Host Mike Rosado welcomes designer/illustrator/author Jon Contino to the Pencil Pushers podcast to discuss Contino's upbringing on Long Island, his parents' craft-driven influence, and his early path from band flyers, cassette art, and self-taught HTML to charging for creative work at 14. Contino explains how his lifelong obsession with lettering, failed graffiti attempts, Photoshop experimentation, hardcore/grunge culture, and New York's grime shaped his "organized chaos" style, later balanced by a problem-solving approach to branding inspired by figures like Paula Scher. He describes career growth from a 2005 studio and a handmade clothing brand to building Contino Studio, shifting from illustration trends into larger storytelling and branding work, including Toyota, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and sports. They debate commercialization of "handcrafted," carbon-copy styles, and AI's threat, emphasizing human mistakes and youth rejecting "AI slop." Contino shares his remote studio model, intense family-driven schedule, rare client friction, flexible discovery through live conversation, a move from paper to iPad/Procreate for speed, heavy use of Figma/Framer, and excitement about revitalizing Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's brand.

Host: Mike Rosado (mrcraleigh.com) (instagram.com/ekimodasor)

Post Production: Max Trujillo (instagram.com/trujillomedia)
Sponsors: MRC (mrcraleigh.com) and Burny Wild's (burnywilds.com)

Mike Rosado interviews Raleigh-based illustrator and designer Ian Wenstrand about his highly detailed, vibrant illustrations blending cityscapes, technology, and imaginative world-building. Wenstrand describes drawing constantly as a kid, studying studio art at University of the Cumberlands (recruited to swim), and moving from production artist retouching roles into graphic design before illustration work organically became steady freelance. He self-published a children's book inspired by artists like Graeme Base and cross-section illustrators, then gained momentum through public art opportunities including a 2018–2019 Citrix window mural and later a major Film NC tourism brochure project featuring five regional illustrations packed with 50+ movie Easter eggs. He outlines his process (two sketch phases in Procreate, then Photoshop for color), time demands, work-life balance with two kids, and the importance of tight contracts to prevent scope creep. Wenstrand shares influences (IC4 Design, Moebius, sci-fi film aesthetics), discusses collaborative "Easter egg" client input, and explains why he avoids using AI, adding an AI clause to contracts and valuing the human creative process.

Host: Mike Rosado (mrcraleigh.com) (instagram.com/ekimodasor)

Post Production: Max Trujillo (instagram.com/trujillomedia)
Sponsors: MRC (mrcraleigh.com) and Burny Wild's (burnywilds.com)

Host Mike Rosado welcomes master penman Jake Weidmann to the Pencil Pushers Podcast to discuss his path from lifelong, largely self-taught drawing and sculpture to becoming the youngest certified Master Penman (at 26, in 2011). Weidman recounts being rejected from Biola University's art program, then regaining momentum through major commissions (including carving a family crest into moose antler) and learning how market feedback and viewer response complete the creative process. He explains discovering copperplate calligraphy after a classmate requested wedding invitations, attending penman conferences, and earning certification by executing his own ornate certificate. Weidmann details his process and materials (including gouache-based ink), handling mistakes (and a major vellum restoration), balancing intense work with raising four kids, collaborating with Apple for the first iPad Pro, and arguing that human craft and meaning remain vital amid digitization and Ai.

Host: Mike Rosado (mrcraleigh.com) (instagram.com/ekimodasor)

Post Production: Max Trujillo (instagram.com/trujillomedia)
Sponsors: MRC (mrcraleigh.com) and Burny Wild's (burnywilds.com)