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

Ever wondered what you need to do to attend and exhibit at your first convention? Exhibit as in setting up your own table or booth and interacting with fans and selling your work? Today we explore what it's like to go to an art convetion and what you need to do to prepare for your first one. We'll also look into the mindset issues that hold you back from actually making the leap to do your first exhibit.

There's something magical about actually going to a live event that you just can't quite capture through a screen. Of course there's the amazing heros that you'll get to meet there, but there's so much more that makes attending live events spectacular. In this episode we talk with Chris and Enrico of Artistacon - a brand new conference for creatives that focuses on learning the craft from experienced masters. You'll learn why going to a con is so important and can put your career on the fast track, as well as helpful ideas for how you can prepare yourself to make the most of attending any live event, as well as what you should do after the event to make yourself stand out.

It's pretty painful when you hop back into the seat of a full time artist after an extended time off. The good news however, is that the old skills come back pretty quick - it just takes some time. Today we look into the mindset issues that any artist will face when you decide to get serious about your art and what you're able to put down on the page doesn't quite match up with the ideas in your mind.

To celebrate reaching our 100th episode, we've taken the best bits from our most popular interviews and compiled them into one handy podcast. Hear invaluable advice from artists working in all areas of the creative industry and get the answers to all your questions, such as: How to develop your own style How to land your dream creative job How to promote your art effectively and land more clients How to stay motivated and make real progress in your art career How to make the kind of art that really inspires and excites you   Featuring interviews with: Sycra Yasin, Will Terrell, David Luong, Ahmed Aldoori, and many more.

Do you have an idea for a huge project that you'd like to bring to life? Today we talk with Oscar winner and creator and director of Pixar's Brave, Brenda Chapman, to understand what it looks like to create something on the scale of a major animated film. Brenda has worked on several films and generously shares her wealth of knowledge on what it really takes when you have a huge idea in your mind. During the interview we'll talk about what life is like working inside Disney, how to get funding for your big idea, and why you may not want to share your big idea if you're already working inside a studio.

In this episode we talk with Fine Artist and Animator Renee Chio about what her path has been like. She grew up in Mexico and when she found animation she fell in love. There was a problem though... at the time there weren't any schools in Mexico she could attend, so she made the decision to study in Vancouver, Canada for 2 years before returning home to work as a animator. During her time as an animator she started to experiment with digital painting, and while she started with fan art - eventually she found her own unique style and voice, and this is what is now making her famous.

It's funny how one single event can change your life. In this episode, you'll hear how one fateful tweet took Phil Galloway on a wild ride that has established him as a sought after digital fine artist. 

Ever wondered how to become a fantasy concept artist? A lot of artists have big dreams for that special project that's been kicking around inside their heads for years... The problem is how do you bring your creative vision to life? Sometimes the project is so big that you don't even know where to start. Sean Murray has been building worlds for a long time and he's recently released his first fantasy role-play project "The Great City of Gateway" which promises to be a huge world filled with amazing stories, characters and magic. But it didn't happen in a day, and on this call we'll dive into how Sean was able to bring his ideas to life and combine ideas from many different sources to come up with something completely creative and new. You'll also discover how his journey as an artist has led to him working with famous director Guillermo del Toro and Pacific Rim writer Travis Beacham.

Corey Pelton is a senior cinematic animator at Blizzard Entertainment, creators of the hugely popular Overwatch game. In this podcast, he talks about the importance of collaborating with other artists, and explains exactly what animation studios are looking for when they hire new people.  

Derek Rodenbeck is back with the latest update on his journey and things are certainly looking up! The last time we talked with him he was just starting to get some traction with his career. While we're exploring his story we also take time to look at the key changes he made along the way with how he was thinking that led to the success he is enjoying now. At the end of the episode there are clear instructions you can use to find out if you are holding yourself back like Derek was for so long, and what you can start doing right now to completely change your reality and start accelerating your own art career.

There are a lot of misconceptions around the topic of making money with your art. Today we talk with Shane Madden and start to explore some of the common ideas about getting paid to create art that aren't true and hold you back. We explore the difference between the life of a studio artist and a freelance artist and how a freelancer career gives you the opportunity to really be in control of your life and schedule. You will explore the idea if you are ready to start making money with your art now, or if you really do need to go back to school.

Youngman Brown is fast on his way to having interviewed more than 100 creatives from all walks of life, and it was great to have a chance to get him to pass on some of the wisdom he's gained from all those interviews. You will learn how to get past creative block, how to balance your day job with following your creative passion, and the single most important decision that you absolutely must make when you decide to 'go for it.'  

What's the best way to start when you're just at the beginning? Talking to hundreds of artists seems like a good place, and that's exactly what Carl Olson has been doing for the past six years with the Digital Convergence podcast. Here's the interesting thing however... while he set out to learn more about skills, what he actually found along the way were some amazing business opportunities to use the skills he was learning in unique markets.

Today we break down the path that artist and illustrator Cale took to get his freelance career off the ground. One of the things you'll learn is just how far Cale is willing to go to make sure that his work is always getting into the hands of the right people. He even tells the stories of how many times he's been rejected and why he sees those as a badge of honor instead of being disappointed.

Learn how using lesser known software can help you to stand out and create unique opportunities for yourself that will help you skyrocket your career. Conrad Allan's career hasn't been 'normal' he's spoken from the stage, and even changed countries. Learn how this digital artist is approaching his career with hustle and an entrepreneur's mindset that allows him not only to grow faster than most artists, but also create unique opportunities while he's at it.

PK 088: Should you start a YouTube channel as a visual artist? Freelance concept artist Nikolas Hagialas talks about his plans for doing this with fellow artist Derek Rodenbeck and outlines the important questions he asked himself first, such as: What kind of content should you be posting? Can you afford to spend time making YouTube videos? Is this really going to help raise your profile as an artist?  

How do you become a cinematic VFX artist at Blizzard, one of the world's top game studios? Hear how David Luong found his dream career, and why he's committed to helping emerging artists by showing their work in his personal art gallery.

Creativity and depression often go together for many artists, but overcoming them isn't always as difficult as you might think. In this interview, concept artist Jonah Lobe talks openly about how he learned to control his anxiety attacks, and how artists can learn to beat their fear of failure and follow their true creative dreams.

Ever wanted to make Manga Art and video games? In this podcast, artist Eliot Min talks abot what inspired him to create his first indie video game, Cerebrawl, and why it's still so important for artists to hustle for every opportunity that comes their way.

The Mila Film is more than an incredibly moving animation about a young girl in WWII. It's also the result of a worldwide collaboration between 250 artists from 25 countries who volunteered their time and expertise to make it. In this exclusive podcast interview, director Cinzia Angelini tells us how this incredible project took shape, and why her mother's real-life experiences of the horrors of war are as relevant and poignant today as they've ever been.