Thoughts on Illustration

What happens when a production designer behind 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 Hollywood production design, 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 production design work.
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

Every illustrator wants a recognizable style — but what if chasing style is actually the thing getting in your way? In this episode, I reframe the whole idea of style as something you work out, not something you find. The real source of a compelling, consistent style isn't a look you copy or discover — it's your attractions: the things you love, the things you keep returning to, and the choices you've already been making all along. If you've been frustrated by not having a clear style yet, this episode will redirect that energy somewhere much more useful.
In this Episode
Chasing the Scent vs. Baking the Cookies: Why trying to have a style is like trying to replicate a smell — and what to focus on instead.
Your Attractions as Raw Material: How the things you love, notice, and keep returning to are already the seeds of your style.
Style is Hindsight: Why style is a pattern you see looking back at your work — not a destination you arrive at.
Style is Selection: How artist Heather Hollington's insight reframes the whole creative process as a series of choices that add up over time.
The Creative Self Inventory: A practical exercise for reflecting on your best work to discover what makes it distinctly yours — and how to do more of it intentionally.
Links and Resources
The Style Class on Skillshare: Go deeper on working out your style — and get 30 days of free Skillshare membership through this link.
https://skl.sh/4cFnIej
Drawing Is Important: My new book is out now! Your guide to making drawing a meaningful daily habit.
https://www.tomfroese.com/book
Today's Action Exercise: The Creative Self Inventory Ready to reflect on your work and discover what makes it uniquely yours? (Become a paid listener on Patreon to access today's "Action on Illustration" prompt.)
https://www.patreon.com/tomfroese
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

📗 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