The Handsome Frank Illustration Podcast

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Join us as we catch up with the illustrators we work with on a daily basis.

Handsome Frank


    • Apr 29, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 53m AVG DURATION
    • 27 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Handsome Frank Illustration Podcast

    Molly McCammon

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2025 53:06


    Join us as we catch up with one of our 2024 Handsome Future winners, Molly McCammon. We talk about what she's learned over the past year, how she's tweaked her work to gain more commercial success, and what it's like to be an illustrator picking colours when you have Synesthesia. Check out Molly's portfolio over on our website! 

    Tim McDonagh

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2025 60:40


    In this episode Tim talks us through his 15 years in illustration. From an initial love of collage, before pivoting to pen and ink and disagreeing with his tutors on the way to winning a D&AD New Blood Award. Today he is established as one of the most sought after in the business and has become a go to artist, for The New York Times and Star Wars.   Join us as we hear how growing up on a Virginian commune, surrounded by rattle snakes and snapping turtles, helped him develop his macabre brand of illustration. Why he holds his breath when he paints and how acting might just be his back-up plan.  View Tim's portfolio on the Handsome Frank website.

    24 - Charlie Davis

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2025 51:43


    If you've travelled on the London Underground recently, you'll have seen the work of Charlie Davis. A Handsome Frank superstar since 2019, Charlie's profile has grown to new heights in the past few years and is now on show all over London. He joins us to share his journey—from starting out as a junior designer to making the leap into full-time illustration. Offering a fascinating insight into his craft, he reveals how making one small tweak to his work opened the door to increased commercial success, why he doesn't draw faces and explains why he prefers short deadlines.    www.handsomefrank.com/illustrators/charlie-davis    

    23 - Marylou Faure

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2024 52:49


    Parisian-born Londoner Marylou Faure joined us at HFHQ to talk about the personal and professional journey, which has shaped her bold, bouncy, art style. In our final podcast of the year, Marylou discusses female empowerment, which is a central theme in her work and how she learned to love colour. We also cover how her 3D 'babes' come to life, her dream projects and whether Die Hard is a Christmas film.   Check out Marylou Faure's portfolio

    22 - Paul Blow

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2024 53:00


    On a brisk November day, we travelled by train to Dorset and sat down to talk with award winning illustrator Paul Blow. In a conversation that  spans the full length of his career, we discuss the highs and lows of being an illustrator for over three decades.   Paul talks to us about everything from awards, to losing his life's work, to why he avoided drawing smiley faces for so long. His bold conceptual illustrations often mix themes of humour, sadness and the absurd and his podcast almost perfectly mirrors the variety in his work.

    21 - Luis Mendo

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2024 56:13


    In a Paris hotel room, beneath the Eiffel Tower, we finally tracked down the wonderful Luis Mendo. Join us for a ranging conversation, taking in a career designing magazines in 90's Amsterdam, a life changing decision to relocate to Tokyo and how his work as an illustrator was born from a language barrier. Trigger warning, contains mentions of AI that artists may find refreshing.  Check out Luis' portfolio at handsomefrank.com Feeling a strong desire to stroll through Tokyo with Luis? You're in luck! Join him on his daily routine in our 'Little Film About...Luis Mendo'. Watch now on vimeo    

    20 - Helen Musselwhite

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2024 53:09


    Part illustrator, part model maker, part engineer and full time Handsome Frank royalty, paper artist Helen Musselwhite visited our studio for our 20th episode. 
 We catch up with perhaps our most analogue artist to discuss her childhood fascination with model villages, thinking in 3D, and how she uses her photography skills to bring her paper worlds to life. If you haven't seen it yet, you can watch our 'Little Film About...Helen Musselwhite' in full, here. Visit Helen's portfolio page at www.handsomefrank.com            

    19 - Matt Murphy

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2023 54:21


    Matt Murphy brought his customary warmth and good conversation as he called in to see us and record podcast EP19. We discussed colour theory, great music and dream commissions past and (hopefully) future. 

    18 - Niege Borges

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2023 45:18


    Brooklyn's finest, Niege Borges, flew over to London to fill our studio with colour and recount stories of her art journey, her cat Shakira, and her inflatable sidekick Elizabeth.      

    17 - Dakarai Akil

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2023 49:48


    From driving taxis, sleeping in a gallery, to working in a homeless centre on Skid Row, Dakarai's journey to becoming a freelance artist is one of the most fascinating and eventful we've ever heard. Warning this podcast contains rattle snake references.

    16 - Luke McConkey

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2023 55:40


    In our latest podcast we embark on a magical mystery tour into the world of Liverpool based artist Luke McConkey. Luke spills the beans on how he first grabbed our attention, the fact that he "draws like he's a nice guy", and his side project as an independent record label owner.

    15 - Joël Penkman

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2023 40:02


    Once again we took the Handsome Frank podcast on the road, this time to a snow covered Liverpool to meet up with the wonderful Joël Penkman. Based in Maghull, on the northern outskirts of the city we turned up at the beautiful mid-century family house that Joël and her partner James call home. The smell of fresh coffee and freshly baked bread greeted us, offering a very welcome sanctuary from the unseasonable elements of the morning.

    14 - Leonie Bos

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2023 43:19


    For latest episode we jumped on the Eurostar and headed to Amsterdam to meet with artist and illustrator Leonie Bos. From her studio, tucked away on the ground floor of an old Victorian school, we talk about everything from squatting in abandoned buildings to punch needle and the difficulties of growing vegetables. 

    13 - Andrew Joyce

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2022 71:39


    Illustrator Andrew Joyce is perhaps best known for his maps and building illustrations. As such, we thought it would be fun to take the Handsome Frank podcast to the streets and check out some London architecture on the move. Grabbing some newly acquired roving recording equipment, we wired ourselves up, clipped some microphones to our lapels and went for a little walk and talk around one of our favourite neighbourhoods.

    12 - Zoë Barker

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2022 59:01


    If you love beautifully rendered buildings and hate the price of train tickets, this is the episode for you! This week we're off to Norwich to chat to the equal parts talented and lovely Zoë Barker. (Leave your Alan Partridge impressions at the door please!) A small content warning - we discuss themes around mental health, including OCD and anxiety. Many many thanks to Zoë for her candour and openness in discussing how she's learnt to manage her life and career while looking after her mental wellbeing.

    11 - Agathe Singer

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2022 49:40


    We took a trip to Paris to meet with the wonderful Agathe Singer and discuss all things gouache, juggling childcare and tiny lifts.

    11 - Agathe Singer

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2022 49:40


    We took a trip to Paris to meet with the wonderful Agathe Singer and discuss all things gouache, juggling childcare and tiny lifts.

    10 - David Sparshott

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2022 56:51


    We headed to rural Norfolk to speak to David Sparshott, an illustrator who creates all of his work using pencils. David lives off-grid and we were chased by his geese during a tour of his home. 

    09 - Michelle Thompson

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2022 58:22


    We headed to the Essex countryside to meet up with collage expert Michelle Thompson to find out about what she'd been working on and why she chose illustration as a career. 

    08 - Tobias Hall

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2021 67:20


    We had a lovely chat with typographer and illustrator Tobias Hall. He treated us to pizza and we got to stroke his giant cat. 

    07 - Paul Thurlby

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2021 52:18


    We headed to glorious Brighton to chat to the lovely Paul Thurlby.

    06 - Emily Robertson

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2021 56:18


    With the sun shining we met up with Emily Robertson for a good chat, a giggle and some custard tarts. 

    05 - Sebastian Curi

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2020 64:20


    It's lockdown right now so we jumped on a Zoom call with LA based illustrator Sebastian Curi to talk about how he made it into the industry and how he's coping in these bizarre times. 

    04 - Tom Haugomat & Bruno Mangyoku

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2020 56:20


    We sat down and chatted to illustrators Tom Haugomat and Bruno Mangyoku who share a top-floor studio in Paris, accessible only by the worlds smallest lift. 

    03 - Sarah Maycock

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2020 47:35


    Sarah Maycock took the train up from Hastings to come have a chat with us about her career to date as an illustrator and painter. 

    02 - Matt Saunders

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2020 48:59


    This week we speak to Matt Saunders, illustration supremo and all round nice guy. 

    01 - Jean Jullien

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2020 44:52


    We travelled to Paris and caught up with renowned illustrator and artist Jean Jullien who we've had the pleasure of working with for over eight years. 

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