Below is a collection of some of the best YouTube art channels for teachers and students. The goal is to help with art integration efforts in class and to boost students artful thinking. The channels, most of which are created by art teachers and artists, feature video tutorials and step-by-step guides covering various art skills including painting, drawing, sketching, digital art making, watercolor painting, and more.
This post is part of a series of posts covering educational art resources for use with students in class or at home. As I have always stated, the teaching and learning of art should never be restricted to art classes. In fact, art is an interdisciplinary subject whose methodology supports various ways of representation and thinking.
Besides developing key creative and critical thinking skills, art also boosts expressive communication and builds intercultural bridges thus promoting values of co-existence, tolerance, diversity, and multiculturalism; values that we are in dire need of in this war-ridden era.
Art Channels on YouTube
Here are some of the best YouTube art channels for teachers and students.
1. Art for Kids Hub
Art for Kids Hub offers art lessons perfect for any age. Some of the things students learn from the video content of this channel include how to draw sport athletes, how to draw back to school, how to draw famous historical people, how to draw sharks, how to draw summer stuff and many more.
2. Mary Doodles
In this channel, artist Mary shares her passion for drawing and art. She shares video tutorials and step by step guides covering how to create sketchbooks, how to use ink paintings, how to draw with your weak hand, tips on watercolor paintings, and man more.
3. Mr. Schuette ‘s – Art Class
In this channel, Mr. Schuette, an elementary art teacher, shares how-to-videos, tutorials, guides, and ideas to help students develop various art skills. From tips on how to draw a 3D box to tips on how to easily make spin art, the channel has tons of art video content ideal for any classroom setting.
4. That Art Teacher
In this channel, the public school art educator Sierra Machado shares art videos for teachers, students, and art aficionados. Her playlists include DIY, contour drawing, india ink, Op art, sculpture, landscape, oil painting, oil pastel, clay, and more.
5. The Art of Aaron Blaise
The Art of Aaron Blaise is a YouTube channel by artist Aaron Blaise where he shares tips on painting and art. His playlists include pen and ink drawings, animation, live demos, art tips, TVPaint demos and tutorials, and more.
6. Drawing & Painting – The Virtual Instructor
Artist and teacher Matt Fussell, the creator of Drawing & Painting channel, offers video tutorials to help people learn the skills of drawing and painting. Playlists include watercolor lessons, pastel lessons, colored pencil lessons, drawing techniques, painting lessons, graphite pencil lessons, acrylic painting lessons, and many more.
7. Art with Trista
Art with Trista is a channel created by an art teacher with over 20 years of teaching experience. The channel features Trista’s art lessons she designed for her students. ‘The videos feature art resources for teachers or parents, art projects for kids of all ages, as well as elementary art lessons, middle school art lessons, high school art lessons or just fun art activities for anyone looking to try something new. This is a great tool for art educators to use to preview a lesson, review a lesson or as a sub plan.’
8. The National Gallery of Art
This is the official YouTube channel for the National Gallery where students can ‘discover the stories behind the world’s greatest paintings and artists from the 13th to early 20th centuries. Enjoy interviews with leading art experts, live recordings of talks and events, and insights into our latest exhibitions.’
9. The Art Sherpa
The Art Sherpa features lessons and video tutorials to help students and everyone interested in art to learn painting. Sherpa’s classes are ideal for all ages and levels and do not require prior drawing skills. Playlists include: how to paint hummingbird and flower step by step, complete beginner Acrylic painting course, how to paint poppies step by step, how to paint a barn in Acrylic step by step, how to paint dogs, and more.
10. Proko
Proko is a YouTube channel created by Stan Prokopenko, an artist and teacher. Proko features video resources and tutorials by both Stan and other instructors focused on drawing. Students will learn how to draw demos and time lapses, how to draw hands, learn about the art of caricature, explore traditional painting, learn digital painting, and more.
11. Smart History
The Smart History channel features videos covering world class resources on art and cultural objects from all around the world. Smart History ‘takes you inside museums and engages in conversations about how to interpret and understand the images you’re seeing.’ Its playlists include Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Center for Netherlands Art, American South, Siena, Detroit Institute of Art, Byzantine Art, the Wallace collection, Crystal Bridges Museum of American art, and more.
12. The Art Assignment
The Art Assignment is ‘a weekly PBS Digital Studios production hosted by curator Sarah Urist Green’ covering art and art history. Playlists include: art assignments for the self-quarantine, assignments you can do with kids, design assignments and prompts, performance art assignments and prompts, assignments for drawing, assignments with sculpture, photography art assignments, and more.
13. The Met
The Met hosts over ‘5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions across the globe can also experience the #MetAnywhere through ]Met’s] robust website, digital collection, and virtual events.’
14. Smithsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum presents art collections of the American people spanning three centuries. These collections include American art moment series, teacher workshops, artists engage with the environment series, artist explore identity and representation series, SAAM exhibitions, Because of her story: featured women artists, artist respond to pivotal events, artists showcase community and place, and more.
15. The Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) hosts over 200.000 artworks made up of sculpture, painting, drawings, prints, photography, design, architecture, media, and performance. MoMA’s playlists include painting and sculpture, film, architecture and design, photography, conservation, how to see, at the museum, MoMA virtual views, and more.
Final thoughts
I hope you’ve found this collection of YouTube art channels insightful and inspiring for both teachers and students looking to deepen their understanding of art and improve their practical skills. Let these channels be your gateway to integrating art more fully into your educational practices, enhancing your students’ artful thinking, and enriching their learning experiences.
