"You really don't have to go to art school!" An interview with Carly Kuhn

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Recorded11 Sep 2026

Publisherfeeds.buzzsprout.com

Handlerec:20337234

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This week our Katie is chatting to Carly Kuhn, a US-based illustrator, artist and author who ended up in illustration kindofbyaccident. She grew up in New York wanting to do TV comedy, worked at a Hollywood talent agency, took improv classes at The Groundlings, and started drawing on printer paper nicked from the office, just as something creative to do after work. Then Sarah Jessica Parker reposted one of her drawings (!!) and - you'll have to listen to the episode to find out what happens next 🤪Carly has had NO formal art or illustration training, which is exactly why we wanted to speak to her. We chat about finding your style by making loads of wonky work, why she wasn't ready for an agent for ages, and some pricing stuff about usage/contracts/licensing an' that.There's also chat about wallpaper, multiple creative income streams, and how becoming a mum did not end her career (woohoo!) Timestamps, for the timestamp fans:00:00 – Intro to Carly and her very wiggly path 02:00 – TV comedy, improv, and how the drawing started 06:30 – Improv 08:00 – Sarah Jessica Parker reposts a drawing 10:30 – Going full-time - pricing is completely made up 14:30 – No art school16:00 – Naivety as a superpower, and posting every day 19:00 – Live illustration, fancy parties, and the first wallpaper job 23:30 – Lockdown portraits, moving cities, becoming a mum 26:00 – Getting an agent31:00 – Pricing, usage, and being a people-pleaser who has to negotiate 38:00 – Accidentally building lots of income streams 42:00 – How motherhood focused her career 49:00 – Character Study, and how bonkers publishing timelines are 52:00 – You really don't have to go to art school!Links mentioned:• Carly's website: https://www.carlykuhn.com/ • Carly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlykuhn/ • Carly's Substack, The Cartelier: https://carlykuhn.substack.com/ • Carly's new book, Character Study: Observations from a Very Curious Artist: https://www.carlykuhn.com/booksByeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)p.s. If the pricing and usage chat made your ears prick up, we are planning a v exciting early-bird bonus for Illustration Business Club joiners. Doors open on Friday 25th September. Pop it on your calendar! 🥳Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

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