Paid 2 Draw – An Illustration Podcast

This week we talk to two of the three founders of Studio MUTI, a Cape Town-based creative studio. Miné Day and Brad Hodgskiss share their journey from starting a small illustration studio in 2011 to now managing a vibrant team of 18 creatives with a diverse range of styles and skills — from animation and lettering to icons and digital painting. Versatility is one of MUTI’s strongest assets. By sharing knowledge, communicating on eye level and a mutual sense of curiosity, they keep on pushing stylistic boundaries and continuously challenge themselves to sustain a shared excitement for the craft. Throughout our conversation, Brad and Miné discuss the difficulties of maintaining artistic versatility, the importance of collaboration, and the balance between creative work and management responsibilities. Their shared understanding of creative problem solving is to aspire to always create the kind of work they can be proud of and that is worthy of landing a spot in their pristine portfolio. Our conversation also touches on the challenges of balancing creative freedom with financial stability, the dynamics of working in a team with diverse specializations, and the excitement surrounding upcoming projects and events. Listen, learn and share this episode with all your illustration friends! And while you’re at it: Sign up to Studio MUTI’s online session & workshop at Creative Works East on October 2nd and 4th, 2025. _________FOLLOW MUTI: Website: studiomuti.co.zaInstagram: @studiomutiDribbble: dribbble.com/studioMUTI_________If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram, Spotify and TikTok. _________Hosted by Vicky Cichoń and Dave Leutert. Music by Amanda Deff.

By popular demand, we finally talked to Brett Stenson from Portland, Oregon. Brett is a multi-disciplinary artist, illustrator and Senior Art Director at Young Jerks. Heavily influenced by forgotten ephemera from bygone eras, Brett’s work reflects a deep connection to the natural world and explores the delicate balance between nature and human existence. In this episode, Brett tells us how the ability to get lost in creating something can feel like an advantage during difficult times. He shares insights into his creative journey — from his early days in Wisconsin to working at Jolby & Friends — and we get a detailed description of his wood-carving process and daily routines, despite dark days and buggy video calls. Throughout the conversation, Brett emphasizes the need for balance in life, the importance of working with a supportive team and how developing his style was a natural process influenced by experiences. We also touch on topics like mentorships, mental health and Midwestern work ethics. And we almost uncover where the milk comes from. Almost. Don’t miss this front-row seat into Brett’s biome! 🧠 And make sure to tell all your design friends about it. Subscribe to stay updated on future convos with other talented artists. _________MENTIONED LINKS: • Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD): Product Design Major • Jolby (Portland-based creative studio) • The Dans: Dan Cassaro & Dan Christofferson • Ed “Big Daddy” Roth • Richard Scarry • Nucleus Gallery in Portland • Kelly Thorn (Sr. Art Director at Young Jerks) • “Desperate Oasis” from Weast Coast Games • 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' logo by House Industries • Brett’s Prosperous Innkeeper card for Secret Lair / Magic: The Gathering _________FOLLOW BRETT: Instagram: @brettpstenson Website: brettstenson.com Shop: brettstenson.bigcartel.com YJ Instagram: @youngjerks YJ Website: youngjerks.com _________If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok. _________Hosted by Vicky Cichoń and Dave Leutert. Music by Amanda Deff.

In this episode, we talk to award-winning Japanese illustrator Yuko Shimizu (清水裕子) about her journey from quitting a career in corporate PR to becoming a successful artist and educator—highlighting all the challenges and triumphs along the way. Our conversation touches on the importance of self-promotion, how to deal with imposter syndrome, and the role of art education in shaping an artist’s career. Instead of fixating on what she can’t affect, Yuko focuses on the things she can control. All we can do as illustrators at any given time is to create the best work within our capabilities—the rest is out of our hands. With over 20 years of experience, Yuko shares valuable insights on finding your unique artistic voice, the significance of mental health in creativity, and the importance of giving back to the community. Working in this field is all about learning to deal with disappointments. Rejection is a normal part of the creative journey and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. This episode is a treasure trove of advice for both aspiring illustrators and seasoned professionals alike. Yuko shares useful tips on how to navigate the creative industry. She emphasizes the need for artists to be genuine, to share knowledge, and to navigate their careers with honesty and humility. _________MENTIONED LINKS: • Artists: Christoph Niemann, James Jean, Marshall Arisman, Minh Uong, Tomer Hanuka, Shepard Fairey, Marcos Chin, SHOUT (Alessandro Gottardo), David Sandlin, Gary Panter, Chip Kidd • Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan • SVA MFA Illustration as Visual Essay • NYT email format: firstname.lastname@nytimes.com • Yuko’s FAQ page • Thanks to Ari Liloan (aka @madeby_ari) for the thoughtful questions. _________FOLLOW YUKO: Instagram: @yukoartBehance: be.net/yukoFacebook: fb.com/pages/Yuko-ShimizuWebsite: yukoart.comShop: yukoart.bigcartel.comYuko’s Skillshare courses Books: “The Cat Man of Aleppo”, “Up, Up, Ever Up!”, “Barbed Wire Baseball” _________If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram, Spotify and TikTok. _________Hosted by Vicky Cichoń and Dave Leutert. Music by Amanda Deff.

Lisa Tegtmeier is a Hamburg-based illustrator who’s known for bold characters, vibrant colors and energetic compositions. Inspired by nostalgic color palettes from the 60s to the 90s, Lisa creates worlds filled with optimism and empowerment. What her characters are lacking in eyes and noses, they wholly make up for in personality. “Emotion comes through movement,” she says “You can express so much through gestures.” On this week’s episode, Lisa talks to us about how her style has evolved over the years and why it’s important for illustrators to find their niche. She explains how to develop your own voice through experimentation and self-expression, encourages artists to dodge perfectionism and share their work, and—most importantly—to just keep creating. Lisa also shares openly about burnout, mental health and the pressure of keeping up. Freelance life can be quite hectic, so it’s nice to touch grass every now and then. Other topics include: embracing imperfection, developing healthy habits, the human touch in art, and the joy of doing nothing. We hope you enjoy this conversation like a sparrow in a puddle! _________MENTIONED LINKS: • Cowgirl boot-shaped mug • HAW Hamburg: B.A. Illustration / M.A. Illustration • Abstract – The Art of Design: “Paula Scher: Graphic Design” (S01E06) on Netflix _________FOLLOW LISA: Website: lisategtmeier.comShop: lisategtmeier.com/shopInstagram: @lisategtmeierThreads: @lisategtmeierLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisa-tegtmeierBehance: be.net/lisategtmeierTikTok: @lisategtmeier_________If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow @Paid2DrawPodcast on Instagram, Spotify and TikTok. _________Hosted by Vicky Cichoń and Dave Leutert. Music by Amanda Deff.

YONK is a Dutch 3D animation studio consisting of artistic power couple Victoria Young and Niels van der Donk. Coming from different backgrounds like fine art and graphic design they decided early on to combine their individual skills to create 3D work. Since 2019 they specialize in using Virtual Reality and 3D sculpting tools to create uniquely strange, textured and colorful artworks, animations and character designs for an increasingly international client list such as Google, Sprite, Nike, Amazon and The New York Times, but also just for the sake of creating and having fun experimenting. In this episode they take us into their world and explain how sculpting 3D figures in virtual reality is more intuitive and less technical than the traditional way with a keyboard and mouse. Working in VR has led to quicker results and helped them discover their unique style. By embracing the explorer’s mindset they experiment in a way where everything is allowed and create a body of work by describing their nightmares to each other. They generously share how their style gradually developed by not knowing how to do things “properly” and how they made a conscious decision to leave the imperfections and happy accidents in their work to give it a more organic feel. While collaborating they acknowledge each other’s strengths and try to involve each other throughout the whole process to create a cohesive result. Even though their work is mostly created in VR it can be transferred to many other mediums and be experienced by everyone as an animated video, a 3D print or traditional 2D image. But their activities are not only limited to making art — they also develop tools to solve specific problems within the sculpting or animation programs and share them with the growing VR and 3D sculpting community. It was that constant sharing of their personal work on Instagram that has caught the attention of potential clients who want be a part of their exciting experiences and set their mark in the VR space. To YONK, client work not only poses creative challenges, but also requires them to incorporate some planning and organizing into their process while still keeping it as intuitive and natural as possible. _________ MENTIONED LINKS: • Adobe Medium • Substance 3D Modeler (by Adobe) • Joseph Melhuish • Meta Quest Pro • YONK & Friends (live stream) • Christopher Rutledge • Blender (open-source 3D & animation software) • Step Motion on Blender Market • WarpySTEP v1.2 for Blender (by Will Anderson) • Grease Pencil Resources for Blender • Geometry Nodes for Blender • Dédouze • Other 3D software: Cinema 4D, Houdini, ZBrush, Maya _________ FOLLOW YONK: Instagram: @yonk.online Website: yonk.online YouTube: YONK TikTok: @yonk.online Twitch: yonkonline Threads: @yonk.online Twitter: x.com/yonkonline _________ If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok. _________ Hosted by Vicky Cichoń and Dave Leutert. Music by Amanda Deff. Assistance by Diana Lazaru. _________ This interview was recorded on May 5th, 2024, during the 20th annual Pictoplasma Conference at silent green in Berlin. Each spring, Pictoplasma transforms the city into an international meeting point for a diverse scene of artists and creatives, trailblazing the face of tomorrow’s visual culture. The central conference brings together 900 key players on a global scale and features 20+ lectures by forward-thinking creatives. The accompanying animation screenings showcase cutting edge short films, with most of the filmmakers present in Q&A rounds. The character lab offers hands-on workshops, immersive media demos, panels and networking. Get your tickets for Pictoplasma Berlin 2025 (May 1st–4th).

Julia Rothman is an award-winning illustrator, pattern maker, NYT columnist and party motivator from New York. Her drawings appear on a variety of things, from newspapers and magazines to posters and billboards, wallpapers, bedding, towels, apparel, mugs and other merchandise. Julia has authored and illustrated over twelve books and has an illustrated column in the New York Times called “Scratch” about small businesses with big personalities. A lot of her projects were self-initiated. Julia just reaches out to people she wants to work with. She enjoys having a variety of projects at the same time and a lot of them are found by proactively pitching ideas. Many artists may not know this, she says, but she encourages everyone to just take a leap and contact prospective clients. You never know who might need your art. Julia likes to maintain a regular drawing practice. She always keeps a sketch pad around and can be found doodling most of the time. Sometimes she draws with friends and other times she just draws to stay busy. If she hasn’t drawn for a while, she feels a certain sense of discomfort. She regularly attends drawing nights, meets up with other artists and has co-founded Women Who Draw, an open directory of female* professional illustrators, artists and cartoonists. On this episode we dive deep into how Julia found her way into the illustration world, what teaching at RISD and SVA has taught her, the benefits of starting the year with a More/Less list, and why you shouldn’t be afraid of bad drawings. She even shares the backstory of how she became a professional party motivator. Such a fun and informative conversation with one of the most prolific illustrators of our time! _________ MENTIONED LINKS: • Women Who Draw: an open directory of female professional illustrators • Ladies Drawing Night: a female-only (trans-inclusive) drink and draw • “Scratch”: Julia Rothman & Shaina Feinberg’s New York Times column • The Anatomy Series: The Julia Rothman Collection • “Every Body – An Honest and Open Look at Sex from Every Angle”, Julia Rothman & Shaina Feinberg • Julia’s wallpapers at Hygge & West • Skillshare course: “How to Make A Repeat Pattern with Julia Rothman” • Purchase Julia’s books on Indiebound • Matt Dorfman: art director of the NYT Book Review • Lynda Barry’s “Making Comics” • Vogue article about Julia’s More/Less lists _________ FOLLOW JULIA: Instagram: @juliarothmanWebsite: juliarothman.comTwitter: x.com/juliarothmanPatreon: patreon.com/juliarothman HIRE JULIA: juliaaprilrothman@gmail.com _________ If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok. _________ Hosted by Vicky Cichoń and Dave Leutert. Music by Amanda Deff. _________ Berlin Letters Festival: Come to our live interview with Ximena Jiménez on Sunday, July 7th, at ~1:15pm at silent green in Berlin! ✨ There are also various workshops available during Berlin Letters, even for non-ticket holders. You can find a workshop overview right here.

Aaron Draplin is on the show this week, giving us a lesson in gratitude. His advice to listeners: “Be thankful as sh*t that you get to be a creative person.” Showing up and getting the job done builds confidence. Or at the very least, it gives you a better understanding of your own creative process. Aaron is the founder of DDC, Draplin Design Company. With his signature bold lines and colorful illustration style he’s worked for clients ranging from small indie bands to Nike, Patagonia, Target and USPS. When he’s not working from his backyard in Portland he’s out on the open road with his wife Leigh in their iconic orange van, giving talks and workshops about design, typography and illustration. On this episode Draplin shares some valuable lessons he’s learned after 20 years of freelancing. Don’t quit your job until you’re financially stable enough to take the leap. He says: “If you have a sucky job, do your sucky job and then get home and have fun. And it’ll tip at some point. Like it did for me.” He talks about his humble beginnings, growing up in Michigan, buying his first computer in Alaska in 1996, moving out West to work at Snowboarder Magazine, and ultimately ending up in Oregon and going freelance in 2004. His Midwestern roots and down-to-earth sensibility shine through in every facet of his career — all the way to his popular side venture, Field Notes memo books. Aaron generously shares advice on how to make your own stuff, the power of slowing down, giving back and helping other people. We even get to collectively geek out about Dinosaur Jr and he plays us an acoustic version of “Little Fury Things.” And then, towards the end, we go extra deep and talk about where we go when we die. Good times all-around, folks! Another episode of your favorite illustration podcast that’s jam-packed with lil nuggets of wisdom from one of the hardest-working individuals in graphic design. _________ FOLLOW AARON: Instagram: @draplinWebsite: draplin.comField Notes: fieldnotesbrand.comDDC Book: ddcbook.comDDC Fonts: ddcfonts.com_________ If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok. _________ Hosted by Vicky Cichoń and Dave Leutert. Music by Amanda Deff.

Martina Galarza, aka Marte, is an Argentinian graphic designer and lettering artist based in New York. Inspired by cartoons, graffiti and psychedelia, she’s all about infusing fun and vibrancy into her designs—creating a perfect blend of nostalgia and contemporary cool. In this very personal conversation, Marte opens up about how she had to change her life to avoid burnout and made a point to enjoy weekends and vacations in order to be happy. Her favorite medium to design for is the poster. She loves how it interacts with the environment, how it changes it, fades and gets torn away. And how it can have an actual impact on an event’s turnout. Starting out by making gig posters for her friends’ bands, she now gets to create work for big-time artists like Paul McCartney, Arctic Monkeys and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Even though Adobe Illustrator is Marte’s go-to software, she always approaches every project by drawing with a pencil on paper. Because for her it’s important to be in touch with the material. On this episode Marte shares with us her entire process from rough sketch to finished artwork. Find out how to create striking posters, why nothing really matters and what rocks have to do with all of it on the latest episode of P2D! _________ SHOW NOTES: • Marte’s Domestika course: “Creative Poster Design for Events” • YaniGuille&Co. (Yani Arabena & Guille Vizzari) • Angela Kirkwood • Fileteado Porteño (traditional Argentinian painting technique) • Jim Parkinson • Ken Barber & Andy Cruz (House Industries) • Type@Cooper (post­graduate certificate programs in type design at Cooper Union)• “Milton Glaser: POP”, by Steven Heller, Mirko Ilić & Beth Kleber • TDC Ascenders Competition • Young Guns 21 _________ FOLLOW MARTE: Instagram: @marte_______Behance: be.net/martevisualWebsite: martevisual.com HIRE MARTE: hola@martevisual.com _________ If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok. _________ Hosted by Vicky Cichoń and Dave Leutert. Music by Amanda Deff.

Jurena Munõz Lagunas, aka Ju Mu, is a multi-faceted artist based in Berlin with Peruvian-Chilean roots. Born in Hannover, Germany, she studied Fashion Design in Palma de Mallorca where she developed a fascination for surreal creatures and monsters. The cult of shamanism and the connections between humanity, the spirit world and nature are perennial features of her work and serve as inspiration for her colorful masks, canvases and murals. Deeply impressed by the creative genius of indigenous communities, Ju Mu implements influences from diverse cultures and creates her very own surreal worlds through patterns, colors and whatever tools she can find. Those ancient tales have informed her profound love for storytelling and it’s apparent in all of her artwork — from costumes to sculptures. Ju Mu is a creative powerhouse who never runs out of ideas. If she could, she would realize every spark of inspiration on her own. But art is a collaborative endeavor, so sometimes it’s best to work with people who know more about a certain technique than you do and to learn from them along the way. In recent years Ju Mu has started embracing the power of sowing seeds. Because in order for your creative career to stand the test of time you have to play the long game. Good work, she says, will always leave a lasting impact. You can hear all about Ju Mu’s process and inspiration in this inspiring interview with an incredibly unique artist. Thanks for listening! _________ FOLLOW JU MU: Instagram: @jumumonsterWebsite: jumumonster.vsble.meShop: jumumonster.bigcartel.com HIRE JU MU: Jurena.mu@gmail.com _________ If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok. _________ Hosted by Vicky Cichoń and Dave Leutert. Music by Amanda Deff.

Josephine Rais is an artist based in Berlin with a main focus on digital illustration. Having a background in product design and a Master’s degree in strategic design, Josephine’s broad skill set allows for a multidisciplinary approach to her illustration work. Being forced to go freelance after not landing an agency job led to her working for clients like Adidas, Apple, Coca-Cola, Samsung and Die Zeit. Josephine’s favorite subject to draw is people. She loves capturing the raw emotions and unique energy that Berlin has to offer in her dynamic portraits. Playing with distorted perspectives, she creates bold sceneries of every-day life situations and her diverse protagonists appear on products, animated screens and large-scale murals. Instagram has given her many opportunities and opened doors for her when she first started out, but, she says, it doesn’t support realness. The platform is seeking a portrayal of perfectionism that’s impossible to attain. But as long as we’re all playing along with it, planning our grids and feeding the algorithm, she fears that things probably won’t change. On the final episode of season 2, Josephine talks about the art of tufting, why German clients tend to be the (surprise!) least friendly, the importance of knowing your limits as a freelancer and saying ‘no’ — and she shares all the secrets behind her vibrant color palettes. Another really inspiring conversation with one of Berlin’s coolest illustrators! Listen, learn and then tell everyone you know about it. 📢 _________ SHOW NOTES: • Follow Daniel Stuhlpfarrer on Instagram (Type & graphic designer) • Check out Philipp Basler on Instagram (Digital artist & motion designer) • Vicky’s studio: The Boys Club Berlin (A co-working collective of independent designers in Berlin-Neukölln) • Josephine is represented by The Different Folk • Hire Josy: hi@josephinerais.com _________ FOLLOW JOSEPHINE: Instagram: @josephineraisWebsite: josephinerais.comBehance: be.net/josephineraisTikTok: @josephinerais _________ If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok. _________ Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert. Music by Amanda Deff.

Clémence Gouy is a French illustrator and graphic designer currently based in Amsterdam. She specialises in creating visual identities and illustrated content for various brands and media. After working as an art director in agencies across the world and getting a Master’s degree, she started building an illustration portfolio and ended up getting hired by clients like Apple, Nike, Google and Netflix. On an all-new episode of P2D, Clémence explains the role of an agent and clears up people’s misconceptions of what representation entails. Agents might be able to help you with outreach, pricing, contracts and even project management, but you’ll still have to write a ton of emails, keep your sites updated and reach out to people. It’s a true collaboration. When Clémence is not busy with commissions, she finds herself working on socially-engaged personal pieces. Because a lot of times the work you do for free ends up paying off one way or another. She finds her clients mostly through social media, so of course her Insta account’s recent hack has been a challenge for her as a freelancer. Don't miss this super-insightful and inspiring convo with another incredibly talented illustrator and animator. _________ FOLLOW CLÉMENCE: Instagram: @clemence_gouyTikTok: @clemence_gouyWebsite: clemgouy.comBehance: be.net/ClemenceGouy _________ If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok. _________ Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert. Music by Amanda Deff.

Kati Szilágyi talks to us about how much she loves her job despite having a crisis every once in a while. During her studies her style was inspired by graphic and poster design, which she translated into whimsical characters in colorful dreamscapes. Her process is to welcome little mistakes on paper and to find abstract shapes while drawing humans. On this episode, we chat with Kati about how it’s necessary to take breaks from drawing to get inspired and how it’s normal to sometimes not be interested in illustration at all. She opens up about how the pandemic and adopting her dog has resulted in her working from home more, even though she shares a lively studio with other creatives. Since 2013, Kati has been consistently sharing her work on Instagram, showcasing two slightly different styles: drawing on paper & digitally as well as cutouts — which made her think in abstract shapes even more. _________ FOLLOW KATI: Instagram: @katisziBehance: be.net/katisziWebsite: katiszi.com _________ If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok! _________ Hosted by Viktoria Cichoń and David Leutert. Music by Amanda Deff.

On the first in-person recording in Paid 2 Draw history, Vicky and Dave chat with illustrator and designer Giulia Hartz about her client work, personal projects and her online community.  Giulia opens up about how she copes with uncomfortable feelings by customizing her living space with encouraging words and witty jokes. Turning dark thoughts into funny art, the physical act of painting calms her down in times of uncertainty.  To connect with her audience, Giulia mixes nostalgic toys from her childhood with unexpected ironic messages to create tension, comedic relief and an almost meme-like quality in her illustrations.  She has successfully created a personal brand by being true to herself. Giulia regularly engages with her online community by sharing personal experiences, meeting up for coffee dates and sending her followers on sticker hunts around the city. She even delves deep into technical tutorials and sharing knowledge with The Hearts Club — her devoted followers on Patreon.  _________ SHOW NOTES: • “The Freelance Manifesto: A Field Guide for the Modern Motion Designer", Joey Korenman • Drop-Shipping Services: Printify, Printful, Moteefe _________ FOLLOW GIULIA: Instagram: @giuliahartz Website: giuliahartz.com TikTok: @giuliahartz Patreon: patreon.com/giuliahartz LinkedIn: Giulia Hartz Behance: be.net/giuliahartz _________ If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram and TikTok.