As an artist, I absolutely love being able to observe the creative process of other artists. For me, that’s one of the easiest ways to find inspiration. I feel like it helps me get an intimate look at the mind of an artist — how he thinks, how he makes decisions, and how he finds inspiration. So, it’s no surprise that I’m a sucker for reality TV shows that showcase the artistic process.

I don’t know if you’re the type of person who gets inspiration out of watching other people work, but I figured I’d share a few of my favorite shows with the hopes that some of these artists could help you find inspiration on your next big project. Give these shows a chance the next time you’re lounging in front of the TV. Who knows… maybe they’ll help you come up with your next big idea!

1. Work of Art

The Bravo TV series Work of Art pits artists against each other in a series of contests to see who’s the best artist around. It’s a little bit unusual because artists are usually free from corporations and hoop-jumping, so a huge artist reality TV show kind of goes against the very nature of what it means to be a creative artist. Nonetheless, it’s interesting to see how people tackle bizarre artistic challenges.

It’s kind of similar to what 3D artists have to go through on a daily basis. Have you ever gotten a totally bizarre request from one of your clients? The guys on Work of Art definitely know the feeling.

2. Hot Set

SyFy’s Hot Set pits a team of production artists against each other as they design a movie-ready set. This show is perfect for 3D environment artists because it shows how two different project leaders can take the same assignment and go in opposite directions. How would you design a serial killer’s basement? What about a Martian wasteland? Hot Set shows you how these artists push the boundaries on popular movie settings.

3. Monster Man

3D character artists should get a kick out of Cleve Hall, the central figure in this SyFy show. Hall is in charge of creating all kinds of creepy-looking monsters, from deep-sea squids to alien abominations. One of the things that I like so much about this show is how similar Hall’s work is to clay sculpting. Sometimes, you’ve just gotta put down your mouse or your drawing pad and build something with your hands!

4. FaceOff

FaceOff is easily my favorite of the four. This SyFy show has contestants create original make-up and prosthetics for models. What makes the show so freakin’ great is that most of the characters look like they’re straight out of a video game or some grisly horror movie. In fact, they even have a few episodes where contestants try to emulate video game characters! In this clip the contestants are trying to create characters inspired by the video game Dishonored:

I highly recommend this show if you’re a character artist — it will help you explore your artistic potential as you come up with your next video game monster.