In this post you will learn what I did to create a successful Youtube channel on the topic of drawing and painting.
Hello Fellow Creators!
It is my goal to help you see a clear path on how to develop your own Youtube channel on whatever you are passionate about. Be ready though, my journey wasn’t quick and it wasn’t easy but I managed to have fun along the way.
I started my channel way back in 2011. I posted a couple of videos and then went dormant like many video creators do. That idea of getting no views and no likes seems to discourage most of us at the start.
I decided early on that even if I didn’t get “Youtube Famous” I would keep creating the videos because they were fun and I saw the opportunity to share my artwork with my fellow artists.
My first videos were screen captures of my drawing or painting process that I would speed up and add music from the Youtube Audio Library.
I enjoyed watching those types of videos from artists that I admired so I figured maybe some beginner artists would like to watch mine. It wasn’t a fast track to success but I draw everyday anyways, I might as well share the work as I go.
As I started to watch the views go up slowly I was seeing the potential to keep the channel growing. I also kept responding to comments and learning from my audience.
Tip # 1 — Listen to Your Audience and Help Them Every Chance You Get. They will Guide You to What Works
I remember a few comments asking me to create “How to Draw Comics” tutorials. I thought I was responding properly by adding step by step videos that were time lapsed with music.
I was quickly corrected by some of my viewers and I am glad they took the time to enlighten me. Multiple comments came in telling me that the videos were too fast and that they weren’t a good format for “How to videos”.
So I finally bit the bullet and jumped into the world of narrations. I started with a Logitech headset that I had from my gaming computer. Now I was playing with the big boys! Not really but sometimes you have to fake it before you make it.
My early videos were pretty bad but they all taught me something along the way. There really is no such thing as failure. We either succeed or we learn what not to do.
I also wanted to inspired people to see the growth in their artwork over time. Here is a video where I show the changes in my work by being consistent –
Tip #2 — Audio is a Huge Part of the Equation
As I continued on my journey another comment I kept seeing was, “Your audio is too low” and “You need to fix your audio.”
I didn’t really know how to go about this so I began watching tons of Youtube videos on audio editing and various editing softwares.
I did my best to fix things as I made new videos but the comments kept showing up so apparently I wasn’t addressing the issue properly.
It wasn’t until I picked up a Blue Yeti with a swing arm, a pop filter, and a mic cover that I was finally getting some pretty good audio.
Looking back I should have done that way sooner. The difference in audio was massive and you really want to eliminate as many distractions as possible since audience retention is the key metric on almost every platform.
Tip#3 — Post Frequently and Consistently
I know this is an obvious one but let me clarify a bit more on why you need to be consistent.
It relates to the attention span of your audience and the sheer volume of content creators out there. Everyone wants this job, right?
So how do you keep your audience engaged and supporting your content? You deliver on a schedule just like your favorite TV show. You probably wouldn’t watch your show if they released an episode once every other month.
This also shows your subscribers that you are invested in this joureny with them. Treat it like a hobby and it will remain a hobby. Treat it like a career and it will become your career.
I would recommend publishing a video at least once a week and two times a week if you want to speed up your growth. Remember you can also repurpose your content if this seems like too much work for you.
Here is an example — 1 Youtube video = 1 Blog Post = 2 to 3 Social Media Posts.
This also helps to link content together across the internet and build authority faster.
Tip #4 Collaborate with Other YouTubers
This is by far the quickest way to grow your channel besides getting lucky and creating a viral video.
This benefits you and the other channel so find like minded creators with similar size audiences to work with.
Send them an invite to work together and either work on a video together or create content for each other’s channel.
I was extremely lucky to be able to work with Draw with Jazza on a video for his channel. He is an amazing artist and Youtuber and it was kind of him to work with me considering his channel is much larger than mine.
Years later I was also able to work with David Finch on a couple of livestreams and it was amazing! I have been a huge fan of his work for years and it was unreal to be able to hang out and draw with him online.
So never underestimate your reach by creating video content and be open to working with others.
Tip #5 Don’t Obsess Over the Analytics and the Money
This is something that I wish I could have told my younger self. I started to get way too obsessed over the plethora of analytic data that Youtube provides.
I also wanted to make some real money like so many other Youtubers brag about making. Don’t let that cloud your judgement.
Do this because you are excited to be doing this. Do this because you love what you do. Don’t do this because you want lots of money. Besides, you are more likely to succeed when you are energetic and excited about what you do.
Youtube ad revenue is extremely small for a channel like mine anyways. At my highest viewed months I was only making about $450-$500.
Don’t worry, I will show you why that amount doesn’t matter later in this post.
Besides if you keep going down that road of more views more money you will probably fall into the click bait category. I am in this to teach people how to draw and how to be a successful full time artist. Not to make a million dollars.
“I want to love the life that I live, not the money that I make.”
— Some more of the back story to my Youtube Journey! —
So now that I have been making videos for about 3 years at this point I was starting to get more and more momentum.
I was creating more and more narrated “How to” content and I was starting to get offers from other businesses that wanted to work together.
I was also starting to get affiliate offers to promote other peoples products and services.
I turned a lot of them down because I just didn’t think they were real offers and I still had my own business to run.
I was the owner/operator at a sign and graphics studio that I started named, “Ram Studios Signs and Graphics.” I had that business for 15 years but I was tired of the long hours and all the overhead.
So I finally decided to respond back to one of the offers that I received. It was a company called Tuts Plus by Envato. They offered me a paying gig as a course instructor.
I honestly didn’t feel qualified for that. I was just a guy making videos in my basement to show people that anyone can draw if they put their mind to it.
I took the offer and worked with an editor and began making courses. They had me create content for them for about 6 months and I was able to make some really good money.
I started to see some real potential on earning money online and ultimately was able to shut down my business and go full time as an artist and online teacher.
This offer gave me the confidence I needed to start making my own course content and Youtube gave me the audience to help sell my courses.
So my main point here is to show that the Youtube ad revenue is actually a small piece of the pie. The real power is in the growth of your brand and business.
Some other offers that came from producing Youtube videos are teaching classes on Skillshare and illustrating a book called, “Learn to Draw Action Heroes,” published by Penguin Random House.
These are all things that came from consistently creating videos on Youtube and building an audience of like minded individuals.
Tip #6 — Focus on the Long Term Growth of Your Brand
If I had been judging my success on the views and analytics of the videos alone I would have given up a long time ago.
Instead I saw the opportunity to grow my brand and share the art that I love to create. To me this was a win win.
I also noticed that some videos did better than others but I couldn’t always pin point why. I simply tried to answer the questions that my audience had asked of me and give them more on those topics.
For every 10 videos that did okay there would be one that would jump in popularity. It wasn’t always a 10/1 ratio but they definitly didn’t always perform the same.
I finally had a couple big wins on the Youtube side of things but again it was never my focus. To me it was just an added bonus.
To date this has by far been my best video. It is called, “How to Draw Heads — Dividing it into Thirds.”
This video has been viewed over 2.5 million times and has earned over 5k in ad revenue. It also added 47k subscribers over the course of 6 years.
This is my closest example of a viral video but it really isn’t by today’s standards. It was still a great success for a small channel like mine.
Keep in mind I have created 900 Youtube videos over the past 12 years. I was bound to have at least a couple of wins here and there.
This is why I always tell people that they can find success if they work hard enough. Usually working hard is easy when you love what you do, so always pursue something you are passionate about.
The passion that drives you will be paramount when things get tough. I have been self employed since I was 25 years old and with every business I was involved in, times got tough.
It is harder than ever to stand out in the crowd so you have to be willing to outwork your competition. You also have to be willing to adapt to an ever changing landscape.
Tip #7 — Video Editing is Essential to Youtube Success
When I first started my Youtube channel I simply time lapsed a video with some audio and uploaded the content. Today, content on Youtube has gotten much more refined.
You have to mix in transitions, audio effects, a cool intro, and even some animations if you want to keep your audience engaged.
This doesn’t apply to everyone that is watching but it is pretty obvious that the Youtube algorithm favors fast upbeat content that keeps people engaged.
Look at your competition and see what works well for them. If they employ these methods then you might need to as well. Also, read their comments so that you know what their audience likes and what they do not.
Video Editing Programs
I use the Adobe Cloud Suite since it gives me access to all the tools that I need to create a variety of effects and overlays.
Most of the work can be done in Adobe Premiere Pro and there are tons of other options to choose from.
One final tip is to use something like Handbrake to compress your videos. It saves a massive amount of time and space on your hard drive.
Handbrake is a free open source program.
Bonus Tip! Beware of Trolls!
As you gain a following and your channel grows you will begin to get a couple of trolls here and there. It is a natural part of the process.
You can please some of the people most of the time and most of the people some of the time but you will never please all the people all of the time.
It can be tempting to believe all of the good comments that you get but be careful, if you believe the goods comments it is likely that you will also believe the bad ones as well.
The trick is to take negative comments and turn them into positives. Look for anything constructive that might be in there. If it is purely mean and negative, try to not let it bother you.
Be confident in your mission and use empathy to move past it. We never know what that person might be battling in their lives. Empathy can give us the strength to not give in to being a reactionary and emotional person.
I’m not saying its easy but if you really expect to reach a lot of people with your content it is bound to happen. Be strong and stay the course. Your true fans will have your back and they are the ones that matter. Not the trolls!
I hope that this post has been helpful for you to read. I truly believe that anyone can achieve the type of success that I have found by becoming a Youtube creator.
It has allowed me to be a full time content creator from my home office for over 10 years now. I am truly lucky and I wish you the same good fortune!
Thank you for reading and good luck on your journey!
Robert A. Marzullo
Ram Studios Comics
Author/Illustrator of the book, “Learn to Draw Action Heroes.”
Creator of the Blackstone Eternal Comic Book
You can view my Youtube channel here — Make sure to subscribe! 😉
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