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

Zhiwan Cheung is a Fulbright Fellow, artist, video storyteller, and freelance web developer. His passion for art and desire to create has led him to connect with artists all over the world to tell their stories and relate art to culture. His art wishes to explore perspective, signs, and the space in which we aim to coexist with each other and nature. Zhiwan is also the host of the Seeing Color Podcast, where he invites other artists to talk about how they express their vision of the world through art as a medium. Zhiwan earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Cornell University and his Master of Fine Arts degree from Carnegie Mellon University. In this episode… What does art mean to you? How do you relate to others through conversations around their craft and how culture affects the way we view each other? Zhiwan Cheung, a Fulbright Fellow, podcaster, and artist, dives into what it means to be an artist and what others sacrifice to follow their passion.  Zhiwan also says that apart from the challenges po

Liron Yanconsky is an artist, author, creator, and a watercolor painter. Liron is from Israel and he has started multiple businesses focused on art and health, and it’s his personal mission to inspire several artists to spread and improve their craft without foregoing the quality of their dedication to art. Liron is the owner and founder of Liron Art LLC and Liron Yanconsky Books, both of which are dedicated to spreading and educating people who wish to follow their passion in art. In this episode… What inspires us to follow our passion? And how can our passion change the lives of those around us? Art is one of the most diverse fields of study and exploration, and with so many resources at the tip of your fingers, it becomes easier to dive into your creative pursuits. Liron Yanconsky is an artist and an author, but above all, he is an educator who wishes to encourage others to pursue their passion and grow their craft.  In this week's episode of Pencil Kings, Mitch Bowler talks to Liron Yanconsky, founder of

Sandra Coan is an award-winning photographer, industry educator, and the best selling author of Crafting Your Ideal Light. She specializes in studio portraiture, artificial lighting, and fine art film photography. In addition to running her busy Seattle, Washington studio, Sandra Coan Photography,  she also teaches photographers around the world how  to create a natural-looking light with strobes and flashes. She continues to inspire old and new photographers with her attention to detail and love for natural light photography. In this episode… How does a teacher with thousands of dollars in student loans become an award-winning photographer and public speaker by pursuing her hobby as a side hustle? How does a small studio establish their brand without compromising their brand name or their quality? Sandra Coan, best selling author and passionate photographer, has established herself as an undeniable resource for those who are looking to hone their photography skills particularly for those who want to use natu

Youngman Brown is the creator of Your Creative Push Podcast, where he interviews artists from all walks of life to tell their story and how they pursue the art they love. He has aired 350 episodes since the culmination of his project and has motivated hundreds of individuals to be creative in their own way. Youngman hopes to create an environment where artists can grow and connect with their fellow creatives. In this episode… The art we choose to pursue has a way of breaking down walls and creating opportunities to connect with others. Art connects our community, and in the midst of a pandemic, we realize that taking the time to learn new things and building a community is an important part of being human existence. And Youngman Brown has made it his duty to help artists connect with each other, to build a community, and he wants to share inspiring stories of the many different artists who make up the vibrant world of art. Join Mitch Bowler in this episode of the Pencil King Show as he talks with Youngman Bro

Mitch Bowler is an artist and he is the founder of Pencil Kings, a company that helps artists hone their skills and develop their craft. He is also the co-founder of Evolve Artist Training, a program meant to help creatives develop their professional art skills. Mitch has worked for more than two decades with various artists and has worked behind the scenes for companies such as Pixar, Activision, Marvel, and Dungeons and Dragons. In this episode… Taking the time to hone your art skill without the right resources can be extremely difficult. While there are plenty of guides and manuals on how to draw, finding the proper structure that compliments your learning style and furthers your skill is what Mitch Bowler aims to do. And this is exactly why he founded Pencil Kings, to help young artists embrace and enhance their artistic ability and open up doors for them in the colorful world of the arts. Join Mitch Bowler, host of the Pencil Kings podcast, as he talks about his journey and his passion for the arts with

Mitch Bowler is an artist and he is the founder of Pencil Kings, a company that helps artists hone their skills and develop their craft. He is also the co-founder of Evolve Artist Training, a program meant to help creatives develop their professional art skills. Mitch has worked for more than two decades with various artists and has worked behind the scenes for companies such as Pixar, Activision, Marvel, and Dungeons and Dragons. In this episode... What was the first thing you remember drawing? Was it a toy truck, your parents, or scribbles left up to interpretation? Perhaps you continued to draw to gain experience in one of the most diverse industries? Or maybe you didn't like your art and decided to focus on other things until you found yourself wanting to explore your creative prowess? Regardless of the reason, you have decided to pursue art in its many mediums, and choosing which one to go for may be a bit confusing. Mitch Bowler hopes to help solve these questions of what to do next and how you should l

Lauren Panepinto is the Vice President & Creative Director at Orbit Books at Hachette Book Group, and in this episode, we'll deep dive into what it takes to break into the world of book illustration, and as you'll learn it's not always about being 'the best artist' in the room. There's so much info jam-packed into this that if you're looking to get into book covers I suggest that you take notes throughout the entire interview because this is your blueprint. 00:38 - What does really 'getting out there' look like for a book cover art director 01:49 - How Lauren approaches portfolio reviews to help artists get clarity on what their next steps could look like 03:44 - Info on the cheat sheet guides that Lauren helped put together to instruct artists on their next steps 05:11 - How did you get into the world of art directing, and what does a book cover art director do? 11:27 - What does an art director look for in a portfolio that artists might not be thinking about? 15:55 - How to start building a portfolio sp

Cindy Hohman from ArtMarketingProject.com helps artists market and sell their work by showing them how to be effective and efficient with marketing and empowering them to take the reins themselves.  In addition to working with artists one on one she also teaches marketing at the university level. She works with a large range of artists from abstract artists to those working in illustration and photography. 3:30 - How does your marketing advice apply to artists in different markets? 6:47 - A lot of skills in life come down to 10% learning and 90% doing, but have you found this also to be true when it comes to marketing? 09:20 - Using strategy, so you're not spinning your wheels and doing things that feel icky 11:10 - How to help artists through the paralyzing fear of having too many options 15:04 - Discussing the size of the artist's audience and how that can affect (or not) the ideas of bringing new projects and products to market 17:05 - How to start building an audience (both with and without social media)

Ever since meeting Derek I've been fascinated by his lifestyle and willingness to explore, discover and continually reinvent himself. As a comic book creator, father, photographer, traveler, bodybuilder... there's just so many different interesting angles and I always love keeping up to hear what Derek has been up to recently. 6:07 - Derek catches us up on what's been going on since the last time we talked when he had just left on a road trip to 'be more one with nature' 14:10 - Travelling through Death Valley and rescuing someone from a burning truck 16:44 - Earning an income while on the road and being 'irresponsible' while having the trip of a lifetime 18:40 - How traveling together can test and grow your relationship 20:18 - Making money with Pokemon Go and how that experience taught him that money isn't everything, and how Derek is making money now on Craigslist 27:02 - What happened after the trip, and how Derek is finding creative fulfillment through Photography after so many years spent working as a c

Arthur Haywood is working to creating art that inspires people to learn and want to read about the stories behind what the viewer sees. He is a classically trained painter and has created an incredible body of work for his book, The Great Library. In this interview, we talk about Arthur's journey and how he learned from several different schools to develop the skillset he now has. 1:30 - How Arthur and Mitch met at Artistacon when Arthur was showing his book of work 2:55 - Arthur describing his book covering scholars from the ancient library of Alexandria and what inspired him to undertake such an ambitious project 7:00 - How video games can allow us to get a glimpse into the past and experience locations like the Great Library of Alexandria 8:52 - Arthur discusses the time it takes to create his paintings which are done in the classical style 11:00 - Discussing the time it takes to create great work and the mental shift that has to happen to fully understand the art-making process 25:00 - The difference betw

Rayna was stuck for 15 years... and then 3 questions changed everything. The questions allowed her to see her life from a completely different view allowing all kinds of amazing opportunities to come her way and now she helps other artists do the same. This fascinating conversation continues on with the creative coaches we've been speaking with to dig even deeper and see just how crucial your mindset is to everything you do. If you’ve felt like you’ve been held back, or that everyone else around you is making easier progress your own mind could be the only thing holding you back.  As you listen to this episode ask yourself where you may have your own mindset blocks that need attention.   Highlights: 1:07: Rayna's Introduction   2:19: How do you explain mindset and how has changing your own mindset led to better results in your life? 4:38: How long did you stay stuck with a mindset that was holding you back? 10:05: When you switched your mindset after 15 years, did the change stick? 12:58: How to get past the

In this episode, Mitch talks about how you feel about the art that you are making and why if you aren't loving it, you could be in for a very rocky road. But even if you don't love it and still want to do it there is hope! The reason why it's important to realize this is that the people who really love what they are doing are actually quite rare, and this love can take you very far in any direction you want. However, where it gets dangerous is when you are the person who doesn't have the love for what you are doing and you are taking advice from someone who does have the love and passion... in this case, no matter what you try to do to follow the advice it's going to be very difficult because you're missing the key ingredient - LOVE! But what if you don't have or can't find the love?! Does this mean you should just give up? Not at all! If this is you, then you can use careful selection to find the program that will give you the end result you want or keep trying different creative projects until you find one

This interview with Catherine Orer from theArtistEntrepreneur.com was like a rapid-fire Question and Answer session all around the topic of how do you take the next steps to build a viable art career. You'll also learn how artists make the process harder than it needs to be so you can get onto the fast track instead of being stuck. If you feel like you aren't making progress OR if you've always wondered what your next step should be - listen up because it's all covered in this interview! Catherine helps artists all over the world develop their entrepreneurial strategy which goes far beyond just selling their art. She works with artists on their long term vision and then helps them to turn that vision into reality. One idea that has come up several times in past interviews is 'going all-in' on your art. While that may be the fastest way, it's certainly not the only way. Going all-in makes sense when you have a clear vision, a proven plan and the support network to make it all happen. However, without those key

Suzanne Redmond has been interviewing artists for the Left Brain Artist Podcast just like we do with the Pencil Kings show and in this episode of the show she comes on to share a lot of the wisdom she has gained. Formerly being an accountant, Suzanne brings an interesting voice to the creative conversations because she has the business background that when combined with artists can see things in a different light. You'll learn from 3 separate stories Suzanne has discovered where artists are using to live more creatively, as well as how she approached the huge project of getting her podcast off the ground and how you can use the same framework for any project you would like to start. Highlights: 0:30 - Why Instagram is so good for artists 1:30 - Where the idea for the Left Brain Artist podcast came from and how Suzanne went from being an accountant to getting heavily involved with artists 5:32 - Suzanne's excellent mini artist-business episodes 9:34 - What are some of the big insights you've had from your inte

This episode was originally recorded in early 2018 and has just been released. In this episode, Mike Mattesi and Mitch explore different ideas for the future of art education, how to focus and how niching-down can lead to becoming world-renowned. Highlights: 2:00 - What's new at DrawingForce.com 4:00 - Thinking forward to using VR in the classroom and teaching his method without being in the same classroom 7:30 - A business idea for the evolution of model photography and reference for artists 10:10 - Where are you seeing students having the most success in the 'new' virtual format of distance learning 18:18 - The challenge of millennials and motivation 25:00 - The fear of going niche vs trying to do everything 27:35 - Using style to really stand out as an artist 32:00 - The idea of being a world-renowned artist and focusing on just one thing 35:20 - How to accomplish the most important things in your life when you have a big list of things to accomplish 38:30 - Laserbeams vs floodlights in drawing, art, and l

Sand is known to the other Evolvers as having a unique ability for keeping the live homework rooms always full of energy and she did not disappoint in this interview! We covered a lot of ground in this episode talking about education, life as a working professional and the passion and drive it takes to make it as a full-time creative. For me, the big insight from Sand was exploring those who choose art as a career vs those who create art for a hobby. I was never able to understand why people who were 'better' than I was at art would choose what seemed to me like a career path that would be unfulfilling, but Sand helped me to really understand why this is, and it completely makes sense. For some of us the goal is creative expression but that is just our goal, and each person has their own goals an motivations... for example if your goal is safety, security and high pay, then choosing a creative career could seem really scary compared to other options. To put it another way... there are a lot of people who enjo

Jan rediscovered her love of art when she found some old paints at a garage sale. The last time she had done any art was when she was 6 years old and took an art class for a month. Those newly acquired paints brought art back into Jan’s life, but even though she was enjoying learning to paint on her own she wanted the mentorship and system to follow to take things to a whole other level to really see how far she could go with her art. That’s when she first heard about the Evolve program, but like many people, she believed that the program was too good to be true. She thought it was silly to think of herself as a more serious artist, and that’s when her husband encouraged her to go for it. Since starting, Jan has been flying through the program and hasn’t looked back. In this interview, you’ll learn: - How she’s able to always find time for her art - Why she was reluctant to show her art to the other students - How painting gives Jan a blissful feeling that keeps her motivated and moving forward Highlights: 1:

Daniel never dreamed that he would create realistic oil paintings. In fact, he has never taken any art classes before participating in the http://www.EvolveArtist.com program. In this interview, you can see how far he has come in just a few months. What's interesting about Daniel's journey is that while he is creative; he is first and foremost a musician and had never considered developing the skills to become a visual artist. He will show you how even though art isn't the main passion he is still managing to find a place for art in his life, and receiving the calm and relaxing benefits that come with making art. He also stresses the importance of having a system to follow that allows for confidence to be built naturally. Highlights: 3:40 - What's your motivation for doing art? 5:22 - How do your skills compare to the other students in the program? 7:20 - What makes Daniel's choice of subject matter special, and examples of his work 10:30 - How are you feeling when you sit down to do a painting? 13:20 - Havin

Have you always wanted to create art that gets noticed, but not sure if you have the talent to make it happen? If so, you'll love Michael's story as he is currently working through Block 4 of the Evolve Artist program (http://www.evolveartist.com) where students have learned the skills necessary to create professional level illustrative paintings. In this interview, he will tell you that talent has nothing to do with it because it's all about putting in the work which makes even the highest levels of art attainable to anyone with the desire to learn. When Michael started with Evolve Artist just over a year ago, he wasn't sure if it would work for him, but he knew that this could be his last real shot at being able to learn the skills that would give him the ability to create the work that he really wanted to make. Throughout his life, he always had a creative calling and had tried a number of different ways to learn and improve but was never quite happy with where he was with his art. He made that fateful dec

Kristen's college professor told her she couldn't draw and after 10 years of believing that lie, she was inspired by the idea of showing her own work at an art convention. The only problem was that she was starting literally from the beginning. To get started with her art, she joined several different online courses and programs but kept running into the same problem... The courses she was trying to learn from were too far ahead of where she needed to be. She lacked the foundation that would allow her to move forward and access the knowledge in the courses. So she kept going backward to uncover the simplest techniques that would allow her to truly start right from the absolute beginning and in doing so realized the real first step she needed was learning how to hold the pencil. About the same time as she had this realization to go back to the very beginning she began hearing about the Evolve program which promised to teach everything an aspiring art student would need - even how to hold the pencil. But commit