Inspiration and Learning – Paint with Pencil

You would think that a podcast talking about drawing and painting wouldn't work very well. Shouldn't someone interested in learning to paint or draw just watch instructional videos on YouTube? Not necessarily, my experience has been that I can learn just as much from audio podcasts as videos! Podcasts about art can be just as helpful as videos about art. Videos often focus on the techniques of drawing and painting but podcasts focus on the motivations and mindsets needed to keep practicing and doing your art. Below are some of my favorite podcasts that help motivate me while I’m doing art. Sharpened Artist Podcast A great thing about podcasts is they can be incredibly specific. Did you know there is a podcast about colored pencils? John Middick has done just that with the Sharpened Artist Podcast . Incredibly, John has been doing this podcast for over 5 years. Take a listen if you like pencils as much as I do. I would recommend episode 240 “Interview with Carrie Lewis" as your first listen. In it John talks with Carrie who is the founder of the CP Magic Colored Pencil Magazine and is a really inspiring ambassador of colored pencils and art making. The Plein Air Podcast Eric Rhoades is the host of The Plein Air Podcast. It is a podcast about my favorite place to paint - OUTSIDE. Eric Rhoades is one of the biggest champions of the movement to get people to go outside and paint. He has been known to say “Painting is the New Golf”. I agree with him. Painting outside (solo or with friends) is an incredible and rewarding pastime. This podcast will surely give you ideas on how you can do that too. The podcast often focuses on oil painters but as is evident by my “Paint with Pencil” YouTube channel, you can take pencils outside too! I would recommend episode 142: "Sharon Bamber’s 1,000-Mile On-Foot Painting Journey" as your first listen. In it Eric talks with Sharon about a really interesting and inspiring journey of painting a plein air painting with soft pastels every 5 miles on a 1000 mile walk through France and Spain. Learn to Paint Podcast The Learn to Paint Podcast with Kelly Anne Powers is a delightful podcast that focuses on the techniques, processes and materials the artists she interviews use. I've listened to several episodes more than once because they are so packed with learning. Kelly Anne is also an artist so her questions are really great and encourage the artists to dig deep into explaining some of their techniques and tools. I'll recommend episode 123 with Laura Horn as your first listen. In it Kelly Anne talks to Laura Horn about self study, sketchbooks and even using crayons, pencils, and pens. The Artful Painter Podcast Another favorite is The Artful Painter Podcast with Carl Olson - This podcast focuses mainly on oil painters but he has had a few pastelists and watercolorists as guests. What I like most about Carl's podcast is the conversational tone he brings. The tagline to his podcast is “Art lessons for artists, collectors, and people who love art.” Carl has also said that his podcast is more about learning to be an artist than about learning the techniques and tools of painting. (Although they do get into that too) I have thoroughly enjoyed the conversations Carl has had with some fantastic artists and have also listened to many more than once. Consider episode 60 - Western Therapy with Kevin Kehoe as your first listen. In it Carl talks with Kevin about the magic of going outside for inspiration to doing art. They have an interesting conversation of how Kevin mostly takes reference photos for his painting when outside and largely paints inside in the studio from those photos. The Drawing Inspiration Podcast The Drawing Inspiration Podcast with Mike Hendley, is as the name implies, focused on drawing but the play on words really gives me a smile. Mike has a good mix of talking about his own art projects as well as learning from the artists he interviews. Mike's signature sign off says a lot about his style. Be kind to yourself and each other and keep drawing…. I would recommend episode 49 Exploring a Fantasy World with Charcoal and Graphite with Eric Messinger as your first listen. Mike interviews Eric and they talk about how each of Eric’s pencil pieces starts with a very abstract beginning. I thought it was cool to learn that the erasers can a big part of drawing with pencils. Creative Pep Talk Podcast If you’ve never listened to Andy J Pizza, be prepared for a firehose of energy and inspiration. Andy is an illustrator but his podcasts focus on the journey of being a thriving artist and how to conquer some of the mental hang-ups we can have when trying to be creative. Andy recommends episode 328 - If You Only Listen to One Episode of This Show Make It This One. I would agree. In it Andy talks a lot about how to stop overthinking and instead build habits that encourage action over analysis. 3 Point Perspective Podcast Jake Parker, Will Terry, and Lee White joined together to create the Society of Visual Storytelling which is an online learning platform dedicated to teaching illustration with a focus on creating children’s books, comic books, and graphic novels. While related to their online art school, the 3 Point Perspective Podcast itself features great conversations about many topics in the art industry. Including many question and answer episodes where they talk openly about what it takes to get started in and succeed in an art career. I would recommend episode 106 which is an interview with Amy Kibuishi. I really liked the conversation with Amy where she has learned how to balance life and her creativity. Even if illustration isn't your thing, storytelling is a big part of making art and there is a lot of inspiration to tell your story in this podcast. Kick in the Creatives This is a fun podcast featuring Tara Roskell and Sandra Busbey. Both are amazing artists and their wildly different styles make for interesting perspectives. They really strive to be motivating and helpful and they succeed. They have a strong community and with loads of monthly challenges on social media. I would recommend episode 98 - “Should I Loosen Up My Art Style?” as your first listen. All of the podcasts mentioned above reinforce a major thing I like about creativity; the fact that ART CONNECTS US. These podcasts have connected me to not only the hosts but I have found and now follow many new artists via their interviews. I admire these podcaster’s ability to generously contribute to the art world through their podcasts.paintwithpencil.com