Inspiration can be found in a variety of different places. It can be from observing the world around you; listening to the sounds of nature, watching the interactions people make with each other on the street, looking at the beautiful sky above you. Inspiration is all around us, and doesn’t come from just one place.
One thing that’s really been inspiring me lately is watching others create. I love to watch other artists on youtube and learn from their process. I may try one of their techniques, or draw inspiration from how they approach their projects. So I thought I’d share some of them with you. I have learned a lot from these channels, so I figured you guys might benefit from these resources as well. Oh, and they all are super entertaining, if I forgot to mention.
So, here are my top five artists on YouTube.
Jazza
Not only is this guy incredibly talented, he’s also hilarious. Along with my favorite SNL skits and Jimmy Fallon, I’ll also put on his videos if I’m having a rough day. His main belief when it comes to art is that it should be about having fun. He is mostly a marker artist, and is a huge fan of copics. Yet, his channel is filled with all sorts of different challenges, materials, and crazy antics.
One thing I’ve taken away from his videos is to step outside of my comfort zone, and to have fun with my art. While we all have our favorite supplies and topics to draw, it can be nice to switch things up. But sometimes trying something new can seem daunting, so we tend to stay with what we feel is easy. But after watching how Jazza jumps right into each new challenge, trying his best to make something brilliant with it, but not judging himself too harshly if it doesn’t turn out well, trying new things doesn’t seem as scary. In fact, it was watching him play around with different markers that made me want to really learn how to use the prismacolor premier markers that had been sitting around in the bottom of my desk. It seemed less scary after watching how even when something didn’t come out exactly how he wanted it, he still recognized that he could learn from it, and at least he had fun trying.
Another thing I take away is that trying new things can sometimes lead to amazing results. Some of his best art, in my opinion, has come out of those videos where he used an art medium or technique he had never tried before. One of my favorite videos highlights both of these points. He was doing a challenge where he would only allow himself to use the ms paint color palette. Two of the artworks turned out fantastic, while the last one wasn’t as good. When the first two turned out well, he complimented himself and let himself relish in those masterpieces. But when the last one didn’t turn out great, he also recognized that. He knew what his best was, but at the same time had a blast just playing around with it. He also mentioned that during the first two paintings, having the limits actually fueled his creativity.
So if you want to watch some hilarious art challenges that are occasionally informative, go check out Jazza on youtube.
Mira Byler
I absolutely love this woman. She radiates positivity, and is super cheerful. I love her art style, because it’s closer to the stuff I love to make. She also draws a lot of plants, doodles, galaxies, and people, which yet again, are things I love to draw. She tends to gravitate more towards paint in her videos, but she will also use markers and pencils occasionally.
She will probably never know this, but she has inspired me in a huge way. For a while, I had stopped making art. I took a break back in 2018, and it’s still been a journey. Mid 2019 saw a bit of a creative block for me. I wasn’t feeling inspired, and wasn’t happy with any of the art I was creating. It even effected my writing for a while.
I started looking for some sketchbook videos on youtube, because I thought maybe that could help out a bit. I ended up finding one of her videos on ways to fill a sketchbook, and it became one of my favorite videos to watch. I would watch her videos often, because I loved her cheerful attitude. There was one video that really did it for me- bringing an end to that creative block. It was a sketchbook she was going to start. She was starting to compare her work, and feeling like nothing was quite good enough. So instead, she decided to make a sketchbook full of things she loved or wanted to make. It was so inspiring, and the next day I went and purchased a new sketchbook. (I’ve posted pictures of some of the pages on my Instagram if you want to check it out).
Mira Byler helped me get out of a creative slump, and to give drawing and art another try. And now, I am loving it. I’m having so much fun drawing and using my markers. So thank you for inspiring me, Mira.
She is so cheerful and just loves to create. She goes into each project with the attitude that she can create something amazing. It’s so motivating, and she doesn’t fret too much when she makes a mistake. One thing I also love that she does is that she will paint on different surfaces, which is now something I really want to try.
If you want to see a positive artist who kind of reminds me of what a female Bob Ross would be like, go check out Mira Byler on Youtube.
Mei Yu
Her fun Friday videos are so soothing to watch. I wish I could do character design as well as she does, and I also love her process when it comes to creating new characters. She does a lot of fun challenges on her channel, involving recreating famous characters, trying new supplies, and testing her artistic abilities.
I love her technique when it comes to drawing. She is very methodical when it comes to creating a character, the details in the inking, and then choosing the right color palette. Taking your time can be hard with art, because you want to see the finished piece before you’ve even begun. But from Mei Yu, I’ve learned that taking your time pays off.
Another thing she does is reimagining famous characters in different ways. I love this because it takes something you know well and flips it on its head. She’s done all sorts of videos like this. She has drawn video game characters as superheroes, animal characters as humans, and drawing characters in different art styles. One of my favorite videos was when she reimagined superheroes as Disney princesses. I never would’ve thought to do that, and the outcome was absolutely amazing (the Thor inspired princess was my favorite). It shows that thinking outside of the box can produce some really cool art.
If you want to see a talented character design artist who reimagines things and thinks outside the box, go check out Mei Yu on Youtube.
AmandaRachLee
Even though she is technically a bullet journal YouTuber, she counts as an artist in my book. Her spreads are gorgeous and creative, while also being practical. She puts effort into her spreads, and it definitely shows.
Although I don’t necessarily use a bullet journal, I still draw a ton of inspiration from her spreads. I often use bullet journal inspired spreads in my daily journals, and find it to be relaxing. I also create separate monthly spreads in my happy planner, so I love to see what she does for her monthly spreads.
One thing she does a lot is a spread for a monthly playlist. I’ve actually started doing this as well, and it’s a nice way to capture the month in a unique way. I also love that she incorporates a theme for each month. I’ve been doing that more as well, and it helps take a bit of stress out of having to rack your brain on what to do for a spread. I’ve also benefitted from her doodle and hand lettering videos, they are a great source for ideas.
If you want to check out a talented bullet journalist who uses art in her spreads, go check out AmandaRachLee on Youtube.
Sketchbook Skool
I found this channel while looking for videos on how to start a travel journal. I found a couple of videos that they had for that, and they proved to be super helpful. Little did I know what I had found…
This is such a great resource for newer artists or less skilled artists. They have so many different videos highlighting different techniques, how to use supplies, or just simply how to get started. They cover all sorts of different art mediums and techniques, and the videos are simple and easy to follow. It’s basically like taking a mini free art class.
I personally love their videos on sketchbooks. They cover everything from the first page, to doodling your day, to travel journalling, and everything in between.
If you want to find a new resource with great information presented in an easy to follow way, go check out Sketchbook Skool on Youtube.
I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Let me know if you decide to check out any of these channels, and what you think of them, in the comments below!
Until next time š
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