A compendium of the coolest people on the web!
Jump to section:
ANIMATORS
DigiLuxe Recreational Video
A 3D animator who can authentically mimic the style of 90s CGI. His videos feel like they are FMVs from some obscure and forgotten video game, and his custom soundtracks give them an intriguingly mysterious atmosphere.
YouTube • SoundCloud
world4jack
An absolute legend whose low poly, low res animations started off pretty crude but he quickly developed a very strong and unmistakable style and is now one of the coolest animators out there. I feel like this guy's gonna be famous one day - already I see a lot of people replicating his style.
YouTube • Website • Instagram
FroginatorArt
A talented mixed media animator. He uses 2D primarily, but also doesn't shy away from the use of claymation and awesome physical puppets, as well as occasional 3D. His main series is the scifi western comedy "The Looter", but every so often he also publishes other offbeat and strange works.
YouTube • Twitter
Ben Wheele
An animator who doesn't shy away from grotesque imagery. Normally this is something I'm not a fan of, but some of his works have such creative and unique concepts delivered with such high quality that I can't help but admire them. He's most famous for his "Henry Eats" animation, but the two videos below are much better in my opinion.
YouTube • Instagram
jordan go to sleep
Previously known as "Jordan Underneath" and "Jordan's House", this channel started out as a typical YouTube gaming channel before taking an unexpected but welcomed pivot into the territory of weird puppet videos and 3D animations. They place a heavy emphasis on atmosphere and exploration, and you can easily get lost in the mysterious worlds that are depicted.
YouTube
Rowlo
Another animator who works in multiple mediums. The art style and humor of his work creates a very charming atmosphere, but at the same time it can be very bizarre. It's a cool little channel.
YouTube • Linktree
vewn
A 2D animator with a distinctly sketchy and warped style. This artstyle is a perfect match for the subject matter of vewn's animations, which are often satirical and exaggerated depictions of the modern dystopia we live in.
YouTube • Instagram
Andy Land
Andy Land works in 2D and 3D, foregoing anti-aliasing in favor of an instantly recognizable style that is both colorful and expressive. Despite the expectations that such an artstyle may bring with it, his work can sometimes be quite dark and eerie. I strongly recommend checking out the demo for Endacopia, a game that he is currently working on.
YouTube • Endacopia Demo • Website
Jack Stauber
You've probably heard of this guy before. Mainly a musician, Jack also happens to be a very talented animator who works in pretty much every medium under the sun. The tone of his work is highly varied - funny, freaky, calming, crazy - you name it. As a result, I had trouble choosing which two videos to embed below, so I recommend taking a stroll through his YouTube channel to really get a proper sense of his range.
YouTube • Bandcamp
PilotRedSun
Known for his "bad on purpose" animation style, his work is strange and surreal, sort of like what it feels like to be in a dream. Besides his weird animations, he also makes some pretty damn good music.
YouTube • Bandcamp • Tumblr
Worthikids
Worthikids mainly makes fun and silly 2D animations, such as his "Bigtop Burger" series. He has also made several 3D animations that are styled to look like old Rankin-Bass stop motion animation. This stylization is extremely effective and impressive, and it just goes to show how talented he is.
YouTube • Twitter
YouTube Channels
c90adventures
A man who chronicles his adventures around the world via motorbike. Much more interesting than a typical travel vlog, in fact his videos are a treat to watch. Recently, he made a series where he attempts to ride 1000 miles through a desert in a tiny novelty Mini Jeep.
Channel • Website
Weird Explorer
You ever wonder how many different kinds of fruit there are in the world? Probaby not. But it turns out there's a lot, more than anyone could ever eat in one life. But if there's one person who's tried more kinds of fruit than anyone else, it's this guy. This channel is a good rabbithole to fall down when you're feeling bored.
Channel • Website
Captain Disillusion
Edutainment! Captain Disillusion is a VFX expert who teaches about digital special effects in a novel and entertaining way. He mainly focuses on debunking viral videos - with surgical precision, he dissects a believable looking video and shows the special effects that were used behind the scenes. But those aren't the only kinds of videos he makes, in general if you want to learn about the intricacies of VFX in a fun way, check this guy out.
Channel • Website
ThorHighHeels
A chill gaming channel with cool graphic design. His videos cover games you won't see talked about on any other channel, usually via long-form content covering bundles of obscure games at a time. The way he narrates these videos can sometimes be hard to follow, almost like a flow consciousness at times, but it's always an enjoyable journey. And he makes cool music.
Channel
Posy
A channel that mostly focuses on interesting older tech, but it covers plenty of other subjects too. If you're a fan of channels like "LGR" or "Technology Connections", you'll probably like this guy. He doesn't use stock footage and makes all the music you hear in his videos, and it's all extremely professional feeling. A really great channel.
Channel • Bandcamp
n0Rtist
I don't even play Pokemon and I still like watching these videos. Basically, this channel is made by someone who is in the process of designing his own Pokemon-inspired game where all the creature designs are based off of STEM topics. His videos showcase his own original monster designs alongside redesigns of existing Pokemon, and then he delivers a mini science lesson explaining the concepts behind said designs. It's both informative and interesting.
Channel • Twitter
Misc Creatives
C. M. Kosemen
A Turkish artist, author and researcher - among other things. He is most well known for creating the scifi novel "All Tomorrows" as well as his other works in the speculative evolution genre such as "Snaiad" and "All Yesterdays". But his body of work is much wider than that: numerous published books about real world history and culture, a robust library of surreal paintings, urban exploration videos, and of course his entertaining YouTube channel. His website is a good jumping off point as it acts as a sort of hub for everything he's done.
Website • YouTube
Zombeaver
An individual who preserves forgotten old video games and makes them easy to play on modern systems. His website contains a treasure trove of obscure 90s games all neatly packaged in a way that lets you play them without needing to know how to emulate or create a system image or any of that stuff.
Website
Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute
A group of people who have gone out of their way to categorize and describe pretty much every discernible visual aesthetic that appeared in mainstream culture over the past fifty years or so. Browsing through their website is a great way to familiarize yourself with the numerous styles that have come and gone over the years, and it may also be a source of nostalgia depending on when you were born.
Website
Bogleech
A beloved website, over 20 years old and still getting updated, which explores the world of creepy, gross and weird creature designs. If you are one of those people who loves Halloween and monsters, this website is a must-visit for you. There are hundreds of articles to read which look at monster designs from movies, toys, video games... and from real life, too! And then there's all of the original projects that the site owner has created. Mortasheen, a grotesque worldbuilding project. Awful Hospital, a webcomic. Don't Get Spooked, a choose-your-own-adventure story. The list goes on. There's so much to explore here, it's really inspiring and was actually the website that made me decide what direction I wanted to take my own site in.
Website
