INKY GOODNESS. MAKE YOUR MARK BOOTCAMP. PART 2
These past few months have been incredibly intense, and we’re now getting very, very close to the end of the Bootcamp. I had hoped to write another post halfway through, but I was juggling so much that I simply couldn’t keep up with everything on my to-do list.
We’ve just returned from a summer break in the Bootcamp. Originally, the course was meant to wrap up in July, but there was a pause, and it’s now set to end in mid-October. In the meantime, the Inky Goodness Collective offered additional short courses—one on selling your art, one on pitching, and another on editorial illustration (which is about to start). I would have loved to take part in one of them, but honestly, I really needed a break. It’s been a wild few months, and slowing down a little was essential.
In the first half of the course, I struggled a bit. I was part-timing at my design job, working weekends at the tattoo studio, and attending the course—it all got very overwhelming at one point.
Although I managed to meet all the course deadlines, I often felt like I couldn’t fully enjoy the Bootcamp as much as I wanted to. I’m currently reassessing and improving my tattoo portfolio, and balancing that with full-time work and the course has been tough—at least for me.
London can be such a demanding, exhausting city. It’s not easy to survive as a freelancer here—balancing finances, thinking about family back home, spending hours commuting, working in different studios, focusing on personal and professional development, staying healthy… it all adds up.
That said, the briefs have been amazing—fun, inspiring, and challenging. I really wish I had had more time to spend on them. We worked on editorial illustration for Aquila magazine, a book cover and spread for Plum (a children’s publishing agency), a brief for The Atlantic magazine cover, and a poster design for Oat Agency.
One fun story from the Aquila magazine brief: I was sketching on the bus when a girl randomly asked me if I was the illustrator for Aquila. She didn’t know what I was working on, but she said my drawing style was perfect for the magazine, and she was convinced I must be working for it. I explained I wasn’t officially the illustrator, but I was doing a brief for it and could potentially be published. She was thrilled—she reads the magazine regularly, and she even has her own business. She ended up commissioning an illustration from me! She called it “serendipity.”
Throughout the course, we had loads of panel talks, lessons, and creative challenges. It really gave a jolt to my long-dormant illustration skills. I loved every minute—even when I was tired. Being part of this Bootcamp was exactly what I needed to reignite the illustration side of my creative work, which I had neglected for too long. I fully immersed myself in the briefs, dove into researching styles and visuals again, and started dedicating more time to finding my personal artistic voice.
One of my favourite projects was the children’s book brief we did with Plum Agency. It brought me right back to my illustration roots—especially after hearing Con McHugh’s inspiring talk. Working on that brief reminded me of the days when I published my pop-up book. It was a true Proustian madeleine moment. This course brought back so many memories of my time at the Scuola Internazionale di Comics—those sleepless nights, rushing to finish school projects and that first book I published (Great Cities). After that, I veered off into graphic design and put tattoos and illustration away in a “secret drawer.”
But I’ve realised how much I missed it. I needed something to bring me back—and this Bootcamp absolutely did. I’ve been experimenting more with static illustration on the iPad, and even started creating simple animations in Procreate, which I’m excited to explore further.
While I was travelling in Thailand in early June, we had a 1:1 session with Con McHugh. I stayed up late to show him the little animations I’d done for my passion projects, and despite being exhausted, I got such valuable feedback from him. I’m now working on applying his insights to a revamped website I’m building for a friend’s B&B in Italy.
Right now, I’m catching up on everything I missed this month since the course resumed. Hopefully, I’ll get through all the content before we wrap up. I’ve been so busy with work that I couldn’t attend many live sessions, but thankfully I’ve been able to watch the replays. Honestly, all the interviews, masterclasses, and briefs have far exceeded my expectations—I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.
Also, the community has been incredible. Living in London, I hope to be able to attend some in-person events with other course members. It’s a real comfort to know I can reach out on the platform for advice on everything from contracts to technical tips. Thank you to everyone for being so supportive—even from behind a screen.
Looking back, I definitely tried to do too much at once. I think on a more manageable work schedule (maybe part-time), it would have been easier to keep up. (Maybe the break was good in term of a relief but also in the meantime work schedule changed a lot and I am not able to attend Wednesday and Thursdays live anymore so that is a downside of having a break. )But I’m also pushing different sides of my business, especially the tattoo side, to keep the momentum going. On top of that, family matters back home added to the juggling act. But yes I really recommend it if you don’t work or have a chilled part time job. That’s the only thing that should have been mentioned as it takes more time than it was advertised.
But other than that yes—THANK YOU, INKY GOODNESS. You’ve been so good to me!
