Thoughts on Illustration

📗 Order Drawing Is Important: tomfroese.com/book

✨ Register for the Online Launch/DWM on April 7 at Luma: luma.com/67uhuhmr

A recent portfolio critique turned into a deeper conversation about creative risk — and how to know when it's time to stop dreaming and do something about it. I share the personal story behind my own decision to quit my job and go to art school, and the question that helped me know that risk was worth it. Whether you're facing a big shift in your career (or even your life) or deciding whether to publish your portfolio or not, this one's for you.
IN THIS EPISODE
• Can a Portfolio be Too Niche? How a coaching conversation about purpose, niche, and commercial appeal set the stage for a much bigger question about creative direction.
• Can We Sell Ourselves Without Selling Out? Why early-career illustrators with a strong subcultural niche may need to broaden their commercial appeal before they can narrow back in.
• Fear of Failure vs. Fear of Regret: Why asking "how would I feel if I never tried?" can be more clarifying than asking "what if I fail?"
• The $50,000 Decision: How I left a stable career to pursue illustration, and the moment of clarity that made the risk feel worth taking.
• Are You Addicted to Education? How accumulating degrees, certificates, and online courses can become a way of avoiding the real risk — actually doing the thing.
• The Bird Who Won't Leave the Nest: Why creative careers require putting yourself out there, and the importance of failure and rejection as teachers.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Drawing Is Important — Now Available: My book is officially out! Order it wherever books are sold, or start at the link below.
• tomfroese.com/book
Book Launch Event: April 7 — check the link to register.
• luma.com/67uhuhmr
• Catch the replay later at tomfroese.com/patreon (membership required).
Local Book Launch Events: I'll be hosting events in Chilliwack/Fraser Valley and Vancouver. Follow along to stay in the loop.
• Instagram: instagram.com/mrtomfroese
• Patreon: patreon.com/tomfroese
• Substack: mrtomfroese.substack.com
One-on-One Coaching: Want to work through your own portfolio or career decisions with me?
• tomfroese.com/coaching
Previous Episode — 4 Portfolio Mistakes: I reference the four blind spots of early-career illustrators: purpose, point of view, substance, and craft.
• Episode 72: https://www.patreon.com/posts/153866247
Today's Action on Illustration: What do you really want? Sit with that question. Pay attention to the moments — a story, a song, someone's work — that spark something deeper than "I like that." Write them down. Collect them. Those are the clues to the bigger decisions you'll face in your creative life. And if you're sitting on a risk you've been too afraid to take, ask yourself:
• In 5/10/50 years, what would you regret more: risking and failing, or never even trying?
• If now's not the right time, when will be?
Just a word of caution: Please take into account timing! You can say yes to that big risky decision (if you really want it), but you can also say not yet. Sometimes we have to let one chapter end cleanly before moving onto the next one. Other times, we have bigger priorities than our dreams to take care of.
Tag me on Instagram @mrtomfroese or email me your reflections at [email protected]!
TOM'S LINKS
• Work: tomfroese.com
• Classes: tomfroese.com/teaching
• Instagram: instagram.com/mrtomfroese

JOIN THE LIVE LAUNCH
Drawing is Important Launch Day: April 7, 2026
In case you missed it, I'm hosting a live book launch event on April 7th to celebrate the release of Drawing Is Important! Register at the link below to join us — I'd love to see you there. Register — luma.com/67uhuhmr

📗 Pre-order Drawing Is Important: tomfroese.com/book⁠
Are you on the cusp of a breakthrough but feeling stuck in creating a stand-out portfolio? In this episode, I break down four mistakes I see struggling artists make when sharing their body of work. This is not about quick “hacks” but a deep dive into the four pillars of illustration excellence: purpose, point of view, substance, and craft. Whether you’re struggling to make work that looks professional, or trying let your humanity shine through, these four focus areas are the tools that will make the biggest difference in your career.

IN THIS EPISODE
Low Purpose vs. Clear Function: Why every project you share on your homepage needs to signal its functional role at a single glance.
The "Operating System" of Style: How to treat your personal values as the underlying system that informs every project, no matter what the subject.
Building Substance without Complexity: Why you should push to make some of your illustrations more complex, but also why even the simplest of illustrations can show a depth of character.
Achieving Media Transcendence: The secret to professional craft where the viewer sees the image before they see the "Procreate brushes" or the software used to make it.
Physical Media Paradigms: Why choosing a physical constraint—like letterpress or collage—is the best way to limit the overwhelming options of digital tools.

EPISODE LINKS
Portfolio References: Check out the work of Klas Fahlen and Olympia Zagnoli to see mastery of craft and media paradigms in action.
⁠https://www.klasfahlen.se/⁠
⁠https://www.olimpiazagnoli.com⁠
Pre-order Bonuses: Pre-order Drawing Is Important to help boost the Amazon rankings and secure a commemorative poster (first 50) or a signed bookplate (first 500).
⁠https://www.tomfroese.com/book⁠
One-on-One Coaching: If you want to pick my brain on these four pillars, book a session.
⁠https://www.tomfroese.com/coaching⁠
The Illustration Department: Mentioning Giuseppe Castellano’s insights on being headed in the right direction.
⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-illustration-department-podcast/id1467711251?i=1000755695311⁠
⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-illustration-department-podcast/id1467711251?i=1000754396715⁠
Today's Action Exercise: The Operating System Paradox Ready to test your point of view? (Become a paid listener on Spotify or Patreon to access today’s “Action on Illustration” prompt).
Tag me on Instagram @mrtomfroese or email me your results!

TOM'S LINKS
Work: ⁠⁠tomfroese.com⁠⁠
Classes: ⁠⁠tomfroese.com/teaching⁠⁠
Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/mrtomfroese⁠⁠

📗 Pre-order Drawing Is Important: tomfroese.com/book

Brandon Campbell (known online as @brandcamp) is a professional illustrator and former designer for Comedy Central and CNN. Brandon joins me to talk about his transition from digital motion graphics back to traditional media, his family legacy in the arts, and his unique "reverse colouring book" concept in his new book, Just Add Line.

In this Episode
The Thrill of the Hunt: We start off discussing our love of thrifting and what we consider the "holy grails" of vintage finds.
A Family Tradition: What it was like growing up with an illustrator dad who drew for Time magazine and Star Wars.
Reversing the Creative Process: The ideas behind Brandon’s new book, Just Add Line, which flips the traditional coloring book on its head.
The Impact of AI: Brandon’s candid non-sugar-coated take on how AI and the current economy are shifting the landscape for professional illustrators.
Mindset Hacks for Better Work: How to trick your brain into having more fun by treating client assignments like personal projects.

Links and Resources
Brandon Campbell’s Website: https://www.brandoncampbell.tv/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandcamp/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brandcamp
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brandcamp

Work Mentioned
Just Add Line (Rizzoli) - https://www.brandoncampbell.tv/
Birds Eat and Eat and Eat by Ed Emberley
Evelyn Ness (Illustrator)
B. Dylan Hollis (Illustrations by Brandon) - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/742467/baking-across-america-by-b-dylan-hollis/9780744097603

Help Shape my Future Signature Course!
My big goal this year is to create my first self-hosted course for illustrators. But I can't do it without your help! Please take my 5-minute survey at the following link. As a thank-you, you'll get 20% off the full price of the course when it launches.

Signature Course Survey — ⁠Google Form Link⁠
⁠https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHIixGnxIA9gLl4WLXtxb4JsTfj5FjU6l1T9Sm0Cv2DjnDWQ/viewform?usp=header⁠

Tom’s Links
Work: ⁠tomfroese.com⁠
Classes: ⁠tomfroese.com/teaching⁠
Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mrtomfroese⁠

Pre-order Drawing is Important — http://tomfroese.com/book
In this episode, I take on the "myth of artistic looseness." We often envy the "spontaneous" energy of artists like Quentin Blake, but the truth is that looking effortless requires a tone of effort. I dive into why your final illustrations feel "stiff" compared to your sketches and how to bridge that gap through what I call supervised spontaneity and confidence from competence. 

IN THIS EPISODE
• Three observations about artistic looseness
• How to build "chaos" into a repeatable process. 
• The Take-Two-ness of Glenn Gould: Why the best work happens in the studio, not live. 
• Why even pros like Sir Quentin Blake struggle with achieving looseness.
• The Exercise: A three-stage drawing challenge to help you unlock creative freedom in your drawings.
EPISODE LINKS
• Quentin Blake shares about his artistic neurosis in "How I draw" — https://quentinblake.com/about-drawing/how-i-draw
• Glenn Gould Poster (Tom Froese, for Polaris Prize) — https://www.tomfroese.com/work/polaris-music-prize-glenn-gould
• Glenn Gould's "Take-Two-Ness" — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BachTheGoldberg_Variations_(Glenn_Gould_album)

HOW TO SUPPORT
You can support Thoughts on Illustration by:
• Sharing this episode with a friend
• Leaving a comment
• Leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts
• Following the show / subscribing to this channel
• Becoming a paid supporter here or on Patreon — ⁠https://patreon.com/tomfroese⁠

FIND ME ELSEWHERE
• Website — https://www.tomfroese.com
• Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/mrtomfroese
• Daily Drawings — https://www.instagram.com/drawingisimportant

CREDITS
Music and cues by Mark Allan Falk — https://linktr.ee/semiathletic

DRAWING IS IMPORTANT — NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER
My new book, Drawing Is Important, is your guide to making drawing a meaningful daily habit. Through stories, insights, and exercises, it helps you draw more often—with less pressure and more joy. Available 7 April 2026 — Pre-order now! The first 500 orders get a free hand-signed book plate! Look for "get pre-order prizes" after clicking the link.
Pre-order Drawing is Important — http://tomfroese.com/book

Pre-order Drawing is Important: ⁠⁠https://geni.us/DrawingisImportant⁠

Mike Lowery is an internationally recognized picture book illustrator and author, as well as fellow teacher and daily drawer. Mike joins me to talk about the business of illustration, finding his style, the impact of AI on the illustration industry, keeping a sketchbook habit, and using social media for illustrators.

In this Episode
The business of illustration: The difference between making art for its own sake and making art that actually does something.
Finding Mike’s style: How an art director’s preference for Mike’s sketches over his “final art” style redefined his whole approach.
AI and the industry: Mike’s hesitantly-offered but well-considered assessment on AI’s impact on illustration today.
Daily Drawing Practice: Mike’s advice for keeping a sketchbook, whether on the daily or on the road.

This conversation covers some of the big shifts of 2025-2026 in the illustration industry, but also goes into super-practical, hands-on tips that will make a difference in your illustration practice today.

Links and Resources
Mike Lowry’s Website: https://www.mikelowery.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikelowrystudio 
Free E-book: Instagram for Illustrators (Scroll all the way down) — https://www.mikelowery.com/classes 
Work Mentioned: 
Random Illustrated Facts- https://www.mikelowery.com/random-illustrated-facts
No Sam series - https://www.mikelowery.com/portfolio/nosam

Help Shape my Future Signature Course!
My big goal this year is to create my first self-hosted course for illustrators. But I can't do it without your help! Please take my 5-minute survey at the following link. As a thank-you, you'll get 20% off the full price of the course when it launches.

Signature Course Survey — ⁠Google Form Link⁠ ⁠https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHIixGnxIA9gLl4WLXtxb4JsTfj5FjU6l1T9Sm0Cv2DjnDWQ/viewform?usp=header⁠

Tom’s Links
Work: ⁠tomfroese.com⁠
Classes: ⁠tomfroese.com/teaching⁠
Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mrtomfroese⁠