The Patient Hustle: Pascal Milelli Shares Career Secrets in a Lunch Hour Talk at IDEA Detention
On April 10, 2025, Pascal Milelli, an instructor at the IDEA School of Design and a graduate of the Alberta College of Art, delivered a compelling and insightful talk at Detention, IDEA’s after-school club. Pascal walked students through his illustration career, sharing highlights and struggles, and answering questions Bachelor of Design students have about working as a commercial illustrator. He showed work he’d created for Ken Koo Design, Groundwood Books, Vancouver Opera, Edwards Coffee, BC Securities Commission, SunRype, and Telus.
“We build our careers brick by brick.”
Early Career & Book Covers
Pascal recalled how creating packaging illustrations for Ken Koo Design was a time-intensive challenge, especially working with his signature medium, oil paint on canvas, which is built up in layers and requires considerable drying time. Of working in advertising, Pascal added, “Advertising pays better, but it’s more exacting, every step of the way.”
A successful early book cover illustration for Deborah Ellis’s “The Breadwinner” was a turning point: “That book was a big success and has had a long shelf life.” Pascal added that he was paid a flat fee for the cover, not royalties—customary with book covers. He began earning royalties when he broke into illustrating children’s picture books, beginning with “Rainbow Bay” and most recently “Seal Song.” Pascal described key differences with long-term projects like picture books: tremendous creative freedom (“Kind of like directing your own little movie”) and the prestige of greater, more enduring visibility through libraries, schools, and childhood memories.
Hits, Hazards & Competitions
Pascal reflected on some hits and hazards over the years. He shared a piece for Western Living magazine, a black-and-white charcoal illustration about the pleasures of keeping a diary. “When that issue was gone from the newsstand, it was soon forgotten, but it’s still one of my favourite pieces.” This was contrasted with a personal project he created during a slow period: his own take on the astrological symbol Pisces, which he submitted to Communication Arts magazine’s international illustration competition. This turned out to be a game-changer: “I submitted in the ‘Unpublished’ category and forgot about it… Then one morning, the editor, Patrick Coyne, called from Palo Alto, and said he wanted to feature it on the cover.” Even a decade later, this image continued to generate new business, including a promotional campaign for a pharmaceutical company. (“Probably my biggest paying job.”) He encouraged students to enter such competitions, which can prove more rewarding than traditional advertising.
“I submitted in the ‘Unpublished’ category and forgot about it. Then one morning, the editor, Patrick Coyne, called from Palo Alto, and said he wanted to feature it on the cover.”
Challenges & Professional Advice
Pascal also shared some challenges along the way, like a project for a line of teas in Holland, which got off to a rocky start. “I missed a few of the art director’s calls because of the nine-hour time difference and could hear doubt starting to creep into his voice. From that moment, I made sure I overdelivered, and turned things around.” His advice from this experience was clear: “We all have bad days. Communication can go off the rails. But your reputation is everything. Be prompt. Be professional.”
Style & Creative Evolution
When discussing one’s personal illustration style, Pascal highlighted the importance of letting it evolve naturally over time. “A lot of students sweat that they don’t have a style, but it will happen. My own evolved over a number of years and projects.” He pointed to a series of miniature pieces produced for a summer art fair in a looser, engraving style. “I produced 200 of these at a price that would be accessible to a bigger audience. It gave me a big inventory—for that show, and beyond. And it forged a new direction.”
“A lot of students sweat that they don’t have a style, but it will happen. My own evolved over a number of years and projects.”
Pascal also showed a promotional piece that he created in a single night for his artists’ rep at the time. It proved one of his most popular. “You can never predict which images will appeal to the public. But that’s part of the fun.”
Looking Ahead
As for the future, Pascal expressed excitement about new directions in his work: “I’ve grown to like merging letterforms with illustration.” Another aspiration? “I’ve always illustrated other people’s stories, but I’d like to illustrate and write one of my own. That would be a bucket-list project.”
Throughout the talk, Pascal’s reflections and stories underscored the importance of balance, thoughtful focus, and the value of patience. “I think ‘hustle’ is overrated... An older illustrator once told me, early in my career, ‘We build our careers brick by brick.’ It took me years to understand that.”
“Hustle is overrated.”
✨ Acknowledgments: Many thanks to Chelsea Bell Eady and Pascal Milelli for their help in reviewing and editing this story, and to Mia Antinori for photographing the event.
