Whitehaven student starts art business to help fund studies

20-year-old Ben Glaister, who is currently studying graphic design and illustration at Liverpool John Moore's University, has always been passionate about drawing and creating art.

Ben described how he dedicated a lot of his spare time to creating art so he decided to start his own business to showcase his work with others and to help financially support himself throughout university.

A recent drawing by Ben (Image: Ben Glaister Art)

Ben wanted to learn how to market himself and his art, whilst understanding the fundamentals of the business world.

"As well as this, during lockdown, I produced a range of commissions for friends and family, and I enjoyed the process of creating pieces that were special to people and hopefully I will be able to continue this on a wider scale," he said.

Ben specialises in realistic coloured pencil portraits and produces personalised pieces of animals and people. Some of the most popular requests he receives are drawings of pets and family members. Besides this traditional art work, Ben also produces digital art.

A digital art piece of Sam Fender by Ben (Image: Ben Glaister Art)

During the process of setting up the business, Ben has learnt about the importance of social media and is thriving on TikTok where he has accumulated 47,000 followers and over 1.6 million likes. Ben can be found on TikTok at @asblik_ and on Instagram at @benglaisterart.

Looking towards the future of his business, Ben said: "I would like to produce original designs and prints alongside commission work, as I create a lot of digital art as well as traditional.

Elsa from Frozen, as drawn by Ben! (Image: Ben Glaister Art)

"I would also like to branch outside of Whitehaven and have customers from all around the country."