Here are a bunch of Youtube Art Channels that artists of all levels should be checking out
When I started my art journey a couple of years ago, it was very hard to come across great Youtube Art Channels. At that time, there just weren’t that many artists who were intent on sharing their knowledge with beginners. Fast-forward to now and art channels on Youtube are a dime a dozen. Beginner artists might even feel overwhelmed with the choices at their disposal. Whether it’s tutorials, reviews, or just inspiration, there’s bound to be an art channel for it.
Not all Youtube art Channels are made the same though. Some might not have regular upload schedules. There are a few that cover drama while others just feature artists rambling about their day. To help separate the weed from the chaff, I’m going to list great Youtube art channels that are worth checking out. It’s important to note that I won’t be listing these channels in any kind of order. All these feature great content. This might prove useful to one artist but could end up useless for another. As a result, I will be including a summary of the type of content you can expect from these channels. So if you’re ready then let’s start with one of the most prominent art channels today.
Proko
When discussing great Youtube Art channels, any list wouldn’t be complete without Proko. Started by Stan Prokopenko about 7 years ago, the channel has now grown to a whopping 1.66 million subscribers as of this writing. The channel initially started with tutorials on drawing the head as well as on the fundamentals. Eventually, the channel covered more varied yet still art-related topics. These now include interviews with artists, demos, and most recently, a podcast (more on this later).
Unlike some of the channels on this list, Proko has videos for artists of all levels. Personally, I would recommend the channel’s early tutorials on drawing the head. For those further on in their art journeys, the later videos by guest artists are particularly helpful. In addition, the Asking Pros series can be a great source of inspiration and advice for artists of all levels.
With that said, the meat of Proko’s content is found on the website. The content on the channel is mainly to promote what’s being offered in Proko.com. Artists who want to level up their skills should check out the site’s store for lessons, demos, and other tools to help them improve.
Draftsmen/Draftsmen Podcast
Draftsmen started out as a podcast on the Proko channel. Hosted by Stan Prokopenko and Marshall Vandruff, it’s become one of the most entertaining art-related podcast today. In fact, it’s become so popular that it now has a Youtube art channel of its own. Unlike other content from the main Proko channel, the podcast is a lot more personal yet still informative. What do I mean by this? Well, it’s essentially just two art nerds talking about anything and everything art-related. This type of content isn’t as structured as the main Proko channel’s tutorials but it’s still a blast to consume. Stan and Marshall have this really fun chemistry and both are very knowledgeable about art. A lot of the time, I find myself listening intently to their discussions while working on my own art.
It should be noted though that the podcast is still on break. The first season ended last December and new episodes won’t be out until April of 2020. If you haven’t seen it yet then I highly recommend binge watching the first season now.
Moderndayjames
If there’s a Youtube art channel that beginners should be checking out, it would have to be Moderndayjames. This channel started back in 2017 and has some of the best tutorials to help artists with their fundamentals. I personally credit this channel for helping me improve my draftsmanship. Recommended viewing would be the channel’s first videos on perspective. From there, you can then check out the Becoming A Gi series which is an application of the perspective lessons.
What makes these videos great is that they’re taught from a logical standpoint. Thanks to this, they’re very easy to digest and internalize. And while they are technical, the lessons don’t go too overboard with technical jargon. More importantly, the lessons are medium agnostic. This means that you can follow along regardless if you’re using traditional or digital drawing tools. It’s also worth noting that the channel has a Gumroad that features more in-depth lessons at very affordable rates. In my opinion, this channel is definitely worth checking out. As a matter of fact, I wish that this channel was around when I first started my art journey.
Sinix Design
Sinix Design is another OG Youtube art channel that artists should be following. Now the channel hasn’t been as active as when it started. With that said, its old videos are still as relevant as when they were released. As its name implies, the channel’s focus is mostly with design. As such, I would recommend this channel to artists who are further along in terms of skill. If you’re new to this channle, I’d suggest watching the Paintsploration and anatomy series. Other than these, the earlier art theory tutorials as well as Design Lab videos are also worth checking.
As mentioned earlier, Sinix Design is not as active as it once was. Well, this only really applies to the Youtube channel. If you support Sinix on Patreon then you’ll have access to a lot more content. That said, this will require you to shell out at least $3 monthly.
Ahmed Aldoori
Ahmed Aldoori is no slouch when it comes to art. He’s worked for companies such as ArenaNet, Games Workshop, and Applibot (just to name a few). I have the utmost respect for his work as well as his tutorials on Youtube. With that said, I wouldn’t necessarily say that these should be the reason for you to watch his videos. What I value the most from his content are the videos that talk about his struggles with mental health. As someone who’s been struggling with depression, impostor syndrome, and anxiety, his videos on these topics have all managed to resonate with me. The pursuit of art can take a toll on your mental and psychological well-being. Though it might not totally help, it’s still reassuring to know that you’re not the only one going through these.
Of course, the Youtube art channel isn’t just about these topics. Artists will find a lot of knowledge gleaned from Ahmed’s talks on studio life. If they’re interested in growing their social media presence then the channel also has that type of content. Another type of content that artists might take interest in are the challenges he comes up with from time to time. It should be noted that channel updates on Youtube can take a while. Thankfully, you can still follow him on his Instagram which is updated more or less on a weekly basis.
Marc Brunet
Like Ahmed, Marc Brunet is a video games industry veteran who’s mostly worked at Blizzard. I came across his channel when it was first called Bluefley. Eventually he changed the name to Cubebrush and then re-branded the channel under his own name. Anyway, name changes aside, the timelapse videos were what initially drew me to this Youtube art channel. Through this channel, I then got to come across the Cubebrush website and forums. While I’m not really that active there now, the forums are a great place to get feedback and to get your art out. As for the channel itself, it’s mostly used for promoting the website now though there are still videos that you’ll want to check out. Some of these include portfolio reviews and his Art School weekly streams.
Artists who have a competitive streak to them would also do well to check out the Cubebrush channel and forums for contests. Just recently, the forums were abuzz with Art War 4. Held annually, this contest has great prizes and even greater lessons awaiting artists who join. While this is a competition, it’s not unusual for participants to get valuable critique of their WIP’s from other competitors. This experience and critique artists will get from joining should be more than enough to convince you to check this channel and the website out.
What’s your Favorite Youtube Art Channel?
Make no mistake, this list is far from being objective. Moreover, it’s far from being finished. As I said earlier, Youtube art channels are now a dime a dozen. Unfortunately, I just can list all the good ones that I know as of now. With that said, let me know in the comments section if your favorite is not on this list. Additionally, you can include why you think your favorite should be included.