More art = less assholes
January 25, 2022 10:54 AM   Subscribe

I am trying to wean myself away from spending too many hours a day reading AITA on Reddit. I can literally feel it making me a less kind person as I spend time there. My chosen replacement addiction is Instagram, where I like to follow artsy-craftsy accounts. I got a lot of great suggestions a few years ago, and am hoping for more ideas from the hive mind.

Basically, as I described in my past post, what I like is the people who are on the artier end of crafting or the craftier end of art -- people like Yulia Brodskaya who creates astonishing portraits out of strips of paper or Julia Quiltoff who does absolutely amazing longarm quilting or Tanaka Tatsuya who does these insanely cool miniature scenes.

I like fiber artists and paper artists and body painters and print makers and glass blowers and bakers and miniaturists and cosplayers and florists and all kinds of different makers. I'm not looking for Fine Art with a Deep Message for Serious Art People but I'm also not looking for people who are following someone else's pattern to make a thing. I am much more into finished products than process photos, but a few work-in-progress shots mixed in are not a problem.
posted by jacquilynne to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (28 answers total) 36 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: My stupid work computer doesn't let me go to instagram, but look up juliahardyfelt. She does little felted (mostly) dogs. I'm mildly biased because I commissioned her to felt my dog and it's lovely, but to be fair I was following her for a while before that and already liked her.
posted by phunniemee at 11:03 AM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: Ágnes Herczeg creates amazing miniature lace works. Her website has a gallery of her past work.
posted by JeffK at 11:03 AM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: by_larysa_bernhardt creates beautiful sculptures of moths using patterned fabric.
posted by neushoorn at 11:06 AM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: la__filature - lovely slightly abstract embroidery, often inspired by photos of beaches in the South of France.
Maggie Rudy - wildly charming photographs of miniature worlds inhabited by adorable mice
Maybe Grace Chin - paper flower wreaths, mostly
Fadeeva Dubrovsky and Victor Dubrovsky don't post all that much but yes! charming fiber miniatures!
The Faithful Hound is more product-y (screenprinted bags, tea towels, Christmas tree skirts, etc.) than I think maybe you're looking for but I love her stuff
posted by mskyle at 11:26 AM on January 25, 2022




Best answer: Christoph Niemann - interesting drawings, some are kind of visual puns, some are just nice to look at.
Slinkachu - amazing miniatures.
Heather Lynn - really beautiful drawings and prints with a sort of mystical bent.
posted by Sabby at 11:34 AM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: Not quite what you're asking for, but I highly recommend The Public Domain Review, which posts "curious + beautiful works from the history of art and ideas."
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:45 AM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: You might like Rosdottir, who does some D&D botanical sketches, as well as some more mystical art.

I'm also a fan of Mel, who does neat fu dog masks, sculpted claws, and various other fun 3D art.

Nathanna Erica does papercraft art (often pop culture-y.)
posted by tautological at 12:25 PM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: Some potters I like on Instagram

Mudwitch
Melissa Weiss pottery
Marissa Y Alexander
Marina Lespérance Lopez

There are a bunch more, but I am on desktop and it's a pain looking them up. (Why do all their names start with M? Coincidence)
posted by Lawn Beaver at 12:37 PM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: For costume sewing, sewstine.

(Disclaimer: I know her in real life.)
posted by Ms Vegetable at 12:42 PM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: Check out Beth Cavener (sculpture.) I was just revisiting her work. You could also always play around on the Artsy domain or lurk old Tumblr.

Anecdotal: I personally think AITA attracts some of the kind of audience it critiques 😬 very meta.
posted by firstdaffodils at 12:44 PM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: Dropcloth samplers makes really beautiful, joyful embroidery. It's modern and colorful and so happy.
posted by avocado_of_merriment at 12:45 PM on January 25, 2022


Response by poster: People you know in real life are great. You can even point me to your own Insta if you are a maker. Self links are allowed in answers and I want to see the pretty things you make.

Another category to add to by list above that I was recently reminded that I really like : kinetic sculptures.
posted by jacquilynne at 1:15 PM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: Bisa Butler
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:26 PM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: Hari and Deepti create beautiful illustrations out of paper and shadows.
posted by yankeefog at 1:38 PM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: Face the Foliage
Harriet Perry Flowers
Isopresso Balloons
posted by carolr at 1:48 PM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: Amazing paper artist Lydia Ricci
Ceramics artist and wild food artist
Pascal Bauder
Kazu Automata
Printmaker Lili Arnold
Painter Wanda Comrie
Embroidery and more Arounna Khounnoraj
posted by biscuits at 1:53 PM on January 25, 2022 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Beth Ireland is a woodturner/teacher (and a friend) who has branched out into instrument making and always has something interesting.
posted by InkaLomax at 2:33 PM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: Fat Cap Sprays does graffiti art that looks like neon.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 5:14 PM on January 25, 2022 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Leslie Levings!

Shing is also wonderful, but more personal/WIP.

tiny chef.

Maybe more later.
posted by itesser at 7:56 PM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: Rare Press … it’s me! Mainly a printmaker with illustration mixed in.
posted by sucre at 8:25 PM on January 25, 2022 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Jackson Street Arts
posted by shadygrove at 9:25 PM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: John Newdigate, South African ceramicist who creates the most astonishing decorated pots.

Daniel Hugo, a hugely talented South African illustrator

Helen Walne, South African journalist who does freediving and takes beautiful underwater photos accompanied by amusing descriptions


Mona Caron
, street mural artist
posted by Zumbador at 10:44 PM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: Just a follow-on for biscuits' recommendation of Arounna Khounnoraj (aka bookhou): her husband (partner?) is John Booth who makes kinetic mobiles from wood, as well as other beautiful things.
posted by not.so.hip at 10:12 AM on January 26, 2022


Best answer: Sally Payne
Clare Youngs
Laura Loewen (QuiltFortCo)
posted by pril at 1:43 PM on January 26, 2022


Best answer: I love this question!

Beautiful baking art, specifically pies:

Helen Nugent
Lauren Ko
Jo Harrington
posted by Majorita at 5:00 PM on January 26, 2022


The WOMENSART twitter account has a great feed of artists and their work
posted by dhruva at 6:25 PM on January 26, 2022


Response by poster: I followed basically every Insta account people recommended here, so lots of best answers to go around.

(Dhruva, your link is interesting, but not on Insta. I use Twitter for totally different things so not wanting to follow artsy accounts there.)
posted by jacquilynne at 7:37 AM on January 27, 2022


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