Do it yourself with five instructional art videos, selected by Virginia Sitzes

Virginia Sitzes, Studio-in-Place artist

Everyone's an expert in the age of the Internet. While that's obviously a bit of an exaggeration, it is true that our unprecedented access to information presents opportunities to learn new skills and master old ones like never before. Whether you need a hand changing the oil in your car or exploring new printmaking techniques, online video tutorials are a great way to expand your capabilities and take things into your own hands.

For today's #FridayFilms installment, Studio-in-Place artist Virginia Sitzes is here with a few of her favorite art-related videos. From rehabilitating your old hoodies to the learning the basics of monoprint, these five tutorials are sure to deliver unmatched inspiration for your weekend art project.

Print and Playlists

How can you not be inspired by music and printmaking? I think it’s important to examine our influences — whether it be books, music or just your everyday surroundings. In this video, Angela Pilgrim challenges artists to listen to other artists, to try and find what they are trying to say to you. Pilgrim is the founder of Fruishun and a founding member of Black Women of Print. Be sure to follow her on Instagram.

Little Red Riding Hoodies

Eva Stalinski is one of my favorites. Her videos and easy-to-understand process featuring household objects will inspire for days. Stalinski is is a Netherlands-based printmaker and illustrator who dabbles in ceramics. Her videos have a lovely DIY air to them, but they are easily digestible and very fun to watch. Here she demonstrates how to jazz up your old hoodie with a cool fairy-tale design.

Real Talk

David Choe is another favorite of mine. Videos by this LA-based artist are light hearted, un-intimidating and incredibly engaging. He uses accessible language with an upfront honesty I admire. It feels familiar to the babble in my own head, in a good way. Check out Choe's videos on his Instagram page.

Small But Mighty

Even short, simple videos can be inspiring. This 38-second video from Print Club London Creative Director Rose Stallard packs quite a punch in a short runtime. Watch as she demonstrates simple techniques to brighten up a monotype print. If that's not enough inspiration, check out the other videos on the Print Club London workshop YouTube playlist.

Peas in a Pod

Inspiration comes from all sorts of places. It doesn't always have to be "art" as we know it. To wrap up today's post, I want to offer readers a dose of inspiration from the YouTube-famous 李子柒 (Li Ziqi). Based in the Sichuan province of China, she gained notoriety from her beautiful videos documenting her life in the mountains growing and preparing the most delicious-looking food.

This video might not be a "how to" in the traditional sense, but following the lifespan of peas from the earth to the dinner plate can offer valuable instruction for artists struggling with finding the patience to look at the big picture. Watching something come from nothing (or from something so little) is very inspiring to me. It’s the earth’s art of creation: producing true incredibleness from a single seed.

Virginia Sitzes is a printmaker, painter and muralist living in Oklahoma City. She is a Studio School instructor and has taught various workshops regionally. Her work has been featured in Art Focus magazine, Barnstorm Literary Journal, Oklahoma Gazette, the Tulsa Voice and the Inspiring Conversations OKC and Whatcha Makin’? podcasts. She has been the drawing and painting liaison for Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain and is also a printmaking mentor for Artspace at Untitled's high school mentorship program. Virginia is also an active arts organizer. She co-founded the emerging artist collective, Art Group OKC, in 2017 and is the operations coordinator for the Connect::Collect international print exchange. She has curated various pop-up shows and events in houses, alternative art galleries, and non-traditional venues.

Tags tags
Friday Films Studio-in-Place Studio School