Meet the innovative social media artists who broke the mould in 2018

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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

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

The artist from Egypt can take two to three months to create the portraits with a standard Biro pen.

11. The Book Whiz

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

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.”