My 16 Favorite Online Painters

A few years ago, I began following more artists on social media. I quickly observed that an unconscious decision to do so resulted in inspiration for creating more art just for the joy of it. It ignited a strong yearning to continue learning and to follow curiosity in the making of art.

After several years, here are sixteen of the most enjoyable and helpful painters I’ve gleaned from. Learning from each of these artists has been like a second art degree program! To be clear, these reflect artists I’ve found personally helpful in my ongoing development in visual arts. They do not represent all artists I look up to or enjoy. They are not all who freely give away tutorials. They are simply ones I’ve come across and go back to. I’m thankful each of them chose to show and tell their work.

If you have any interest in visual arts, check out all of the videos you can by each of these terrific people. These are rabbit trails you want to go down!

Lixin yin

Something clicked in color theory by watching and listening to Lixin Yin. His loosened use of texture, color, and shapes freed me from some of my “stuck-ness” in painting. YouTube. Twitter. Instagram.

Marco Bucci

I’ve enjoyed each and every Marco Bucci, tell-it-like-it-is, tutorial. Bucci, a self-taught artist, clarified color theory for me in a unique way from Yin with his many examples. Additionally, Bucci reacquainted me with the fundamentals of visual art. YouTube. Instagram.

Laura Price (aka Lulu sketches)

Laura Price is a young master with an impressive resume (Disney, etc.). Price works as a visual developer in the animation industry. Not only does she remind me of my sister, her work is just fun to watch come alive! Youtube. Instagram. Twitter.

Aaron Blaise

Aaron Blaise (The Lion King, Brother Bear) is one of the G.O.A.T. in the animation world. I would say Blaise is responsible for reigniting my love for painting. I also feel like I am watching a 90s Disney movie every time I listen to him. He’s the kind of guy I would love to spend a day with painting, grilling, and asking about his life. Youtube. Instagram. Twitter.

Nathan Fowkes

I should stop saying “G.O.A.T.” because there’s too many on this list. Yet, Nathan Fowkes (The Prince of Egypt, Spirit, Shrek Universe, How to Train Your Dragon, The Legend of Puss in Boots) is one of them! Fowkes unlocked for me even more unconventional rules of color theory. I don’t think I retweet anyone more than I do of Fowkes. YouTube. Instagram. Twitter.

James Gurney

If you have any interest in gouache, illustrator James Gurney is your guy! You’ll find a plethora of Gurney’s material all around the internet. His do-it-yourself mentality helped me break out of my own do-it-by-the-rules mode of art-making. Want to make your own easel? Go for it! Gurney helped me also understand that limitations are a good thing in art. Small sketchbook? Details with small brushes? Limited color palette? Limitations are a path to artistic freedom. YouTube. Instgram. Twitter.

Craig Mullins

Craig Mullins is the guy the G.O.A.T.s look up to. I had forgotten about Mullins. About 20-25 years ago, I saw his digital paintings. I was hooked. It might be one of the top contributions which led me to take art as a serious major in art school. Ask any digital artist, they might say the same. I only wish he had more tutorials online! YouTube. Instagram. Twitter.

Angela sung

When I first came across Angela Sung’s (Netflix) work, the colors instantly grabbed my attention. With each post, she always amazed me at how she uses color to create vibrancy. YouTube. Instagram. Twitter.

Tommy Kim

Tommy Kim’s countless instagram gouache paintings converted me to dive into gouache. Out of anyone on this list, Kim’s Domestika course is the only thing I’ve paid money to learn more of! Instagram. Twitter.

Devin Korwin

I came across Devin Korwin via a helpful Twitter thread with some excellent art tips. His use of brushwork inspired me to return to the simplicity of default photoshop brushes. Instagram. Twitter.

Sam spratt

Sam Spratt has the job I wanted in high school: illustrating album covers. I love Spratt’s ability to make digital portraits look like non-digital mediums. Instagram. Twitter.

Tiffanie mang

Once I traveled down the world of gouache painting, I quickly discovered Tiffany Mang. I return to Mang’s many tutorials and process videos to get a grasp of the medium and color theory. YouTube. Instagram.

Joseph Zbukvic

Watercolor master Joseph Zbukvic leaves me speechless. Watching him is like watching art history in action. Even if you don’t paint, gather the family around your streaming device, grab some popcorn, and watch him work! Instagram. Just YouTube his name!

Eudes Correia

Eudes Correia is so fun to watch. Watercolor takes lots of practice. Correia’s ability to paint people so naturally sucked me right in. His tutorials make inspires you to think you might be able to do what he does. YouTube. Instagram.

Alvaro Castagnet

Alvaro Castagnet might be the coolest guy on my list. Castagnet is another one of those untouchable masters of his craft. Both his work and personality screams at me, “just loosen up, Matt! Have fun!” YouTube. Instagram.

Stan Miller

Last, but certainly not least, is Stan Miller. Miller’s work is the kind of work I often pull out my phone, show my wife, and with my jaw slightly dropped say, “Isn’t this amazing?!” Miller, a master watercolor artist, has done the the visual artist world a service with some terrific tutorials. Miller, more than more, showed me how you can use really any color so long as the value is correct. YouTube. Instagram.