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 are in exactly the same position they were 12 months ago - being no more closer to fulfilling their dreams of being an artist. But thankfully Peggy's story doesn't stop here... After 8 months of inaction there was a spark... a simple question in the form of a challenge. Could she finish her homework assignments faster than another student? That's it - just a friendly race to the finish line. But the real change had to come from within. The change happened when, "I'd like to learn to be an artist," was replaced with "I'm going to be an artist." That's all it took to ignite the spark. However even though Peggy had made the decision to commit to her art, the world didn't take notice. The people around here still weren’t convinced that she would make any progress, and her co-workers didn't notice anything different. So she got to work and after getting a little momentum she found her art was filling a void formerly crowded with activities that used to eat up all her time like shopping and going for social activities. All of a sudden she had more time for art than those other activities, and the even bigger shift was that she was getting so much energy from doing her art she didn't want to stop. She just kept going making as much progress as she could while still taking the 4 hours each day to get to and from her full time job. It didn't take long for her internal fire to start burning bright as her dedication began to pay off. She could see her results and was enjoying her art at a deeper level with each assignment completed. And then the people around her started to notice as well. Her daughter came around and said "Mom, now I believe it - you are an artist" and her co-workers are in disbelief at her new skills which seemed to just magically come from nowhere… one of them even wants to commission her to do a work. But these skills didn’t just magically appear one day... it's simply what Peggy loves to do and all it took was a little bit of an initial push to rediscover how much she really loves art so that she could get to the point to make the commitment to herself - to finally do this and turn a lifelong love and dream into a new reality for herself. This is just the beginning of Peggy's story... she had never picked up a paint brush (not even to paint a wall!) just 2 months before, and now she is currently working on painting her first portrait. It's true - Peggy is a star inside the community and her personality and enthusiasm make her unique... but when it comes to her art she is seeing the same results as the other students in the Evolve Artist program were anyone can follow the same step by step process to see the same transformation as Peggy. And it all started with a little bit of action. Full Video Interview Here: https://youtu.be/sXgNISJYdDQ If you know someone who has always dreamed of being an artist like Peggy, we invite them to visit http://www.evolveartist.com where we help regular people develop the skills and experience to create anything they want without limitation.

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 right amounts that students are able to move quickly, but at the same time build the confidence to fully own their journey as they develop as artists.   In a nutshell this means that as the students progress through the program they will become stronger until they will be able to take what they know and create anything they want, without any limitations.   In this interview Kevin and Mitch sit down and talk about everything they've learned in the past year as well as the results the current students are seeing. They also talk about the special materials from Old Holland that are used in the program and why these are so important for the development of the students.   As you'll see in the video, both of the program creators are extremely excited about the consistent results the Evolve Artist students are receiving and what this means for art education in general. Really, this is just the beginning of a much broader movement to bring technical mastery to anyone in the world that wants to learn it both quickly and affordably – even if they are starting right from the beginning.   It is going to be extremely exciting watching the further development of this program and seeing the amazing results of the students are able to achieve as they continue through the program.

Kevin Murphy, an accomplished commercial illustrator with 250 published works, shares his insights on nurturing beginner artists to achieve success. He discusses empowering students through self-critique and personalized education. The conversation reveals transformative stories of students winning awards despite starting with no prior experience. Kevin highlights the Evolve program, emphasizing mastery of realism as a pathway to opportunities. His journey from the Bronx to building an art academy showcases the blend of perseverance, mentorship, and accessible art education.

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, illustrated and published his first book, Monsters in the Garden - a gift to his young daughter. Another picture book for his son followed in February 2017, by which time Matt felt ready to start taking his new creative career to the next stage. But how exactly did he go about doing this? You’ll find out in this week’s inspiring podcast interview. Highlights From This Podcast: Why being self-taught needn’t be a barrier to your art career Why concentrating on the one thing you love doing most is so important How to find out about networking events in your local area Why determination and putting yourself out there are key factors in your success Why having a portfolio to show to prospective clients is crucial How to study and develop your skills as an artist How to quit the day job and finally start doing what you’ve always wanted to do.

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 from unauthorized use of their creations. In this week’s podcast interview, he explains how copyright law varies from country to country, and how all creatives can get essential advice on how to copyright artwork for much less than you might think. Highlights From This Podcast: Why, in Canada, your author rights begin as soon as you put your idea down on paper A quick, easy and completely free way to prove you created something first The complex area of trademarks and how to avoid copyright infringement Why a free consultation with an IP lawyer can help point you in the right direction Why protecting your IP and learning how to copyright artwork from an early stage is so important

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 summon up the courage to take this huge first step… And how is he managing to support himself and find new clients in this new environment? You’ll find out in this honest, revealing and helpful interview about travel and living creatively... Highlights From This Podcast: Why Ladislas spent time developing his skills as an artist before becoming a freelance illustrator How to use portfolio and social networking sites to attract more clients Why personal projects can be a great way to showcase your style How to get over the fear of making a big change in your life How to reach out to clients and keep going...even when you get rejected Why taking a risk can sometimes be the right thing to do Why travel and living creatively go hand in hand for many artists

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 the motivation you’ve been looking for. And, if learning how to start a comic book has always been high on your list of artistic achievements, then there’s never been a better time to start putting those words into action. Because, even if you only have two hours to spare each night, you’ll be amazed at what you can actually get done - just ask Ryan. Highlights From This Interview: How to develop your own creative style while still being influenced by other artists How to take inspiration for your comic book from the things which interest you most Why networking and making contacts with other creatives can help make your project happen How Ryan’s first job at a screenprinting studio influenced his current work How to set yourself soft deadlines to get your project off the ground Why overcoming your shyness could be crucial to your success as an artist How to handle rejection and never, ever let it stop you in your tracks