Meet the innovative social media artists who broke the mould in 2018
Anything could be a canvas to these amazing artists, from a bee’s wings to an Etch A Sketch to their own faces.
With many of the world’s most innovative artists using social media to showcase their work, the likes of Instagram, Twitter and Reddit were awash with creativity in 2018.
Here are some of the creators who took the internet by storm over the last 12 months.
1. The Vinyl Virtuoso
Melissa Cotton using coloured pencils to create vibrant and unusual portraits on secondhand vinyl records, which have earned her some high-profile followers – including David Bowie’s film director son Duncan Jones.
She told the Press Association: “I just work at a supermarket and draw in my free time, so it’s completely surreal to me that my drawings are seen by anyone else at all let alone people from all over the world – and sometimes the actual musicians that I’ve drawn. David Bowie’s son was definitely unexpected and a huge compliment. I was so happy with how that one turned out.”
2. The Living Cartoon
Annie Thomas, a 28-year-old make-up artist from Pennsylvania, creates incredibly accurate paintings of famous cartoon characters on her face.
She said: “I just have so much passion for breathing life into these characters and fully embodying them, to me, is the highest form of tribute.”
3. The Coffee Creator
Giulia Bernardelli, an artist from Italy, uses spilt coffee to create detailed paintings of animals, faces, and landscapes.
The artist, who studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, incorporates coffee cups and spoons into the pieces, and uses toothpicks, fingers, and small spoons to create the work.
4. The Lego Master
Teun de Wijs works at a science museum by day, and by night constructs incredible Lego automata.
Many of them feature some sort of trick or illusion, and all of them are incredibly cool – no wonder, then, that he’s developing quite a following online.
“The positive response has been overwhelming,” he told the Press Association. “Lego people are sweethearts.”
5. The Penny Painter
Bryanna Marie creates tiny artwork with pennies as her canvas, painting landscapes, animals, and animated film characters on to coins.
She said: “I started painting on pennies back in 2015. It was the challenge of such a small painting surface that intrigued me. I honestly wanted to see if I had a steady enough hand to accomplish all the fine details.”
6. The Picasso Of Pebbles
Self-taught artist Akie Nakata from Japan paints adorable and intricate animals on to pebbles. something she’s done since 2011.
She said: “When I find a stone, I feel that stone, too, has found me. Stones have their own intentions, and I consider my encounters with them as cues they give me it’s okay to go ahead and paint what I see on them.”
7. The Queen Of Nature
Katie Brooks, a university student from North Carolina, went viral for her creating incredibly intricate paintings on found natural objects, including the backs of leaves, feathers and even bumblebee wings.
She told the Press Association: “After working with seashells, I began to see everything as a canvas … I love the idea that I am not the sole artist behind my work, I’m just collaborating with the artistry displayed around us!”
8. The Pottery Activist
Lee Cartledge, of Bentham Pottery, used his chosen artform to express his political views by making a Brexit-themed mug complete with holes in its sides.
“You always associate cups of tea with the British public and it was quite an inoffensive way to explain how I felt about the whole Brexit scenario,” Cartledge told the Press Association.
“It looks brilliant but when you actually use it it’s not so good.”
9. The Make-Up Artist
Make-up artist Georgina Ryland paints incredibly detailed artwork, often inspired by films and TV shows, on her skin.
The artist from Brisbane, Australia, said: “I am self-taught in my body painting and it will always be my most favourite area.”
10. The Biro Prodigy
Mostafa Khodeir creates incredible portraits using ballpoint pens that you could mistake for photographs.
The artist from Egypt can take two to three months to create the portraits with a standard Biro pen.
11. The Book Whiz
James Trevino from Romania creates unique photographs that incorporate his enormous book collection.
The literary themed photos include hundreds of multi-coloured books all from the artist’s personal collection, and he said: “I get inspired by pop culture most of the time: movies, TV series, cartoons and animes.”
12. The Etch A Sketch King
In September, Ryan Burton, a construction worker from Chattanooga, Tennessee, took Reddit by storm thanks to his incredible Etch A Sketch skills.
He told the Press Association: “I think Reddit responded so enthusiastically because everyone has fond memories of the toy but also remember the difficulty in using it.”
