10 Years of Helping Artists Online

pdate: Winners are posted here!

This year is a big anniversary… ten years ago in 2006 I started my first website to post tutorials and step by step guides to help artists.

That was back before anyone had heard of YouTube or Facebook and the phone I had used numbers to text instead of the handy keyboards we have today.

So to celebrate this I thought why not do something special and let the members inside the Pencil Kings community let you know what their experiences are.

Here are 7 videos that were entered into our recent PK Video Contest…

I would love it if you could help me out… see my note at the bottom about helping us pick out the winners among these 7 videos!1. Leena Cruz: It all started with learning shading…2. Jose A De Leon: Never stop learning – no matter what your age3. Liz Gera: No more comic sans 🙂4. Lily Ann Montemayor: The start of a promising creative career5. Amanda Rosko: Loving the podcast!6. Mautje Hous: An open love letter7. Timothy Meadows: Building the daily drawing habitNow, I would love if you could help us out… these 7 videos the entries in the PK Video Contest. We’re going to have three winners, and the Grand Prize Winner. The overall Grand Prize Winner will get a 1-on-1 consultation with me to help them rocket towards their art goals (plus other prizes).

I would love if you could help us narrow it down to the top videos – please leave a comment below and let us know which were your three favorite videos… 🙂

109 thoughts on “10 Years of Helping Artists Online”

  1. First, all the videos were inspiring! But the ask was to pick 3. Here goes:

    1. Timothy Meadows. The reason I picked Tim was because he brought up a crucial point about “head full of knowledge” but not having a practice habit. Him being in the graphic design field and still finding benefit puts PK in great light. Tim also was inspiring in that he continues using what he learned.

    2. Leena Cruz. Leena was precise in how PK helped her over the hump of where she was struggling as an illustrator. I loved how she directed the video with the sketches telling the story and then ending with her more recent art… to see the progress really shows the benefit of the challenges.

    3. Amanda Rosko. Mandy presents very well and showed that you can cross disciplines (writing and illustrating). She is driven and really created some nice work. It was great to hear her struggle with doubt and lack of knowing. She is a call to all those people out there who are afraid to move forward. I love that she sees the value of the podcast and is still moving forward with possibly creating her art for sale.

  2. My favorite video was Leena Cruz: It all started with learning shading… I Iove the edition and the voice of the artists, as it recounted how is nice, but more important is what it says, the artist is very consistent with his views , I like and convinces me to continue in this community, It is the only video I like

  3. I enjoyed my time watching through the list of videos. But if I had to pick just 3 (in no particular order):

    1. Leena Cruz
    2. Mautje Hous
    3. Timothy Meadows

  4. All videos are interesting,the three videos that I like are
    1. Leena Cruz. –she tells pleasantly and easily your vision of your love for drawing and illustration conveys a positive attitude and above all fun, it is very interesting to see their work. has a very beautiful technique and it shows in his video , I love everything shows and would like to know more about his work.

    2.Amanda Rosko — your video is interesting is full of good data but what I like is that it is very straightforward and simple , his experience is motivating for me

    3 Lily Ann Montemayor — not hear very well what she says . but what it is interesting also narrates , is keen to continue creating interesting works, and that’s very motivating also

  5. Well I really wanted to vote for them all, but seeing as I have to narrow it down here are my three ….
    1.Jose A de Leon. He is nearly my age and I think he draws amazingly. He showed courage to make the video and put it up. ( I didn’t as I wasn’t sure about how to do it.) So good on him for having a go.
    2.Maureen Hous. I liked her love letter and she put into words a lot of things I would say to PencilKings.
    3. Timothy Meadows. He has worked so hard to get to the place where he can be an illustrator. I applaud him and hope it happens for him.
    Thanks for giving people this chance PencilKings. You set me on the drawing adventure I am on as well..
    Thank you. Mem McLean

  6. All of these had a great story but the ones that I felt related to me the most were:

    Timothy Meadows
    Amanda Rosko
    Leena Cruz

  7. I would definitely have 1. Leena or 6. Mautje as first or second place. Videos that sum up the helpfulness of Pencil Kings, but are also creative in their own right 🙂
    Pencil Kings is wonderful. It’s great to see the diversity in the community that you’re helping 🙂

  8. Hi Everyone,

    I appreciate all of the kind words so far. I enjoyed making the video, and I’ve enjoyed being a member of the Pencil Kings community over this past year. I’m not sure if I can put in my vote since I’m a part of the contest, but if I can I’ll put in my own two cents. I also hope it isn’t a faux pas to vote for myself, but I’m pretty keen to win this contest. The iPad and Nomad Sketchbook will be welcome tools, but the one on one coaching call with Mitch would be invaluable as I’m trying to figure out how to create an income from my art.

    So here are my votes:
    1) Timothy Meadows
    Though it isn’t the fanciest of the seven I stand by my video. I’m usually really camera shy, and it took me around 15 takes to talk loud enough to be understood. I just wanted to share how much I’ve grown from Pencil Kings.
    2) Jose A De Leon
    Seeing his video is the last thing that pushed me to put up my video. I was unsure if I would even have a chance, but seeing someone else put themselves out there gave me the last little bit of a push that i needed.
    3) Liz Gera
    Hers just made me laugh. I appreciate that she was able to rope her son into doing it too. Its a bit absurdist, but it made me smile.

  9. 1.) TIM MEADOWS
    2.) MARITIME HOUSE
    3.) AMANDA ROSCO

    HAVING ISSUES WITH, CFM, (CONCENTRATION, FOCUS, AND MEMORY) AND WOULD NEED TO RE-VISIT ALL OF THEM AGAIN. COLLECTIVELY THEY ALL HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD WITH ONE OR MORE OBSERVATIONS. ENJOYED ALL SEVEN.

  10. I am not a member of pencil kings but it is so great to hear of such an awesome community where people learn and thrive and do what they love! Watching these videos is very inspiring and motivating. I think everyone who entered is very talented in their own way. Cheers to all the entries and being brave enough to show your work and send in a video! I admire everyone’s commitment to their artwork!

    My vote is for:
    1. Leena Cruz – i really liked how she created a lot of her own work into the video
    Jose
    2. Amanda Rosko – I think she was the only one that mentioned the podcasts and the huge difference it made
    2.Timothy Meadows (tied) – He gave exact dates and examples of the courses that he really enjoyed and found useful- i cant believe he remembered!
    3.. Jose A De Leon – he seems like an overall honest and sincere man and its really encouraging to see people of all ages really taking advantage of pencil kings

    It blows my mind how talented these artists are – whether it be for fun/past time/hobby/work, etc.

    1. Thank you CC! I really want to share how I improved thanks to PK, I’m happy you like the video 😀

  11. Ok, these were all so inspirational! My top 3 were;
    1. Leena Cruz
    2. Amanda Rosco
    3. Timothy Meadows

    Something about each otf their stories resonated withme personally. All the best you guys !

  12. I loved hearing the perspectives from these artists. My top 3:
    1. Mautje Haus
    2. Leena Cruz
    3. Timothy Meadows

    1. Thank you so much Dustin! Drawing has been part of my life. Keeps me young hahaha. Nice to meet you all.

  13. Hi all,
    I liked all the videos but this is my top 3.
    1) Mautje Hous
    2) Leena Cruz
    3) Amanda Rosco

    Keep on drawing all of you.

    Rudsley

  14. A little caveat – I have a short attention span, it’s hard for me to watch someone just talking directly into a camera…

    1. Leena Cruz – tells us why she used PK, what she used and how she evolved; integrated her work into the video
    2. Mautje Hous – visually stimulating about her why and what she got out of it
    3. Amanda Rosko – similar experience to my own was appealing; a writer looking to expand drawing capabilities to illustrate some aspects of story, often not sure how to use the tools she bought, etc

  15. I really like Mautje House’ video. The video makes me feel happy, she is very clear on how pencilkings helped her to achieve to become a better drawer and how it build her confidence. Very open and spontaneous.

  16. I would say
    1 Mautje
    2 Lily
    3 Liz

    Very oi inspiring entry, seems like you really made a big difference in a lot of people s life 😀

  17. My top 3:
    1. Mautje Hous
    Really liked her video. Her story really kept my interest and makes me want to learn more about PK right now.
    2. Timothy Meadows
    3. Leena Cruz

  18. Lorraine Chipere

    Here are my picks!

    1) Mautje Hous
    2) Leena Cruz
    3) Timothy Meadows

    All the other videos were great too 🙂

  19. First choice Mautje hous.!!
    Second choice Mautje hous.!!
    Third choice Mautje hous.!!

    Mautje Hous for president.!!!

  20. 1. I like Mautjes video. My opinion is that it ia very “easy” to just make a video of you speaking. Her video however showed creativity, i likes the pictures/drawings that were used to discribe the story she was telling.. Very pleasant/fun to hear/watch. And it was nice to hear a little bit of her lifestory and i really liked the improvement in drawing the eye.
    2. For the same reasing of not just speaking in the camara I like Leena’a video. I likes how she explains that she had the “aha” moments and how she got faster .
    3. I also like Timothy’s video. How he is talking about knowledge vs practice. And its funny that he entered a contest to win, but got hooked and in the end kept on drawing till today

  21. 1. Leena Cruz
    2. Timothy Meadows
    3. Lily Ann Montemayor

    But really, all these videos are great.

    1. Nice of you Rub to cast your vote for me. This is all new to me and it’s a wonderful experience. Winning or not being here is really wonderful!

  22. All video’s were interesting to watch, but my top 3 are:
    1. Mautje Hous
    2. Timothy Meadows
    3. Leena Cruz

  23. 1. Mautje House
    2. Leena Cruz
    3. Timothy Meadows

    Mautje killed it ! Very orginal and very heartfelt!

  24. Anne Lindelauff

    1 Mautje Haus
    2 Mautje Haus
    3 Mautje Haus

    I love her story best because it is not about her or the things she made. Just a short view of her progress. And a lovely and kind story.

  25. Hey Everyone, I really appreciate the votes from everybody. I just wanted to post the link to the thread in the forums where I’ve been posting my daily drawings.

    https://discourse.pencilkings.com/t/tdmeadows-sketchbook-daily-sketches

    And I noticed there were some people voting who aren’t members. I’ve also been posting on Twitter and Deviantart as well, though they only go back about 2/3 s of the way. But it isn’t in the members area. Thank you again to everybody for the encouragement.

    Deviantart: https://xalkeus.deviantart.com
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/Xalkeus

  26. 1) Mautje
    2) Leena

    No number 3 for me, these 2 stood out, especially mautje’s video is very creative, easy to follow and most of all inspiring to join pencilkings

  27. Hello,
    My vote goes to:

    1. Mautje Hous : absolutely loved her video, loved the way she expressed herself and so nice to hear what pencilkings means to hear

  28. Andres Hernandez

    I go for Leena Cruz… i really like his work, and the progress that she archived 😉

  29. Hi everybody!! ?

    Thank you ALL who have been voting for us and for Me! At least to me It’s pretty nerve wrecking to put myself out there for the world to judge, let me tell you. 😉

    I really enjoyed making this video, I’ve never done that before . That’s one big thing I’m taking away from this.

    Here goes my vote :

    1) Jose : I started out late just like you. You inspire me to keep on going and keep on learning 🙂
    2) Timothy: I really applaud you on your daily drawing habit. I myself am not quite there yet. You inspire me to keep on pushing to achieve this goal 😉
    3) Leena: l could clearly see your growth .. Inspiring!
    To all the other contestants you inspire me as well.. Great Stories !

    Love,
    Mautje
    @liz: I really loved that pencil kings crown! I want one!

  30. Hi! Whoa, this contest is really intense, I like all your videos, they are really encouraging 😀
    I’m very happy you appreciate my video, thank you for your votes! I wanted to talk about a lot of things I love about PK, but the video would be too long, so I tried to keep it focused. I love PK because it’s a place I feel right for me, I’m talking about the courses and the people, I think that’s why I really felt an improvement after the Shading Drawing Challenge, then I fell in love and I became a lifetime member, now the fun part, here are my votes, in no particular order.

    1) Liz Gera – I love your video Liz! It was the first one I saw and I loved how you made it so funny, I think this is a very original format.
    2) Mautje Haus – I love your love letter, I liked the rhythm of your video and your voice is very lovely.
    3) Leena Cruz – Because I REALLY, REALLY want to win the free pass to the new course, and since Mitch said we can vote for ourselves I’ll take his word 😛

  31. Hi, i am not sure if you need to be part of the PK’s community to vote, but if not, here are my favourite videos…
    1. Mautje Haus; i liked her heartfelt story of how Pencil Kings was part of her ‘re-drawing’ her life (now there is a thought… If we could only ‘erase’ and ‘redraw’ our lives like we do our drawings on paper…;-)
    I loved it even more how she put this personal story out there in a fun and sweet video. You could use it as online publicity, it is that good and professional! I had never heard of Pencil Kings but am definitely going to have a look into it.

    2. Leena Cruz; i loved how she shares a lot of her artwork in her video. Great to see her progress and to hear how PKs has helped her develop her talent!

    3. Jose A De Leon; although his video, for me, was not as good as some of the others, i loved his message: you are never to old to learn or pursue your dreams…

    Watching these videos has made me curious about Pencil Kings and i am also thinking it is about time i picked up pencil and paper again.. Thanks to you all for sharing your inspirational stories!

    Greetz, Myriam

  32. Here are my favorite:
    1) Mautje Hous
    2) Leena Cruz
    3) Timothy Meadows

    All the other videos were great too ?

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