Are you amazed by the amount of time you spend on YouTube watching art videos? Maybe it just starts innocently enough exploring a few videos. Then you begin to rationalize spending a specific amount of time to surf and explore, believing that after one or two more that will be enough for the day. Then it happens: each art video always leads to another, a new artist and genre is revealed. The whole experience ends up feeling like you’re wandering around an expansive gallery without an exit, in awe at the creativity unleashed in front of video cameras.
WHAT IS THE APPEAL IN VIDEO ART?
I used to think of the video element in art as that running film projected on the wall of the gallery, just another part of the overall art experience, imagery and sound as background ambiance, nothing more than a small detail like a wine selection or hors d’oeuvres to set the tone. We have moved past just using videos as simple art installations in gallery shows or using video as an additive of visual engagement in performance art pieces.
Many artists today use video as a vehicle to showcase their talents to an international fan base. Videos allow artists to capture every moment: it is used to record hours, days, and months of creation. We watch it change before our eyes, from start to finish, as it’s presented efficiently to us in a matter of minutes. In no time at all after an art video is uploaded to YouTube that tidy package of creation reaches a global audience of social viewers.
It’s amazing to jump on YouTube and see how artists today are sharing their work through video. From the classic speed painting videos to those dramatic sand art performances set to music showcased on television programs like America’s Got Talent, there is a treasure trove waiting for discovery. For those interested in expanding their skills and learning a thing or two, there is no shortage of tutorials explaining each genre and how to try out and perfect new art techniques.
FINDING ART VIDEOS THAT INTEREST YOU
There are so many genres of video to explore on YouTube that it can be overwhelming. Begin by asking yourself a few questions:
What types of art are you drawn to?
What mediums do you admire?
Do you gravitate toward Architecture and Design, Drawing, Film, Media, Painting, Sculpture, Photography, or Print and Illustrated Books?
Narrow down your interest to a specific medium. Give yourself a starting point with a keyword like ‘painting’ and let the rest happen organically. Within minutes you will be led from one video to the next. A few genres worth exploring include Sand Art, 3-D Street Art, Graffiti Art, Make-up Art, Live Painting, Speed Painting and Light Painting. These few alone will provide countless hours of entertainment.
Galleries from around the world like MOMA, The Museum of Modern Art in New York City, also have video channels to highlight current and upcoming exhibitions. Within a few hours, by visiting gallery channels, you will be in the know on which artists and works are traveling to a nearby city.
VIDEO ART IN ACTION: ADELE PORTRAIT BY RED (HONG YI)
There are also numerous videos of artists using just about anything you can think of as a creation tool. An example of a masterful up and comer worth following on YouTube, who creates with just about anything but a brush, is Hong Yi. An artist-architect, who goes by the nickname “Red,” completed a four-part project involving the four basic elements: fire, water, wind and earth, to create a portrait of Adele set to her song, “’Set Fire to the Rain.”
Her channel, not only offers the element portrait of Adele, but a painting of NBA superstar Yao Ming she completed by dipping a basketball in red paint and stamping the basketball on the canvas, a “Facebook” portrait of Mark Zuckerberg created with actual books and many more.
LIGHT PAINTING ART VIDEOS: LIGHTFACKTOR – dENIZEN
One genre to really delegate some time to is ‘light painting,’ the colors and presentation is always mesmerizing. Start with this one by Lichtfaktor Crew.
This group,, completed their light painting video in four nights with the help of their friends in Cologne, and their video won the “The German Web Video Award 2012” in the Jury and Audience Price category AAA (Academy Approved Art).
DOWNLOAD ART VIDEOS AND BUILD YOUR OWN VIRTUAL VIDEO ART GALLERY
The best part is that as you explore and discover new genres you dig, you become an art collector of sorts. You can pick and choose the artists and genres to follow, as if you were adorning the walls in your own space. If you want to download art videos and watch your favorites again and again, just download the free RealDownloader app by clicking the orange button at the top right corner of this screen and you can start collecting and saving videos as you watch with just one click.
MAKE YOUR OWN ART VIDEOS
Are you artsy and looking to share your talents with a broader audience? With some tips for shooting mobile phone videos and your creativity sparked by the endless YouTube art video inspiration, learn to easily make videos of your art endeavors using your smartphone. You can also find free video editing software to implement motion tricks and add enhancing musical accompaniment to your presentation of work. Add your art to the growing number of YouTube trending videos — it may even launch you as a viral art sensation gaining millions of views.
If you are not in the market to sell yourself as the next big artist, keep browsing and stay inspired. Each time you search for art videos on YouTube, you’ll be sure to find something entertaining. New video art genres are continuing to appear daily.
What do you think of how artist are using different instruments to create masterpieces? Did we miss one of your favorite genres? Share links to artists and mediums you follow below.
Alane Jewel is a journalist, online marketer, and professional artist. She is a social jack of all trades and loves reinventing herself every couple years. She has been a women's magazine editor, newspaper columnist, retail buyer, and fine art artist. She loves sci-fi and to travel, write, paint, and spend her free time sharing all of her business on her social networks. She lives north of Pittsburgh with her husband, Steve, and a large beast of a Great Dane, Duke.
video art…….love…..life….woman….and me…….