Spending time on Vine often feels less like using an app and more like you’re flipping TV channels on your phone. The video-sharing platform has its own A-list of stars—from King Bach and Lele Pons to Nash Grier and Cameron Dallas—who churn out six-second viral loops for an audience of millions.
But nearing their orbit are a cadre of lesser-known Vine artists who are experimenting with the medium in a number of new and exciting ways. Everyone from artists to DIY masterminds to chefs are translating their skills to a platform that once seemed restricted to memes and physical comedy.
Here are our favorite under-the-radar Vine channels to follow.
1) Pinot
New York-based motion graphic artist Wahyu Ichwandardi, who goes by the pen name Pinot on Vine, is by no means obscure. The master animator has crafted Vine campaigns for companies like BBC, Virgin, and Disney. But Pinot’s channel has spawned few worthy imitators because of his sheer range of his animation skills.
Pinot’s time-lapsed sketches range from whimsical to downright surreal, especially when the camera veers outside his sketchpad and incorporates elements of the real world. For an example, see this Vine co-starring Shia LeBeouf and Kluk, a hand-drawn chicken that reoccurs in Pinot’s animations. His expertly crafted loops condense what is likely hours of work into a six-second timespan. The artist recently posted a Vine animation that featured 22 illustrations of Rey from Star Wars.
2) Mitchell Cohen
Dancer Mitchell Cohen describes himself as “self-taught.” You’d never guess it.
Cohen’s captivating vines are notable not just for his dancing skills, but for his almost laughably everyday choice of settings. Cohen will dance in front of his garage, in his school’s hallways, or in an empty cafeteria. Rather than donning dance threads, Cohen opts instead for the everyday American middle-school uniform of jeans and a sweatshirt or a button-down. Imagine if your 7th grade lab partner put his beaker down and started busting some professional-level dance moves. That’s how it feels to watch Mitchell Cohen dance.
3) T. Kyle
You may know T.Kyle as the mastermind behind a Tumblr by the name of Reality TV GIFs. Kyle’s expertise in capturing the perfect pop culture moment to describe an entirely different pop culture moment can be seen on his Vine channel. His remixes are cheeky and original; see his Britney Spears and Sarah Palin mashup for a meeting of the worlds that would have occurred to no one else but T.Kyle.
4) Aleksandra Forys
For a lesson on how to fit a DIY tutorial in a six-second timeframe, just look to Polish Vinester Aleksandra Forys. Her DIY vines cover beauty, crafts, and baking, and she will occasionally toss a meme or joke on her channel for good measure. Her bright and engaging loops incorporate stop-motion video to depict elaborate concepts in just a flash. See this vine on a DIY poinsettia jar for a great example.
5) Shakira Rocks
Chef Shakira Rocks is an avid practitioner of #vinewhatyoucook. Rocks has served up a delicious collection of vines that strike a good balance between sweet and savory. One day she might be grilling up a rib-eye steak. Another day she might bake an ombre cake. Her Vine channel is a fascinating look at a chef’s cooking process that doubles as inspiration for any culinary enthusiast.
Correction: This story incorrectly stated that Pinot is currently based in Kuwait; he is based in New York.
Illustration by Jason Reed
