Proko

Stanislav "Stan" Prokopenko, better known online as Proko, is an Ukrainian-American artist, art instructor, podcaster, and YouTuber who resides in San Diego, California. He started his channel in 2012 to post his art tutorials. Since 2012 the Proko studio has grown and amassed 2 million+ subscribers and includes tutorials on multiple subjects relating to art. 
==Education & Experience==
Stan started to take art classes at the age of 13. When he was a teenager he worked as an intern at Sony Computer Entertainment and worked on the video game animation for the 2004 game Everquest II. He also created the short animated film A Game of Pool the same year. In 2002, he enrolled at Watts Atelier of the Arts in Encinitas, California, to study animation and painting. He became certified to teach art at the same university in 2007; he also taught art at the Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego.
==Channel==
Stan hosts most of the videos on his channel. Sometimes different artists host if they specialize in the topic the video covers. Guest hosts include: Marshall Vandruff, Aaron Blaise, Court Jones, Cesar Santos, Kim Jung-Gi, Glenn Vilppu and more. His tutorials are humorous and often include the character Skelly, a 3D animated skeleton model who often cracks jokes to the annoyance of the host. The tutorials include live sketches, abstractions, and live models to help visualize and simplify the subject. 
Subjects covered by the Proko channel include, but are not limited to: 
* Drawing Fundamentals 
* Shading 
* Perspective 
* Anatomy 
* Gesture & Figure Drawing 
* Caricature 
* Character Design 
* Digital Painting 
* Sculpture & 3D Modeling 
* General Motivation & Career Advice 
Stan also uploads art vlogs of him drawing or painting a certain subject as well as interviews with successful artists. 
==Personal life==
Stan was born in Odesa, Ukraine. His family moved to the United States when he was 6. He is married and has kids. 
== Trivia ==
* He hosted the art podcast Draftsmen with co-host Marshall Vandruff, which ran from May 28, 2019, to December 14, 2021, ending with 3 seasons.
* He co-founded the NFT studio Little Bang Inc. with the artist Scott Flanders. 
Category:Animation YouTubers
Category:Art YouTubers
Category:Educational YouTubers
Category:Vlogging YouTubers
Category:Ukrainian YouTubers
Category:Users who joined in 2007
Category:One million subscribers
Category:Two million subscribers
Category:Three million subscribers