With 4 million YouTube subscribers, Circle ToonsHD has become a beacon of inspiration for aspiring animators looking to carve their own path in the field.
Christian Brantley, the animator behind Circle ToonsHD and many of its voices, has been creating original content for 10 years that combines his love of animation and passion for pop culture with a mischievous sense of humor.
His signature style features characters resembling charmingly inflated stick figures, capable of expressing a wide range of emotions across all genres. He made funny short videos about the fantasy role-playing game and video game Among Us, where Sony premiered the CGI Sonic the Hedgehog and his Nightmare Teeth.
He works with other creators like rapper bbno$ to create silly videos like “When bbno$ is Your Bard.”
But Circle ToonsHD delves deep into media criticism with a long, horizontal video about the rise of AI and “How ‘better graphics’ killed video games.”
In an interview with Mashable for the Creator Playbook series, Brantley credited his success to his commitment to his craft and his “superpower” of finishing animated videos quickly.
CircleToonsHD bet on himself after discovering his ‘superpower’
This animator, who is always happy to give a kind word or a little advice to up-and-coming content creators, was also happy to share what tools he uses to keep Circle ToonsHD’s work on pace.
What Circle ToonsHD needs to animate
At the top of the list, “tablets are obviously going to be leading the way,” he told Mashable in an interview at Vidcon 2026.
“I use Huion. Huion is a great company. It’s affordable and accessible. Wacom is really good, but it could be more upscale. So, really, really, I fell in love with Huion over Wacom.”
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Credit: unknown
HUION Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) Drawing Tablet
Second, it’s a good smartphone.
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“I base a lot of my work on photographs,” Brantley explained. [is necessary]. I’m obsessed with Samsung’s cell phone series. In fact, I was creating illustrations that moved on the screen, like puppet animation, so I shot a lot of the content with my smartphone. So it’s really big. ”
Similarly, Brantley recommended a “good computer” and added that the right software is essential.
“I know Adobe is a terrible company. It’s weird because I’ve discontinued Animate half the time, but Adobe Animate is great. It’s like a child of a program that I’m very confident in.”
He added, “I’m pushing MS Paint, not because it’s good, but because it’s one of the quickest ways for people to start drawing, practicing, and doing a little doodle. And ironically, that’s kind of where my love of digital art started. So now that people are drawing, maybe it’s being pushed into different phone apps. But MS If you can make cool things with paint, you’ll actually be a fun creative.”
“Drawing gloves are also a must, so your hands will glide,” says Brantley. His favorite is Huion’s work.
Credit: Ian Moore/Mashable/Huion/Adobe/Microsoft/Shure
What is the best equipment for creating animation audio?
Brantley uses a Shure SM7B microphone.
“For my voice actors, this is very important, and CloudLifter is no different. It increases the level of voice acting. It’s a little expensive, but it’s also a very good jump if you really want to jump into the world of voice acting,” he explained.
Credit: Cloud Mic
What are the must-have apps for Circle ToonsHD?
YouTube is a major hub for both full-length and short-form animation, but I’m increasingly interested in Instagram.
“I’ve been really into Instagram lately,” Brantley said. “In the vertical space, art, animation and creative are kind of booming and exploding on Instagram.”
More than that, he considers Instagram an essential networking tool.
“At VidCon, we realized it was almost like a business card,” he explained, “and it was like, ‘Can I get your Instagram? Why don’t we exchange content? Let’s create something.'” The amount of content and videos created by engaging people on Instagram is in the dozens, so it’s a great place to be. ”
“If you’re not growing Instagram, even if you’re not creating content on Instagram, it’s a very good business card,” he concluded.
Check out Mashable’s complete coverage of VidCon 2026, including creator interviews, panel highlights, and reports from the convention floor.
The above interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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