The State of Illustration Report with Darren Di Lieto

After four years, this is it — my final episode of Thoughts on Illustration. Instead of going out with a single deep dive, I wanted to leave you with a roundup: the seven tips I find myself circling back to most often, whether I'm recording an episode, teaching a class, or sitting across from someone in a one-on-one coaching session. And then I close with one last piece of advice that I think ties everything else together — especially relevant right now, with AI reshaping how we think about creativity and originality. Thank you for four years of listening, sharing, and supporting this show. It's meant more to me than you know. Have a Daily Drawing Practice: Why drawing regularly — especially slow, observational drawing from life — is the foundational skill every illustrator needs before taking on real client work.

What's the difference between images that move people and those that are just pretty pictures? In this episode, I dig into what it means to bring substance to your work — it's one of the hardest qualities to describe but perhaps the one that might matter most. This isn't something you can manufacture or build up through practice alone. It already exists in you. The question is where you can find it, and whether you're trying to tap more deeply into it. I also share an important announcement about the future of this podcast — if you're a paid supporter on Patreon or Spotify, please listen up. In this Episode An Important Announcement: The future of Thoughts on Illustration after this summer — and what comes next for me and my work. What Is Substance? Why substance is the sense of personal meaning that runs through your body of work as a whole — the feeling that someone is behind the work, working something out. Substance vs. Point of View: How these two qualities relate to each other, and why you can have a strong, original visual voice and still have work that doesn't go very deep. Range and Versatility: Why having both light and serious work in your portfolio makes you more versatile — with a nod to Paul Rand's ability to do this. Striking Oil: Why substance isn't something you build — it already exists in you. How to notice where your wells are and what you're actually drawing from. My Own Wells: What a collection of plastic bread clips, a 1970s merchandise catalog, and a Saskatchewan hotel bottle opener have to do with my illustration work. Today's Action Exercise: The one question that starts the journey toward more substantial work — and why writing it down honestly might change everything. Today's Action on Illustration Why Does Illustration Really Really Matter to You? Write down — in your journal or sketchbook, as though nobody's reading — why becoming an illustrator really, really matters to you. As few or as many words as you need. This is where substance begins. (Become a paid supporter on Patreon or Spotify to access today's full "Action on Illustration" prompt.) Tag me on Instagram @mrtomfroese or email me your results! Show Links Know Your Art — Cohort Course Mailing List: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdSNaT1XNb6jXS5qjW0ybiryBH70MC1ycGhHj-yDEuQKXdszQ/viewform?usp=header Drawing Is Important — The Book: https://www.tomfroese.com/book Support on Patreon: patreon.com/tomfroese Find Me Elsewhere Work and Classes — tomfroese.com Instagram — instagram.com/mrtomfroese Daily Drawings — instagram.com/drawingisimportant

This is Part 2 of my conversation with Heather Pollington — ex-Hollywood artist, iconographer, and illustrator for Symbolic World Press. If you haven't listened to Episode 75 yet, start there first. In this second half, Heather and I go deeper into her world as an icon painter — her illustration influences, the iconographic concept of simultaneous narrative, what it felt like to first encounter Orthodox art, and the bigger question of what a living iconographic tradition looks like for Western audiences today. We close with something I found genuinely moving: Heather's candid account of leaving Hollywood behind, and what she's learned about following work you can do with love. Illustration Influences: From the Palekh lacquer-box tradition of Russia to British illustrator Errol Le Cain and Scandinavian master Kay Nielsen — the visual DNA behind Heather's fairy tale work.

What happens when a designer working in movies like Disney's Maleficent, Mary Poppins Returns, and Skyfall walks away from Hollywood to paint icons and illustrate fairy tales? In this episode, I sit down with Heather Pollington — ex-Hollywood artist, iconographer, and illustrator for Symbolic World Press — for Part One of a wide-ranging conversation about limits, identity, story, and what it really means to find your artistic home. In this Episode Coming Home to Painting: How Heather's journey from fine arts school in northeast England, through 20 years of working as a designer for Hollywood films, led her full circle back to painting — and why iconography felt like "the coming together of everything." Designer vs. Artist Type: The tension between being a versatile, problem-solving artist and having a singular, recognizable voice — and why both have real advantages and real costs. Meaning Over Accuracy: Why Heather's film work taught her that emotion and meaning always win over historical accuracy — and how that mindset now shapes her illustration. The Power of Limits: Why constraints are where beauty lives — from a limited palette of natural dyes in medieval tapestries to five pigments in iconography. "Just Do the Rubbish Version": Heather's practical antidote to creative paralysis: start with the loosest, worst version possible, and let the problems reveal themselves. Story as the Master: How focusing on the text and the story — rather than style — frees Heather from intimidation and imitation, and lets her personal voice emerge without forcing it. Physical Reference Boards: Why Heather prints her references and pins them to the wall instead of collecting them on Pinterest — and what gets lost when inspiration stays on a screen. Links and Resources Heather Pollington: Check out Heather's website to see her illustration, iconography, and design work for the film industry. https://www.heatherpollington.com/ Symbolic World Press: The fairy tale books Heather has illustrated for Jonathan Pageau, including The Tale of Snow White and the Widow Queen and The Tale of Rapunzel and the Evil Witch. https://www.symbolicworld.org/ Creative Mornings Vancouver — June 5th: Tom will be speaking at Creative Mornings Vancouver around the theme of "Curate." https://creativemornings.com/talks/tom-froese ICON13 — Baltimore, July 16th Workshop: Tom will be hosting a workshop at the illustration conference. 🥺 Note: workshop tickets are now sold out. https://icon13.theillustrationconference.org/schedule Know Your Art — Cohort Class Mailing List: Interested in future offerings of Tom's six-week illustration course? Add yourself to the list. https://forms.gle/NiRwyLkvCbA24Zn19 Drawing Is Important — Book Launch Replay: Patreon supporters can watch the replay of the April 7th online book launch. https://www.patreon.com/tomfroese Drawing Is Important — The Book: https://www.tomfroese.com/book Tom's Links Work: tomfroese.com Classes: tomfroese.com/teaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrtomfroese

📗 Drawing Is Important — Now Available: tomfroese.com/book