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.)
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