I spend a lot of time watching Youtube, probably more time than I should. But one of my favorite things to do at the end of a day is to watch artists on Youtube while working on my own creative projects. This creates a feeling like I’m creating with other people in the room, which has been really nice during the pandemic. I’ve discovered a lot of Youtubers in the creative industry over the past few years and have a list of some of my favorites to share with you today. These YouTubers inspire me in so many different ways. Hopefully, they’ll inspire and entertain you as well. As an illustrator, a good bulk of the Youtubers I’m subscribed to are also Illustrators, but there are many other types of artists in this list so I've grouped them by category to make this list easy to navigate.

For Animators/Game designers

  • Corridor Crew

    Corridor Crew is a production studio comprised of animators and special effects artists. In most of their videos, they react to the techniques employed in animated movies and games as well as VFX scenes. They offer a lot of insight into the techniques and hard work that go into creating excellent (or not so excellent) animated movies and special effects. They are a must-watch for anyone interested in the animation or film industry!

For Interior Designers

  • Letitia Kiu

    Letitia is a Toronto-based fashion school graduate who loves to make home & fashion DIYs. She recently bought her first house and it was so much fun to watch her go through the nerve-wracking process of going through a bidding war until she finally landed a dream home that she is in the process of remodeling.

  • The Sorry Girls

    Canadians Becky and Kelsey chose their name, The Sorry Girls, as a nod to the common stereotype that Canadian’s are overly apologetic. They focus on DIYing, thrift flipping, and generally making spaces more comfy and stylish. They strongly encourage a Do-it-yourself mentality and show just how much fun and rewarding that mentality can be.

  • Alexandra Gater

    Another Canadian Youtuber, Alexandra Gater is an editor, stylist, and home decor expert from Toronto. She’s a 6-figure business owner who is passionate about showing millennials how to make their home feels stylish and beautiful, even (and especially) if they rent.

  • DIY Danie

    I just LOVE DIY Danie and her go-getter, humorous attitude. And, surprise! Danie is another Canadian YouTuber who focuses more on the DIY aspect of home design. She has built so much stuff on her own, including benches, bookshelves, desks, lamps… I mean, the list is endless. Her DIY projects are inspiring, to say the least. She makes me feel like anything is possible, as long as you have wood-cutting tools of course!

For Photographers

  • Andrew Levitt

    Some of my favorite Andrew Levitt videos are a couple of years old. In these videos, he remakes famous photographs, including the ones you see as the desktop images on your Mac! It shows just how much work goes into taking these iconic photographs and getting the same exact shot. A lot of factors go into it, including considering the time of year, day, the weather, the angle, the type of camera and lens used, etc. As someone who usually just takes photos on my phone, this gives me a deeper appreciation for photography.

  • Peter McKinnon

    Peter McKinnon is a bit of a hipster. But he’s also a great photographer and videographer with a lot of great tips to get that perfect shot. You can tell that he’s passionate about what he does.

For Illustrators

  • Cheyenne Barton

    Cheyenne’s videos are so cute. Her illustrations are cute. Her videos are some of my favorites to watch while I’m drawing on my iPad because they’re calming and inspiring, they make me feel like I’m sitting in a room with a friend and drawing while listening to classical music. 

  • Leigh Ellexson

    Ok, not to play favorites but… Leigh might be my favorite Art Youtuber. Her illustrations are whimsical and her personality is hilarious and a bit awkward. She has the most adorable pets, too! Oh, and don’t get me started on how dreamy her studio is. Go, subscribe to Leigh. You won’t regret it.

  • Sara Tepes

    Sara is a great Illustration YouTuber to follow if you’re into digital painting. She offers a lot of digital painting tips and it’s so much fun to watch her speed paint a portrait from start to finish… it’s like magic!

  • Zeke’s Lunchbox
    Julia is one of the most personally inspiring Youtubers and artists of my generation. She’s from Australia and is currently wrapping up a project that has taken her several years to complete… she has illustrated an entire Tarot card deck! This is something I’m just starting on myself and watching her take on this project has given me a lot of inspiration and information about how to navigate the project. Julia is a great teacher and also an amazing artist. Her work is also, quite literally, out of this world. Her work is like a combination of Lisa Frank meets aliens… definitely a lot of pink and a lot of weird. 

  • Furry Little Peach

    Another cute YouTuber, as the name might suggest. Furry Little Peach creates the cutest illustrations and has so many great tips for illustrators looking to work for themselves full-time. 

  • CHIWORLD1234

    I discovered CHIWORLD several years ago when I was trying to find good tutorials for drawing in Adobe Illustrator. I love watching him draw portraits in Illustrator, Procreate, and Clipstudio paint while I work on my own stuff too!

For 3D Artists

  • Bobby Duke Arts

    Oh, Booby… I mean Bobby! Haha, Bobby is hilarious and likes to mispronounce words on purpose... Like calling wood wewd. He makes a lot of cool stuff out of wewd. If you want to laugh and see someone make something really mind-blowing go check out booby.

For artists who like spooky stuff

  • Christine McConnell

    I discovered Christine McConnel on Netflix a couple of years ago in her show called The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell. In the show, she creates a variety of cakes and sweets that are Halloween-themed. It’s a great show that I wish they had continued… fortunately you can still see what she’s up to on Youtube. Christine is amazingly talented at a multitude of things, from sewing to baking, to painting, and even decorating… all with a spooky flair. I can’t get enough of her videos and have considered becoming one of her Patrons.

For artists (and fashion designers) who want to learn new things

  • CurrieGOAT

    Denzel (aka CurrieGOAT) is a Youtuber I recently got into. I’ve only seen a few of his videos, and I’ve loved everything I’ve seen so far. Denzel makes a lot of punch needle stuff and I’m totally here for his style and educational tips. 

For anyone who uses Adobe Creative Cloud (or wants to learn)

  • Adobe Creative Cloud

    Did you know that Adobe Creative Cloud has its own YouTube channel? I mean… you should definitely go check it out if you are learning an Adobe Program, or just want some useful tips to improve your skills. You can thank me later.

  • Tutvid

    If I have a specific question about how to do something in Photoshop or Illustrator… Tutvid is one of the first channels I search through. Tutvid has so many great tutorials and has taught me things I still use to this day.

For Painters

  • Muraljoe

    Muraljoe is like a modern-day Bob Ross. OK, I suppose he’s not as fun or funny but he does have some great painting tips. I’ve applied so much of what I’ve learned from his videos, even to my digital paintings, and I feel like I’ve improved technically in so many ways thanks to him.

For Character designers or digital illustrators

  • Scott Flanders

    I love Scott Flanders' approach to character/scene illustrations. He’s a great teacher. I always think back to watching him create the illustration in this video, and how it has really changed the way I think about and create a composition.

For Graphic Designers

  • Kel Lauren

    As a RMCAD graphic design alum, I feel like I had to throw in at least one Graphic Design YouTuber into this list! I don’t know many Graphic Design Youtubers (that are still making content) so if you can think of more please tell me in the comments. Kel is amazing, though, I love her unique style and approach to designing merch. She’s a confident designer who’s not afraid to break some of the rules to make something funky and unique, I really admire that about her.

Do you have any favorite creative YouTubers that I didn’t include in this list? Tell me about them in the comments section, I’m always on the hunt for more!