Hi my loves! I hope you are all well. As the title suggests, today I wanted to
share some of the things I have been loving recently. I've done videos like
this in the past where I've done like hauls and favourites but with this one, I
wanted to have less of a focus on things- like things that you need but don't
really need- and more of a focus on things of real value, or things I
consider to be of real value anyway, and maybe spotlight some talented creators
and I don't know a share some things of real inspiration I think you guys would
love. So to start with, I'm going to do the biggest category and that is
some youtubers that I really enjoy watching.
Now I'm not gonna mention anyone that I have mentioned before, but will have a
pinned comment down at the bottom, just of all of my favourite YouTubers
who I've mentioned in the past and, then anything else that I mention in
this video will be linked in the description along with timestamps for
you to be able to skip along to your heart's content. But we'll start
out with the category on art education. There are so many fantastic
teachers on this platform with their own areas of expertise and their own varying
points of view and approaches and I think it's really important to diversify
the amount of lessons and just the different types of information that we
take in. So I recently discovered this video (literally yesterday) in my
suggested called 'How Social Media is Ruining your Art' and it's by a creator
called Adam Duff and he- I mean- I quickly
realised on discovering his channel, an incredible teacher. He's a really
knowledgeable, also really down-to-earth guy and he has this wealth of lessons on
his channel for aspiring artists and also for any professionals in that field.
'Well you're an artist...'
'You're providing to your audience something of quality. Quality
takes time, quality takes concentration, quality requires trial and error, so if
you are gonna keep up with that rat race then you have a choice. You can either
wait, take your time...'
If nothing else, I think you guys should all watch this
social media video because it rings true to a comment that I get so much on this
channel from people who feel like they're discouraged by the lack of
attention that their work is getting on social media. This video really spoke to
me and I think it's just such an important thing for all of us especially
in this age of making art and posting it on the Internet. Another fantastic artist
and teacher who dedicates their time to sharing their knowledge on this platform
for free is Marco Bucci. He posts maybe once a month but it's such important,
fundamental stuff and broken down in a way that's so easy to digest and so easy
to go and practice straightaway. I just feel like there is so much that you can
learn from him. I know I said I wasn't gonna mention people that I have
mentioned before but I just had to give a shout out to Robin Sealark.
I love her videos, I find her so fun and captivating. She has a real free
approach to art, also a real discipline and a commitment to improving and
sharing that with her audience. 'Now I want to compartmentalize my time better
and make sure I'm being well-rounded in finding meaning in a lot of areas of my
life and making new goals....' She likes to
approach things as a challenge. She's not afraid to pinpoint things that she wants
to change or improve in her art and she really encourages that in her viewers
and I just always find I leave her videos wanting to go and make something.
Jared does some really fantastic gouache and watercolor demos that are so calming
and relaxing to watch that you don't even realize that you're learning as you
go along. There's a level of understanding behind everything he does
which he explains so clearly as he goes along but he's also not afraid of
imperfection and trying things even if he's not sure if that's the way to go.
Now I know nothing about oil painting but this is what I mean when I say that
we need to diversify the sources of information that we have because there
is so much of value, there's so much that is relevant to me on Andrews
channel. He is insanely talented but he's also very open to
sharing the process behind his art and also the journey he's taken to get to
the level of talent he's got right now. You know, rather than that myth of just
naturally being good, you can see the practice and the work that he's put in
and the years. And I also just love his videos
to see all those beautiful landscapes that he surrounds himself in. Another oil
painter, Cynthia hasn't posted in a little while but she has a really great
backlog of videos that hold so much value. She's another one that just seems
so real, so down-to-earth, and also very transparent with her process and the
thought behind her work. '...and that way, you can see exactly what your lights and
darks are doing without the color. Ultimately you still want your piece to
be readable either way so let's do that here, let's take a look at how this
painting breaks down when it's converted to greyscale...' She just strikes me as
someone that has a really kind heart and it also really knows what they're
talking about. Alright, next category is studio vlogs.
I know you guys love seeing behind the scenes of artists and I personally love
seeing how that day-to-day varies so much from one artist to another. Right
I've been watching Joy for ever and I am constantly in awe of the amount of work
that she puts in around her job, her constant innovation and creativity, the
products that she's making, the storytelling, her art style... just
everything she does- I'm just in love! I find her so relatable and hers are the
type of video that I save for when I really need that kick up the butt to get
productive and get some work done. She really spurrs me on to want to make
things. Catherine is another insanely hard worker. I love seeing the behind the
scenes of how she creates and sells her products from coming up with
the concepts and actually creating them and then getting them up for sale,
photographing them... all of that! She's so transparent with that process and I
think that's so useful for aspiring artists and illustrators. She really
shows the realness and the hard work that goes in behind the scenes of being
an artist. Plus she has the most infectious personality, she is like the
embodiment of a ray of sunshine. Okay random fact that's kind of boring but I
love names that end in 'ica', like Erica, Monica, Danica... so I loved Sarica's channel
even before I'd watched her videos. But I discovered her during vlogmas
and she's another one of those people that really draws you in with a warm and
welcoming personality. She's also crazy talented, she mainly does journaling
videos which I know you guys will love, but I also really enjoyed her vlogmas
as well again seeing that behind the scenes of what she does and
how she creates products and stuff like that. Another channel I find really
motivating even though it's in a different kind of art area to what I
would normally be into, that being like conventions and OCs and stuff like
that, is trickywagon. It's another great and different perspective into the
life of a freelancer and products they make and their process and obstacles and
again another really relatable and down-to-earth creator.
Okay the last of my favorite YouTube channels are less art specific but more
channels I turn to for that creative boost and inspiration. It's really great
to consume different media and find inspiration in different places than
just pure art. So the first one is kind of art-related. It is the Baumgartner
Restoration channel. You probably have seen this in your suggested, I've
seen his channel like skyrocket since I subscribed I think he's gained about
200,000 subscribers in like the last month but for good reason. This guy, he
just really carefully and beautifully restores these old paintings he does his
videos just with sound, with the sounds of his studio and the work he's doing
but he also will then re-do the video with a voiceover and you get to hear
just the intricacies of that process I just find it's so fascinating and so
immersive to watch. I just love this channel- the main reason I'm making this
video is because I wanted to mention this channel- I would really
recommend at least watching one of these videos because there's a real art
to it. Okay similar in the creative and
peaceful use of sound is this channel that I can't pronounce. It's a vlog
channel, mainly focused on food I find. There's also a really cute puppy.
But yes, kind of just day-to-day life, no talking, just that ambient noise and- I
don't know- I find it really calming, beautifully shot and great sound
design. Nowness is an interesting one. I don't watch all their videos, I think
they posted every day so some of them are a bit hit-and-miss for me, but I do
like the way they produce their videos. I like just seeing different
artists and different areas and different crafts. I really like
this series that they have that's called In Residence where you get to go inside
of the most beautiful and unique houses and just hear them being spoken about in
a way that's so poetic. The videos just in general are short and artsy and for
some reason, they always just make me feel like I want to create.
And finally, and a little bit of a random one, is fairyland cottage which is a
channel that is kind of about living more sustainably, making things yourself,
respecting and being more a part of nature and relaxing and slowing down and
being more mindful. Niamh has the most calming and warm personality, the most
gorgeous voice and accent, the way the videos are shot is lovely... it's
like a warm bubble bath, watching her videos. Or- I don't know- a hot drink on a
really cold day. Okay, so next we're onto books. The first thing I wanted to
mention is the one I mentioned I think in my 'getting my life together' blog
where I was talking about setting new goals for the year in small achievable steps.
The book is called 'One small step could change your life, the Kaizen
way' it's by Robert Mauer and it's a really concise ,quite succinctly
written, a quick and easy read. Just easy to digest, easy to take actionable steps
afterwards which I always like in those kinds of self-help books and I think
it's a great one for this time of year where we're all looking to
have a fresh start and improve in some way. It's really helped me reevaluate how
I approached my goals and I'm feeling a lot more capable this year and a lot
more hopeful to really take those steps one tiny little increment at a time to
becoming the person I want to be. Okay so JAW Cooper is an artists I'm sure
you all have heard of or at least seen some of her art. She has this beautiful,
fluid, quite natural style that's also- it can be quite almost disturbing, quite
gross and distorted at times. It's just this gorgeous combination of the
grotesque and the beautiful and she recently came out with a collection of
books compiling her recent work. I got this one. This is
Visera. There's a collection of the three books. I really
wanted to get my hands on all of them, this is the only one that I could get my
hands on at that time. And yeah it's just full of really beautiful quality images
of her work, her sketches, some finished paintings and it's a great insight into
her mind as an artist, and it just feels like such an honour to be able to see
that side and be able to see the background behind some pieces of art
that I'm sure you would have seen before. It's a book that I find myself
constantly reaching for when I need that visual stimulation and just a great
snapshot into the mind of an artist- a really talented artist. And in general,
it's just a really beautiful quality art book. So the next book is a book I
received in my PO Box a couple of days ago and this is Book Love by Debbie
Tung. I've already read it front to back, it's basically a collection of comics
about the love of books. I know you guys will love this. Just really
quirky and funny and relatable little comics about bookworms and book life
struggles. The next one is one that's been in my Amazon wishlist for so
long just because it's one that I constantly see being recommended by
professional artists as a kind of guide to get you started in the freelance
world and it's 'How to be an illustrator' by Darrel Rees sent to me by Polo so
thank you so much Polo and thank you for everything! I know I say it a lot but
really, it means so much to have your support. It's been constant and just
unwavering so thank you. And thank you for this, I can't wait to give it a
proper read. I've had a good skim through it and it's just it seems so full of
really useful information so if you guys are looking for kind of a guide to how
to be a professional in this field then I would really recommend this book. So
since we are now on the topic of my PO Box, I will do a few little bits and bobs
I've received over the last few months. It's been a little while since I've done
a PO box unboxing and the main reason for that is with the move and everything
going on, I've got a lot of stuff here there and everywhere. I also would really-
if you do send me anything please give me a way to contact you either
through email or through Instagram because I don't get to show everything
and I would love to be able to send you a message at least to say
thanks. But to start off with, really striking print from Julie Celina,
it's just gorgeous colours, fantastic work. She also sent some of the most detailed
pencil work I've ever seen and this gorgeous original painting of me which
was such a fantastic treat so thank you so much Julie Celina. I will have links as
always to anyone I mentioned in this video, I know you guys will love having a
proper look at these people and their work, so please do go and spread the love
and show them the same support that they've shown to me. Next up is this
really awesome print from Nastasia of an artichoke. I love this graphic style, I
also love the paper that it's printed on. I just- there's something
about the simplicity of this and the use of line weight that just really speaks
to my soul, so thank you so much for this Nastasia! I've got some really cool work
from Faye who was written before so thanks so much for getting back in touch.
Her artwork has just come leaps and bounds since she last messaged me so I'm
so impressed and so proud, it just really looks like she's been consistently
working on improving her art and it really really shows. Even the envelope
that she sent the letter in is beautifully adorned so thanks so much
Faye, lovely to hear from you again. I also received this inktober zine from
Buzzy and a great letter to go along with it. It's always lovely to hear from
you Buzzy so thank you! I love the theme of this zine and just the quality of
work is really something special so thank you! Also got these stickers
from Deandra. These are so cute, you guys have got to go and check out her-
I'll leave her Instagram, I think she has an Etsy shop as well- you've gotta go and
see if you can get your hands on some of these stickers because they're awesome.
And thank you so much for your letter Deandra, I love the little doodles on
here as well. And finally, something I've been really waiting to share with you
guys; I was so lucky to get my hands on Mel Chadwicks little collection of
Porthleven sketches. So this is like a book of postcards made up of some
drawings that she did of the town I believe that she was living in at the
time, I don't know if she still lives there. Mel I watch on YouTube anyway so it was
so amazing to just receive this out of the blue. I'll leave a link to her
channel below. She does great vlogs as well and just beautiful artwork. I love
the style, I love her use of water and line as well so I'm so grateful to
have these. I kind of wanna send them out to people as
postcards but I kind of also just want to keep them for myself. Another cool
thing in here is this 'ten ways to cultivate a sketchbook habit' little
pocket guide where she's got all these little tips illustrated as well. I just
think she's incredibly talented. She also does interviews with creators. Her
channel and her artwork in general are such fantastic resources and I
definitely would recommend that you check her out. But other than that, I
think that is it for this video. If you have any suggestions, any people that you
want to shout out down below, I would really love that. I think would be great
to use this comment section as a place to really share and promote the people
that we think deserve it. And as always make sure you check out the description
for any links to anything you might be interested in. Make sure you go out and
spread the love and I will see you soon for the next video. Bye!