Ian Falconer so special; why providing comparison titles (or comp titles) when querying agents is a waste of time; and more.To learn more about Rick and Aevitas Creative Management, visit aevitascreative.com/agent/rick-richter.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Lisbeth Zwerger, Ian Falconer, Helen Oxenbury, E.H. Shepard, and N.C. Wyeth
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2023-05-1643 min
The Illustration Department PodcastScott NashGiuseppe Castellano talks to author, illustrator, creative director, and executive director of Illustration Institute, Scott Nash about welcoming discomfort and change into one’s creative practice; who’s to blame for the general public’s ignorance of illustration; why you should know who Dahlov Ipcar, Barbara Cooney, and other great illustrators are from the great state of Maine; and more.To learn more about Scott, visit scottnashillustration.com.To learn more about Illustration Institute, visit illustrationinstitute.org.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Edward Gorey, Katie Yamasaki, Chris Van Dusen, Thomas Nast, Haddon Sundbl...
2023-01-241h 10
The Illustration Department PodcastLoren LongGiuseppe Castellano talks to illustrator and author, Loren Long about the early days of his illustration career, and why being a children’s book illustrator was not part of the plan; how he paints with color blindness; why he feels like he’s still trying to figure things out with his art; and more.To learn more about Loren, visit lorenlong.com.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Frederic Remington, Charles Russell, Maynard Dixon, N.C. Wyeth, Gary Kelley, Mark English, Brad Holland, Leo and Diane Dillon, Alice and Martin Provensen, David Shannon, C.F. Payn...
2022-09-2757 min
The Illustration Department PodcastKeith Henry BrownGiuseppe 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.To learn more about Keith visit, keithhbrown.com.Keith mentioned liner note written by Bill Evans about the artistry of Miles Davis. You can read it here.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Joe Ciardiello, Gary Kelley, Loren Long, Floyd Co...
2022-05-2450 min
The Illustration Department PodcastMark SummersScratchboard 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.To learn more about Mark, visit marksummers.myportfolio.com.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Norman Rockwell, John Tenniel, Will Davies, Anita Kunz, Richard Amsel, J.C. Leyendecker, Charles Dana Gibson, Duncan Macpherson, Bernie Fuchs, Lynd Ward, Franklin Booth, Mary Azarian, Barry Moser...
2021-11-301h 05
The Illustration Department PodcastD.B. DowdD.B. Dowd—Professor of Art and American Culture Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, and faculty director of the D.B. Dowd Modern Graphic History Library—talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the definition of illustration; whether illustration is or is not art; what advice he has for any illustrator looking to find their “style”; and so much more.To learn more about D.B., visit dbdowd.com.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Gustave Doré, Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, Mead Schaeffer, Haddon Sundblom, Jim McMullan, Marshall Arisman, Bernie Fuchs, and Robert Weaver
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2021-03-301h 11
The Illustration Department PodcastAmanda BurdanCurator of the Brandywine River Museum of Art, Amanda Burdan, talks to Giuseppe Castellano about the Brandywine’s history, mission, and collection; how her team finds and curates art; how the Brandywine literally creates space for women in illustration; what it’s like living in “Wyeth Country”; and much more.Artists mentioned in this episode include: Newell Convers Wyeth, Andrew and Jamie Wyeth, Howard Pyle, Maxfield Parrish, Jessie Willcox Smith, Charles Dana Gibson, Rockwell Kent, Horace Pippin, William Trost Richards, John Neagle, Grandma Moses, Violet Oakley, Anna Whelan Betts, Ethel Franklin Betts, Ellen B.T. Pyle, Olive Rush, Bl...
2020-09-2247 min