"I hadn't drawn for 21 years" an interview with Jo Overend 🐥

Jo Overend is in da house (ship?)

But first, Illustration Business Club is finally OPEN! It's been over a year since we last flung the doors open and we'd love to have you sailing with us! https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/business

Jo is an author-illustrator, an OG Good Shipper, and the author and illustrator of Megaduck (her debut picture book with Walker Books) 🐥

When Jo started out, she hadn't drawn for 21 years. She posted her drawings anyway, eeeeven the ones she didn't like, and sometimes three to five Instagram posts a day (!!!)

Timestamps:

00:00 – Hello Jo (and Megaduck, in giant cardboard cutout form)
 00:23 – Megaduck's final artwork is done and handed over to Walker Books
 01:03 – Getting final artwork finished alongside full-on childcare
 01:56 – Setting the goal of a full colour dummy for Bologna
 02:57 – Walking into shops with your prints (terrifying!) and taking the wholesale leap
 03:37 – Why rejection is almost never about you
 05:46 – Katie's human design corner: give people something to say yes or no to
 06:10 – Sending Walker seven more book ideas without waiting for a meeting
 07:01 – Posting real things to agents and publishers, and the "is it worth the stamp?" wobble
 09:13 – Why genuine, thoughtful post gets remembered
 10:10 – Agents and publishers actually WANT your follow-up email
 11:42 – Jo's Illustration Business Club experience
 12:23 – Getting stocked in her favourite shop, and growing into wholesale
 13:12 – Community, competitions, and winning the Picture Hooks mentorship (plus a book deal the same week!)
 14:34 – Tania's "friendly stalking" method for finding art directors
 15:50 – "Have we met?" How Jo's postcards got there before she did
 16:57 – Helen's broccoli theory of being seen
 17:25 – The anonymous egg problem, and why a face (or a logo) builds trust
 18:29 – Jo's advice for scared, shy, overwhelmed illustrators
 19:04 – Not drawing for 21 years, then posting 3 to 5 doodles a day
 22:02 – Megaduck news: US in February, UK in March, and Megaduck 2 on the way
 23:07 – Trying all the little things: kids' workshops, wholesale and more
 24:40 – Keep your radar open
 25:16 – Where to find Jo, plus her Substack and Patreon plans

Links mentioned:

• Jo's website: https://www.jooverendillustration.com/
• Jo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joverendillustration/
• Jo's Substack: https://jooverendillustration.substack.com/
• Megaduck (US edition): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/835922/megaduck-by-jo-overend-illustrated-by-jo-overend/
• Picture Hooks: https://www.picturehooks.org.uk/

Byeeee for now!
 x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)

 p.s. Soooo much of what Jo talks about here ties in v well with what's inside Illustration Business Club. The doors are open right now and we'd love to have you in there with us! https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/business

Come and say hello!

✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

p.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙