In September, we turned 4!! WOOOOOOO! :D :D :D Can you believe it? ArtistAnd was created just before the pandemic, we grew during a really difficult online time and now we're entering our 5th year of business. It's been quite a rollercoaster and what an amazing journey. Along the way, I've met so many of you, watched you develop skills you never thought possible and made some really amazing and unexpected friendships. We had so many people come and support us, from the online penciliers who have been with me since day dot, to the in-person crew who are forming friendships and memories and som ..read more

I'm trying a new art project for an event idea and here's how it's going so far... A lot of frustration, some self-doubt, lots of wasted paper and trials and eventually a result I think is ready to run to market! It's never easy starting something new. The concept may feel great, but in reality, there are always way too many logistics to think about that it makes you doubt whether you want to continue or not. For this project, I was inspired by a magician. How do art and magic connect you ask? Well, I watched a man walk around the room at an event and he made everyone smile and laugh and kept ..read more

Written for The Future Strategy Club You don’t have to be on your own if you’re working for yourself. You don’t need to feel like you are the only one carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, and you don’t need to employ a whole bunch of staff to make it feel less daunting. All you need are your people. Here's how my friends and family support small business. Coming from someone who never envisaged becoming an entrepreneur, there were times when I felt completely overwhelmed by all the roles a business owner needed to undertake. I would often feel like the role was too big for me ..read more

An exploration of photography Vs realistic art. Don’t worry, this isn’t some sort of mid-career breakdown. This is a question I think about a lot, and I want to explore the perception of this. As a realistic artist, my purpose and mission is to represent nature as we see it from our eyes onto a 2D surface. I learn to copy nature's lines, to see her colours, and to translate what I see with my eyes onto my canvas. For me, there’s nothing more satisfying than painting realistically. Capturing someone’s likeness and showing the true colours of the world rather than the stereotypes we associate wi ..read more

There are many different styles of #drawing that are meditative and calming, and we wanted to show you some of these examples. Here are 4 techniques that will help you fall in love with art without any need to be an ‘expert’. Bullet Journal Mandala Drawing Adult Colouring Books Doodling From bullet journalling and mandala art, to doodling and colouring books, we believe there is something out there for you to fall in love without the need to copy from a reference image. If you’re struggling to get into art, or just need some more inspiration, or something to help you relax, then this may be ..read more

Drawing is one of the most accessible forms of creativity out there and belive us when we say - everyone can draw! You just need two things - a pencil and a piece of paper. These are pretty easy to source and the chances are, you’ll already have them lying around at home. If you are struggling to find that lying around in your home, why not use the back of an envelope and grab a pen instead. Drawing can happen anywhere, anytime, any place. You can doodle during meetings, take visual minutes instead of notes, and you can even set aside some time to fill in that adult colouring book you’ve been ..read more

What a year it has been. When we first hit lockdown version 1.0, we (as in the royal ArtistAnd we) thought we would crumble. Some of you may have read the story previously in our other blog but we will give you a brief summary anyway. Feel free to skip or revisit the blog post here of the journey of an entrepreneur - I guess that's me? Back in March, we were still a young company, and by all means of the word - we still are! 1.2 years old (whoop whoop). Getting people to know we existed with our paintings and workshops had become quite a chore, and we felt rather stuck, yet still hopeful. We ..read more

If we look up the terms meditation and art, we can start to understand how the two are connected.  Meditation is the single focused action with which to bring awareness and attention to the body and mind. Art is the giving of your attention to the making of things that are an expression of feelings and beauty.  If you are able to give your body and mind to art and creating, you are able to reach a single focus and find a moment where you are lost within the practice. By creating something with your hands, you are slowing your heart rate, generating connections between mind and body ..read more

In this fast-paced world of corporate life, team building is an essential component of success. However, quite often, with a diverse mix of ages, hobby interests and abilities, team-building activities can be met with quite some resistance. While traditional team-building activities can be effective, they may lack the enthusiasm of some members but I've got proven activities that EVERYONE will love and it's called ArtistAnd. I hear all the time how "art's just not for me,' or "I'm not creative" and what that actually means is, "I've never been shown how to make something I'm proud of." My par ..read more

We've not stopped talking about this for the past year, so let's have a look at AI and how it impacts the world of Art. Artificial intelligence, commonly referred to as AI, has been evolving in leaps and bounds over the past few years. We're now seeing its impact in almost every aspect of our lives, from smartphones to cars, and even in healthcare. But what can we expect from AI in the future and will it lead to the end of artists? Firstly, it's important to understand what AI is and how it works. AI refers to intelligent machines that can perform tasks without any human input. The intelligen ..read more