About the Artist

@RTSTAgRAM was created in 2016 when a friend suggested I create an Instagram account to share my artwork. I decided “why not?” and created the account. I decided that combining the words “art” and “instagram” would make a cool handle, and thus “artstagram” was born! Six years later, I’ve been able to turn a goofy Instagram handle into my artistic brand.

Howdy, my name is Emma Mackenzie and I am a 24 y/o art hobbyist. I am a historian by trade, but I enjoy applying my artistic skills where I can.

My journey as an artist has been a difficult one, faced with challenges between my own harsh criticism and the pressure to become a “professional artist.” It took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize that one can be a successful artist without having to pursue it as a professional career. So, here we are!

I enjoy creating digital illustrations using Procreate and Ibis Paint X and occasionally Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. When working in traditional mediums, I enjoy creating detailed pen drawings and occasionally working with acrylic paints, colored pencils, or marker. I prefer working in 2D mediums, but when working in 3D materials I enjoy ceramics and “found art” sculptures. In past work, I have used some unconventional mediums, such as painting with coffee.