Top 10 resources for artists like us January 19, 2018 12:00

Lisa Brennan sketch peaks

We've been having a lot of meetings recently with other creatives and we seem to keep recommending the same places for them to check out. We thought it might be helpful to compile our top ten list of the resources for artists in and around London.

Lisa Brennan sketch skulls

  1. Artquest - this service is run by University of the Arts, which Maj graduated from in 1993. Artquest supports professional visual artists regardless of where they studied. Free legal & practical resources and opportunities.
  2. Arts Council - offer grants to artists from many disciplines and has useful guides, arts jobs listings. and arts news. An Arts Council representative recently came to our borough (London Borough of Havering) and gave a talk for artists, We were surprised to find out how many types of activities could be eligible for funding.
  3. Association of Illustrators - it's always worth joining a professional network for advice and support. Membership allows access to advice on pricing, contracts, portfolio, and lots more member opportunities.
  4. Bow Arts - workspaces across London, including some in Ice House quarter in Barking near us. They also support East London artists and list residencies, artist opportunities and more.
  5. Cockpit Arts - their business incubator program is well worth a look. They have studios for artists/makers in Holborn and Deptford and their open studios are very well attended too.
  6. Craft Central - we received a grant through Craft Central when we started up and we are also part of their designer network. This entitles us to discounted craftworker insurance, training, exhibition spaces, being listed in artist directory and a newsletter with other opportunities.
  7. Fashion and Textile Museum - The FTM was set up by the wonderfully flamboyant Zandra Rhodes, who has a love for print. We often get inspiration from the fantastic exhibitions and have undertaken great value training here on using Illustrator and Photoshop packages.
  8. London Print Studio - is an artist-run organisation with screen printing studios. When we started our brand we did all our screen printing in a place called Ormond Road studios, which closed down years ago. We now recommend London Print Studios for people who want access to printing facilities.
  9. Red Lemon Club - Alex Mathers is an illustrator who writes fine pieces on all the challenges illustrators face and his blog Red Lemon Club has lots of information on finding freelance work. He hits the nail right on the head with his writing skill and we often share his work on social media!
  10. Space Studios - Space run programs for artists such as the London Creative Network. We were supported by Space with fantastic training, mentoring and networking opportunities as part of New Creative Markets, their previous professional development program for artists.

Lisa Brennan sketch clown

Lisa Brennan sketch peaks