Pencil Kings | Inspiring Artist Interviews With Today's Best Artists

Meet Peggy Durant - Community Superstar and student at Evolve Artist: http://evolveartist.com Peggy is on a great path and people are starting to take notice of her amazing artistic progress, but it wasn't always like this. About a year ago she had fallen off with her art practice and went for 8 months with doing very little. As good as her original intentions were; life can just seem to get in the way. And her 4 hour daily commute to work doesn't help... at 5 days a week that's 20 hours spent just on commuting. It's the equivalent of having a second job just so she could get to her full time job. Time was tight and it was looking like Evolve was going to be just another art program that sounded good, but ended up just sitting in the corner collecting dust. Up until this point Peggy's story was just like so many other aspiring artists. Something happens and they put the pencil down for a day... which turns into a week... which turns into a month and before they know it - an entire year has gone by and they ar

As the head instructor at Evolve Artist, Piper Talladay oversees all student homework submissions. She makes sure everyone is kept to the highest standards of the program while still moving ahead at a good pace and encouraged at each step of the way. She also has another career building her Equine Art business where she paints the portraits of horses. She uses her love of animals and especially horses to capture the special bond that humans and horses share. This first episode of the Evolve Artist interview series will take you behind the scenes to meet some of the faces of the program and meet your fellow students. Piper's Website: https://www.pipertalladay.com/ For more information on Evolve Artist please visit: http://EvolveArtist.com  

A little over two years ago the original idea for the Evolve Artist program was first discussed. It took a long time to go from the initial idea of taking the proven art curriculum Kevin was using in his school to getting the knowledge online and everything ready so it could be delivered into the hands of students anywhere in the world.   It's now been a little bit over a year since the very first students have started and they are now moving into learning the same techniques that Kevin possessed at the height of his illustration career.   There were a lot of challenges to get over, especially in the beginning and the good news is the results of the home students are getting are every bit as good as the students inside Kevin's brick-and-mortar school.   The Evolve Artist program is special is because it's blending experience (the amount of time students take to complete their assignments) together with knowledge, (the actual videos that students watch). It's only when these two components come together in the

Learn how Kevin Murphy has been helping complete beginner artists consistently win awards and scholarships. If you've always wanted to learn, or have been trying to learn for years with limited success his program could be the answer you have been looking for.

After a much needed break, we're back and here's what's been happening the past few months while we've been focusing on developing the new generation of art education with the Evolve program.    

It's one thing to create a beautiful work of art that's rendered to perfection, but it's an entirely different challenge to express complex ideas with your art. Today we talk with Dorian Vallejo and explore how he approaches his paintings and the thought process that goes into applying deeper meaning to your art. We'll also touch on why being comfortable in a career can hold you back, and what it really means to live a fully-engaged life as an artist.

Show Notes at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast-home/ “You have to be true to yourself, you have to have 100% commitment. If you’re gonna do it, you’ve just gotta do it. You can’t half hit the mark.” ~ Matt B Lewis. Becoming a children’s book illustrator is a dream for many artists, but how can you turn this dream into reality and actually make a decent living from it? In this week’s podcast, Australian children’s book illustrator, Matt B Lewis, reveals how he eventually decided to take the plunge and go freelance after 18 years as a civil servant - a totally unrelated career. Although he never went to art school, Matt has always drawn every single day. And, one day in 2017, he decided to see if he really could turn his hobby into a viable career. Having enrolled in the Illustration Lighthouse program in September 2016, he’d already realized how important it is to find the one thing you love doing most and concentrate on that. So that’s exactly what he did. And, by October, he’d already written, illustrate

Show notes at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast-home/ “In Canada, as soon as you write down and you create the comic strip and you put pen to paper, you have author rights - right from that point of the creation.” ~ Paul Lomic. Ever wondered how to copyright artwork? If you’re an artist, illustrator or any other kind of creative, there will most likely come a point in your career when you feel the need to protect your work and prevent others using it without your permission. After all, in recent years, there have been several high profile cases of large companies such as clothing giant H&M using another artist’s work without giving them due credit, and it can be intimidating (and potentially very expensive) for an individual creator to take on the big boys. So what can you do to protect your Intellectual Property (IP) and make sure your ideas are safe from larger predators? Step forward IP and social media lawyer, Paul Lombic - an expert in helping individuals and small businesses protect themselves fr

Show Notes at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast-home/ “If you want your life to change and evolve a bit, sometimes you have to take a step into the unknown and see what happens. Because, if you don’t do anything, for sure you won’t have anything.” ~ Ladislas Chachignot. Travel and living creatively often go hand in hand, with many artists all over the world moving to different countries to get inspiration and further their careers. But what if you’re too scared to make that first step? And what actually happens when you take the plunge, move to a city in a different country and start trying to carve out a creative career for yourself? In this week’s podcast, we speak to someone who’s done exactly that - freelance artist and Pencil Kings Community member, Ladislas Chachignot. After a long career as a graphic designer in his native France, he decided to up sticks and move to Barcelona recently in a bid to meet more creative people, expand his horizons, and develop his career as an illustrator. But how did he

Show Notes at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast-home/ “Take the time and get at least one book done for yourself, because I just think it’s more impactful. When you go to these cons and you want to talk to people, if you hand them a finished book rather than a script or inked pages, that finished product is definitely something that’ll be an ace in your pocket.” ~ Ryan Onorato. If you want to know how to start a comic book (but seriously don’t know where to begin), this week’s interview with illustrator, Ryan Onorato, should give you all the steps you need to get going. Having recently completed his first comic series, the wonderfully bizarre Pizza Tree, he’s got plenty of great advice to share about promoting yourself at comic conventions, networking with people who can help, and that pesky dilemma of juggling a full-time job with making art. So, if you’ve spent the past year talking about making a comic book (but never actually got round to actually, y’know, doing it), then this interview just might be t

Show Notes at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast-home/ “If you’re painting the things that you are interested in, you’re probably going to have a better result than if you’re trying to satisfy what you think somebody else is expecting to see.” ~ David Palumbo. Are you itching to learn how to make the art you want to make? If you’re pursuing a creative career, putting together a portfolio which best represents your work can sometimes be tricky. Should you add the personal projects where you felt like you were truly expressing yourself as an artist...or should you include the pieces you think potential clients want to see? It’s a lesson that professional artist and illustrator, David Palumbo, learned early on in his career. At the time, the trend in fantasy illustration was for highly-rendered detailed pieces, but there was just one problem…because that’s not the style David felt most comfortable working in. And, after a prospective client gave David’s painting of a dragon some negative feedback, he had an im

Show Notes at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast-home/ “You don’t need a publisher now to be successful. You don’t need the ‘gatekeepers’ any more. You don’t need to worry about the ‘gatekeepers’ any more. ” ~ Michael Dolce Want to know how to break into comics? Whether you’ve always wanted to write a graphic novel or illustrate pages for Marvel, DC or any other publishing house, this week’s podcast with Michael Dolce, creator of The Sire, has got the blueprint you need to get your project off the ground. Having successfully launched numerous titles on Kickstarter and worked with a team of fellow artists over the years, he’s got plenty of experience in the industry and advice to share. He’s been through all the highs and lows of breaking into the comics industry, from reaching out to publishers and handling rejection through to fine-tuning your passion project and seeing it sell in droves. And now, in this revealing and insightful interview, he’s sharing his own action plan for success with you. You’ll lear

Show Notes at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast-home/ “There is something in every one of us that is waiting for this motivation to arrive, that is waiting to be moved. Start scribbling if you don’t know what to do and allow this scribbling to continue. Because when new memories arise, novel ideas will also form. ” ~ Dr Srini Pillay. Want to know how to unlock your creativity? If you’ve ever made any art, you’ll be familiar with the feeling of getting into the ‘flow’ - that creative state of mind where time just seems to melt away and you reach an almost meditative state while drawing or painting. But have you ever wondered what’s actually going on in your brain while you’re making art? And, is it possible to unlock your creativity and find inspiration more easily just by making a few simple changes to your lifestyle?    In this week’s interview, best-selling author and renowned psychiatrist, Dr Srini Pillay, talks about the research and experiences behind his new book, Tinker, Dabble, Doodle, Try. You’ll

Show Notes at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast-home/ “This whole idea that we should be as good as whoever it is next to us is just crazy. If you really want to do something badly enough and you step into it, then you will be taken care of.” ~ Tracy Verdugo Want to know more about how to live creatively? Sometimes, finding the one thing you’re truly passionate about as an artist can be tricky...and having some guidance along the way can really help. But where should you look to for guidance...and how can you get to that stage in your life when you’re completely satisfied with where you’re at as an artist? In this week’s interview, mixed media artist, Tracy Verdugo, reveals how she found the courage and the inspiration to develop her career and learn how to live creatively...even though she didn’t decide to follow this path until she was 33. This journey hasn’t always been easy, and Tracy’s had to overcome many hurdles to get to where she is today...but she’s learned something from each and every experienc

Show Notes at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast-home/ “Make sure it’s something you really, really have a passion for...not just a thing that you think is gonna make money.” ~ Jim Pavelec Witches, demons, and art have always been strongly linked. If you look back through art history, you’ll find countless artists such as William Blake who have been inspired by the writings of Aleister Crowley and themes such as Ars Goetia… And now, in the 21st Century, occult and fantasy artist, Jim Pavelec, is bringing these darkly wonderful themes to new audiences with his powerful paintings and prints. But what does it take to make an impact in the art world today? Should you be making the art you truly want to make...or making the art you think might sell? And, how can you as an artist learn to treat your creativity as a business without feeling too much like a salesperson? In this week’s podcast interview, Jim Pavelec talks about making the break from a busy (but financially unstable) freelance fantasy artist career t

Show Notes at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast-home/ “That’s a key thing - to be willing to make art that you don’t like and be almost neutral about it, be objective about it, rather than making it mean anything.” ~ Tamara Laporte. Can making art change your life? Today’s guest, mixed media artist, Tamara Laporte, certainly thinks so. Like so many creative types, she struggled for years with self-doubt and hating every painting she produced. But then, one day, she made a pact with herself to give up making art if it continued to make her feel this way… And that’s when something happened which inspired her to carry on and use what she’d learned to help others. That’s when she learned to let go of the preciousness and quest for perfection that stops so many artists in their tracks. And, in today’s interview, she relives this defining moment in her own life and shares lots of great advice to help you overcome any hurdles you might be facing. So, if you’ve ever wondered if making art can change your life, you

Show notes at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast-home/ “Somebody always knows somebody in this creative industry. And, because of the internet, we have a global reach now.” ~ Jenni Onn. Travel and creativity are closely linked, with scientific research now suggesting that people who travel tend to become more creative as a result. But, have you ever wanted to just pack your bags and passport and jump on a plane to be inspired by the new sights and sounds of a different country? In this week’s podcast, artist Jenni Onn explains why she founded her new magazine, Creative Traveller, and how this has enabled her to make contact with travelling artists from all over the world and get involved with all kinds of exciting creative projects. So, if you’ve been getting itchy feet lately and wondering whether travelling is the right way to kickstart your creativity, then you might like to hear her story… Because you’ll soon discover there’s a worldwide network of like-minded artists just waiting to meet you. And, if

Show Notes at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast-home/ “Even if you don’t know what you want to do, just keep doing, keep trying, keep learning. Listen to yourself, listen to your heart, listen to what you love...and eventually the pieces will come together.” ~ Donna Adi. Want to know how to promote your art on Instagram to gain followers and attract the attention of the kind of clients you want to work with? In this week’s interview, we talk to Donna Adi, a mixed media illustrator from Los Angeles. After working in the fashion industry for several years, she felt the urge to combine her love of fashion photography with illustration and animation and develop her own style of art. And, since posting her work online since January 2017, she’s seen her audience on Instagram grow to a huge 75.8K followers, with clothing designers and many more clients approaching her for her fun images, which bring an animated twist to photos of people in various situations. So, what motivates her to make art? And how did she ov

Show Notes at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast-home/ “I make art. It makes me happy. There’s a certain number of people that it also makes happy. And that’s better for me than scrolling through social media feeds and looking at all the terrible things that are happening.” ~ Marc Scheff. Want to learn how to live like an artist and build a successful creative career...but feel like you’re getting nowhere even though you’ve been working really hard? With social media, Kickstarter campaigns, and networking (not to mention all the other things freelance artists have to do to get their work out there), you can start to feel pretty burned out if you’re not careful. So that’s why you might find this week’s interview with artist, Marc Scheff, really helpful. Because, with a young family to support and his own art career to look after, he’s had first-hand experience of just about all the issues an artist can face. And now, with www.makeyourartwork.com, a site dedicated to helping artists move forwards in their car

Show Notes at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast-home/ “Illustration was something I knew I always wanted to do - it was just finding a way to do it full-time. And, as soon as I started drawing what I wanted to draw and what I was interested in, that’s when it started to change.” ~ Collette J Ellis. Dragons, myths and illustration are just some of the things that inspire today’s guest, Collette J Ellis. And, in this inspiring interview, you’ll hear how she turned her passion for making art inspired by legends from her native Wales into a full-time career as a freelance illustrator. You’ll hear how art gradually became a bigger and bigger part of her life, how she developed her own unique style, and how a series of successful Kickstarter campaigns inspired her to leave her part-time job and carve out a new creative career. So, if you’ve got a passion for drawing something (but you’re wondering how to take the next steps as an artist), you’ll find plenty of great advice in this interview to help you move forw