7 Instagram Artists & Illustrators To Know Before Everyone Else Does

From the student who turned her lockdown drawings into a fully-fledged business to the artist currently adorning bonafide rockstars’ walls, these are the seven Instagram artists to check out before everyone else does.

You no longer have to be a member of the Tate or be invited to Mayfair’s private views to have a hand in the art scene. Instagram has become a go-to place where everyone can share their creative work, be it fashion designers, musicians, or indeed artists.

Those little squares offer a Pandora’s box of new names that are mixing up the art world and now is the time to invest before they hit the big time. Whether you’re looking for something sweet and whimsical to decorate your children’s bedroom with or are after something personal that will add charm to a kitchen wall, here are seven names to check out now…

Mimi Dickson 

@mimidicksonpaintings

We stumbled across this charming young artist via Instagram chef Skye McAlpine’s own feed – who, by the way, also has impeccable interior taste.

Student nurse by day, illustrator in her spare time, Mimi Dickson’s work uses watercolour, gouache and collage to create miniature scenes of the humble kitchen table. Think a breakfast set up of boiled egg and soldiers, Marmite and cafeteria; or all the makings of the perfect date night – oysters, wine, flowers – scribbled onto a gingham linen table cloth.  These are all printed on small-scale prints or greetings cards which make the intricacy of her work sing. 

We also love her Little Libraries series which features the best-loved children’s books painted by hand in pretty watercolour. The pieces are printed on greetings cards but we love them framed in a series and hung in a children’s bedroom too.

www.mimi-dickson.com

Tuft Luck Studio

@tuftluckstudio

Inspired by the likes of Spaghetti Westerns and 1970s pop culture references, Tuft Luck AKA Kara Rose Marshal’s work has a unique but solid signature style running through it. She creates handcrafted rug art of all things equine, from galloping horses to stirrups, woven cotton throws that wouldn’t be out of place in a mid-western ranch and dreamy watercolour paintings of rodeo-type figures.

Kara, herself, is also impossibly cool with a healthy following on Instagram, not only for her artwork but her rock ‘n’ roll inspired fashion too k- which has won her a collaborated with high street brand Warehouse. Plus, with Glasette as a stockist and rockstar fans including Jamie Hince and Miles Kane, we expect Kara’s star to only continue rising.

www.tuftluckstudio.com

Polly Wolly Doodles

@polly_wolly_doodles

We first spotted this Somerset-based artist on writer Katherine Ormerod’s Insta feed – who by the way is a MUST follow for DIY hacks and relatable interiors inspiration – and a deep dive into Polly’s work swiftly followed. She creates the prettiest one-of-a-kind illustrations of florals, hand-painted pieces inspired by the likes of shells and fruit, as well as children’s bedroom artwork of everything from letters to the moon and stars designs.
Slide into her DMs to enquire about a special one-off commission.

Elena Tea of Studio Sogni

@studio.sogni

Instagram has been a huge part of this lockdown success story. During the pandemic, Elena Tea – known as Studio Sogni on Insta – started creating hand-drawn illustrations and prints and showcased them on her feed. A YouTube channel showing behind-the-scenes footage of what it is like to be a modern-day artist followed, as did a successful business she now runs full-time.

Her prints are inspired by food and drink, specifically that of Italian culture, so expect Aperol bottles, bowls of olives and fresh fruits you can almost smell off the page. Her prints feel carefree and make us want to book a holiday to the Amalfi coast immediately.

www.studio-sogni.com

Kenesha Sneed

@tactilematter

Kenesha Sneed is the award-winning multidisciplinary artist and Creative Director behind Tactile Matter, a collection of works that seeks to represent the Black female experience.

Kenesha’s pieces are soft and calming in colour and tone but empowering and important in message.

She also wrote and illustrated her first children’s book Many Shapes of Clay, released in 2021, which follows the story of a young girl experiencing grief, diversity, and family connections and the joys and pain which comes with all of them.

www.tactilematter.com

Rose England

@roseenglandlondon

East London artist, illustrator and print designer, Rose England takes a huge amount of inspiration from some of those iconic scenes that make up being a Londoner, from walks on the Health to Sundays spent picking up blooms at Columbia Road Flower Market, dips in the London Fields Lido to after work Negroni Sbagliatos.

As well as the Big Smoke, her other love lies in flowers, heavily influenced by growing up on her father’s rose farm. So expect plenty of floral-themed pieces to run throughout.

Amberlee Green AKA Line & Honey

@line_and_honey

Whilst Amberlee Green might be a mental health adviser by day, on those little squares she’s a talented illustrator. She started her illustration studio, Line & Honey, in 2017 after completing a master’s degree in psychiatry and wanting to use her skill to create artwork that gave positive representation and inclusion to Black women.

Amberlee’s work is minimal in form but speaks volumes in its messages, bringing unapologetic and honest portrayals of what it means to be a woman of colour.

Check out her website for physical prints, digital design and one-off commissioned projects.

www.lineandhoney.co.uk

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