Best YouTube Videos for Artists

There is lots of material yielding artistic inspiration on YouTube. Here's a list of a few of my favorites, and I hope they bend your brain into a pretzel. (Or whatever other shape you may desire.) I have listed the links for them at the end of this article. If those don't work, you'll have to trash around on YouTube and find them, using the key words I have provided. Happy hunting ...

My first favorite video is of Picasso painting. This is an amazing video - the cameraman is on one side of a pane of glass, with Picasso and his paints on the other. During the filming, he kids around with the cameraman and peers through different sections of the painting. To track down this video, you could just key in "Picasso painting on glass." There are a few videos of him painting, actually, all of them great, but this one is the best.

Second would be a video called "Latte Art," and I suggest you search for it using those key words. I'm guessing it was produced by a very bored Starbucks barista who was making his 1,000,000^th latte. All I can say is, it's amazing what you can do with some coffee, steamed milk, whipped cream and a bit of chocolate syrup. You'll see bunnies, butterflies, hearts and lots of other kaleidoscopic designs. This coffee addict would like you to check it out!

Third I would recommend "Extreme Sheep LED Art," by the Baa Studs. What do you get when you cross some Welsh filmmakers with some bored shepherds and a flock of very compliant sheep? Sheep covered with Christmas lights making strange patterns on the hills. Check out the "Mona Lisa" by "Leonardo Baa-Vinci." That's it ... I'm calling the ASPCA ...

Fourth - check out Los Angeles sculptor Bruce Gray's "California Dreamin - kinetic motorized rolling ball art," which is a type of Rube Goldberg-ian contraption that draws a metal ball through a twisty, turning sculpture, making music all the while. It is mesmerizing and fun. Key in "Bruce Gray" to hunt this one down.

Fifth - is it an Art Car or Mutant Vehicle? You decide. It's a fine distinction indeed ... This video was taken at last year's Burning Man Festival. Creativity unleashed (on wheels, of course). This one is called "Burning Man Art Cars." After dark, they light up!

This is just a short list of the artists' treasure trove that is YouTube. I encourage you to mess around on it yourself and see what artistic inspiration it yields for you. Good luck!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkRS3wDg1xU (Picasso Painting on Glass)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDZs__m5iAI (Latte Art)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2FX9rviEhw (Extreme Sheep LED Art)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1WRqVFTRag&feature=PlayList&p=7FC96C467626255F&index=32&playnext=3&playnext_from=PL (California Dreamin - kinetic motorized rolling ball art)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yM7Pd1Cpv0 (Burning Man Art Cars)