Thoughts on Illustration

📗 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

Get your FREE Illustration Training Plan Worksheet (PDF) — https://www.tomfroese.com/freetrainingplan

"It’s a marathon, not a sprint"—but what does that actually mean for your creative career? In this episode, Tom looks back at his biggest insights from 2025 and explains why trying to "do it all" is the fastest way to stall your progress.
Using his experience as an ultramarathoner, Tom shares how to apply a training framework to your illustration practice to ensure you're building "functional strength" rather than just busy work.
The Danger of Dabbling: Why multiple professional roles create competing interests.

Training Blocks: How standard timelines help you build progressive fitness in your art.

Functional Strength: Identifying which habits support your main goal and which ones undermine it.

The Power of One: Why 2026 is the year of doing one thing exceptionally well.

[Download] FREE Illustration Training Plan Worksheet

[Read] 2025: The Year in Review (Substack)

[Listen] The One Big Shift for Social Media in 2026

I’m building a new signature course for illustrators and I need your input. Take this 5-minute survey to help me build it, and get 20% off at launch!👉 Take the Survey Here

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

What does it actually take to build a sustainable life in illustration—without burning out or chasing every new platform?
In this episode, I’m sharing a conversation where I was the guest on Design Icons, produced by Noun Project. Nick Power’s questions gave me a chance to step back and reflect on my career honestly—what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what I’m still figuring out.

We talk about:
Lessons learned from a decade+ as an illustrator
Creative plateaus and my worst year for client work
Why style is about reliability, not aesthetics
How constraints shape better work
Visibility, sustainability, and what actually moves the needle

This one covers all the classic interview questions, but it gave me a chance to reflect on the basics in a real, honest way.

→ Support the podcast on Patreon: patreon.com/tomfroese
→ Explore Noun Project: thenounproject.com