Where can I find high-quality visual art tutorial or process videos?

August 7, 2017 8:50 AM

I'm looking for videos that show how artists create visual art, namely collages, printing, and painting. Either step by step tutorials or video of people making art are what I'm after. I would prefer that these be fairly accessible for a person without fancy equipment or tools, although if I'm compelled enough, I could buy them. I am a novice artist. Thanks!
posted by Fister Roboto to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (10 answers total)

I like the art prof videos because she shows me ways to think about art.
You should get the book The drawing club of improbable dreams and do those exercises.
posted by SyraCarol at 9:19 AM on August 7, 2017

YouTube is teeming with this stuff. Videos by Jane Davies might be a good place to start.
posted by Grunyon at 9:19 AM on August 7, 2017

Lachri Fine Art. She works in colored pencil, watercolor pencil, acrylic, and oil. She has livestreams, tutorials, critiques, and art tips. Most of her work is of animal subjects.
posted by xyzzy at 9:51 AM on August 7, 2017

Previously on Metafilter:

http://ask.metafilter.com/308758/Best-online-painting-tutorials-for-abstract-art-only

http://www.metafilter.com/167109/YouTube-art-channels
posted by Squeak Attack at 10:16 AM on August 7, 2017

CreativeLive broadcast free classes then sell the resulting videos and they do quite a few in art and design:

Introduction to Mixed Media
Mixed Media on Wood
Introduction to screen printing
Altered book boxes
Concertina collage books
(The instructor for the last two, Molly Meng, is absolutely adorable, I enjoyed the altered book boxes course immensely.)

The quality varies greatly depending on the instructor (and the host) (and for me on the sound and speech quality) but there are plenty for beginners and it's definitely worth checking in every so often to see what's being broadcast for free (typically between 9 a.m. to 4pm then repeated on a loop until 9 a.m. the following day).

[I refuse to pay for any CreativeLive courses because they are uncaptioned, despite their claim that "(we believe in) access for everyone" but it's relatively easy to find free rebroadcasts of classes you're interested in.]
posted by humph at 10:28 AM on August 7, 2017

Okay this will probably sound very snobby, but as someone who went to art school, the videos that have been suggested are, for the most part, varying degrees of terrible.

Bob Ross is delightful, but what he does has pretty much nothing to do with art. It's more like an odd but soothing sort of meditation. Many of the others are essentially recommending shortcuts to make what you make look like art, but this is not how committed artists create their work or think about their work.

I would start by reading or watching videos about art more generally.

But as for videos that show how artists work, these seem to be fairly good. I have not seen them all:
IN THE STUDIO by The Museum of Modern Art
posted by Vispa Teresa at 11:25 AM on August 7, 2017

I recently discovered many of the artists I follow on Youtube also stream on Twitch while they paint, if you want the full-on process.
posted by ananci at 1:15 PM on August 7, 2017

Seconding Art Prof.

WetCanvas is an online artists' community which many beginners find helpful. Other users will offer you recommendations on materials and techniques and, if you ask, will critique your work.
posted by bunderful at 5:57 PM on August 8, 2017

I kinda agree with Vispa Teresa but I don't think that means these tutorials are useless, they're instructions on how get a look or a how to do a particular technique or how to think through a project. What you do with those skills is what matters.

I would see if your favorite artists have Instagram accounts. I follow a bunch of artists and many of them post behind-the-scenes photos and process videos, and are happy to engage with their followers and answer questions.
posted by yeahlikethat at 8:40 AM on August 9, 2017

One of the problems I run into with a lot of art videos is that they only tell you how that particular artist works - often not even how they make the decisions they're making. And there's nothing wrong with having that information - it can be useful - but I find it more helpful to hear about the decisions the artist is making about composition, color, etc. That's why I'm a fan of Art Prof - I feel like it's giving me tools to find my own style instead of copying someone else's style.

Another thing is that it sounds like you're concerned about expense, and if you're watching several different artists they'll all have their own ideas about what colors of paint and materials you should have - so you could spend a fair bit if you're working off of different tutorials and videos.

However, I did think of some other resources you might find helpful and affordable, particularly if you make use of the library or purchase used books.

Learn to Paint in Acrylic with 50 Small Paintings - this book tells you what supplies to buy and walks you through 50 paintings. I found it helpful.

Will Kemp Art School is good.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is a classic.

And there's nothing wrong with browsing the art collection of your local library.

If you run into a tutorial that calls for a color you don't have, try googling [how to mix NAMEOFCOLOR].

I also recommend keeping an eye out for classes in your town, if you don't already. Free and affordable workshops do exist, and can be great for sparking creativity, learning new techniques and meeting other creative folks.
posted by bunderful at 10:37 AM on August 10, 2017