Aaron Jacob Jones

Just an artist fighting for his life trying to stage an open studios exhibition two weeks after moving in ☠️ This month has been a lot. I’ve been driving back and forth across the country painting weddings while simultaneously trying to build an exhibition around me in real time. Countless trips to the DIY shop, kitting the place out with free furniture from the studio WhatsApp group, endless wall painting, bribing guys to haul cupboards up the stairs, learning how to use tools properly, hiring friends to help me sort through literally thousands of paintings… I now have one more day to turn a half-finished room into something people can actually walk into. All the frames are secondhand (other than the two I’ve commissioned from my magnificent framer @blacklinestudio.co.uk ). It’s not going to feel like a polished gallery show. I think it’s probably going to feel more like walking into my brain. And after all this work, I’d really love people to come and see it. Second Floor Open Studios (studio AL16) 16th & 17th May Deptford SE14 #openstudio #lifedrawings

📢Artist Spotlight: Aaron Jacob Jones As we approach the Annual Open Studios Weekend on 16 & 17 May, we are excited to spotlight the vibrant and kinetic work of Aaron Jacob Jones. Aaron is a master of the “moment.” His signature watercolor figure paintings are a testament to years of disciplined life drawing, resulting in a style that is both incredibly fast and remarkably precise. He possesses the rare ability to translate the energy of a living subject into a bold, colorful composition in mere minutes. “Dedicated to capturing the moment and movement, Aaron approaches all his subjects with a fresh, painterly eye and bold colours. Never one to spend hours labouring over a painting, Aaron has spent his career working towards creating impressive original artwork on the spot.” Visit the Studio AL16 Whether he is traveling for high-profile wedding illustrations or live event portraits, Aaron’s studio remains his creative anchor. During Open Studios, you can see how he uses minimal line work to create maximum impact. Dates: 16 & 17 May Times: 11:00 – 18:00 Location: Second Floor Studios & Arts (Foundry & Foreshore) Don’t miss this unique yearly opportunity to meet Aaron and over 120 other practitioners. With more than 30 disciplines on display—from fine art to fashion—it is the perfect weekend to find a unique piece for your collection or a thoughtful gift. Both our Deptford Foundry and Foreshore locations are just a short 15-minute walk apart, offering a full day of creative exploration. Connect with the Artist Instagram: @aaronjacobjones Plan your visit by checking out the full member directory at . Come explore, be inspired, and see Aaron’s “effortless” technique in action! #LiveIllustration #WatercolorFigure #GestureDrawing #LondonArtist #OpenStudios2026

You probably know me for painting weddings and live events… but this is my secret personal practice… For over ten years, I’ve spent most of my free time at life drawing sessions, painting London’s fantastic art models. And I’ve barely shared the work - most of these artworks haven’t ever been seen outside the rooms they were created in. For years, the paintings just went straight into boxes and I carried on making more. Life drawing, travel sketches, portraits of performers… tens of thousands of hours painting people from life and never even sharing it on IG. I’ll show some wedding paintings too, but most of this is not polished like that, it’s quick, raw and live - that’s the whole point. Working from a human being in front of you brings an energy that nothing else can match. You could say I’m somewhat addicted. I’ve just moved into a huge, beautiful new studio with @secondfloorstudios and next weekend I’m covering the walls with my personal work and opening the doors. I’ll even let you look through my sketchbooks. It’s probably going to feel a bit like walking into my brain, if you like that sort of thing?! Loads of my pieces are for sale but most of all, I’d really love you to come see it. There’s 100+ other artists showing their work too so it’ll be a really good day out!!! Flyer at the end of the carousel and on my stories - Deptford Foundry SE14, next weekend 16th & 17th May 2026 11am-6pm. Can’t wait to see y’all!

I’m doing a free live figure painting demo this Saturday at @greatart_uk , London at 3.30pm. A lot of my followers probably know me for painting people at weddings, but figure painting has always been the backbone of everything I do. It’s where I learned to see light, colour, line, gesture, and how to say a lot quickly with very few brushstrokes. This little series came from working with @inkylayla , a professional life model with amazing yoga skills, over the summer. I was preparing a series of paintings commissioned for a local solo exhibition at @andosteo . I was too deep into wedding season to share anything on my grid at the time, which feels sad as I didn’t really celebrate putting my fine art out there for the first time. Coming into the quieter winter season, this feels like the right moment to bring my personal work back out into the world. Anyway, enough about me. If you want to see how I build these pieces from the first wash to the final marks, come along on Saturday. It’s relaxed, informal, and you’re welcome to ask questions while I paint. If you’re an artist or even just interested in art, come anyway and get some supplies - it’s one of the best art supplies shops in the city and Shoreditch is always a fun day out! Sat 22nd November 3.30pm @greatart_uk , Kingsland Road, London Free entry

Introducing Aaron Jacob Jones. We have worked with Aaron many times at the store and he has always delivered such inspiraing workshops and demonstrations over the years. We are delighted to have Aaron back on our Special day! Aaron has always loved painting people, and he is now a full-time live wedding artist, so his work is often detailed and very high-pressure. When he paints for himself, he enjoys working from life, letting loose, and painting quickly to capture the essence of a figure with expressive watercolour brushwork. He is particularly inspired by yoga at the moment, focusing not on anatomical perfection but on energy and gesture. Make sure you do not miss out on the opportunity to see Aaron paint and question him on techniques, his experiences as a proffessional painter. @aaronjacobjones #mygreatart #watercolour #watercolourdemo #watercolourdemonstration #freedemo #grandreopening #reopening #celebrate #specialday #art #fineart #artdemo #artdemonstration

I’ve taken a couple of weeks off life painting sessions to recalibrate a playful, less high pressure approach to my own art after a few months of back to back live zoom teaching. I have loved it all, and learnt so much while sharing my own knowledge, but painting live on camera doesn’t leave a lot of room for experimentation. I was thrilled to return tonight to my favourite @draw.livingart session. With a little time at the start of each pose while @oh.francoise was beautifully tied by @t0zt0z , I had the breathing space to switch up my palette a little and try slightly different approaches. All of these are between 5 and 15 mins, which usually feels too quick at the time but in hindsight I always realise works well for me. I think #pthaloturquoise by my favourite paint brand @danielsmithartistsmaterials is my new favourite colour to work with. It makes for a vivid background, suits blonde hair, and when mixed with pink, it goes from purple down to practically black, which is ideal for deep pops of high contrast darks. I want to push this further. I’m excited. Thank you Francoise for such brave and strong poses. #danielsmithwatercolors #danielsmith #danielsmithwatercolor #danielsmithartistsmaterials #watercolours #watercolors #lifepainting #watercolorblending #watercolortechnique #figurepainting #figurepaintings #quickpainting #quickpaint #lifemodel #paintingfromobservation #drawingfromobservation #drawingfromlife #figurativeart #figurativepainting #figurativeartist #fastpainting #actionpainting

FOR SALE! A few more of my paintings for sale online this weekend at @art_car_boot_fair . Prices from £90 - £150. Link in bio, or just look for the @londondrawing page / stall - access to the site is now free! It runs till Monday. Other @londondrawing tutors selling work are: @rachelmercerartist @kim_scouller @nikkigardham @josie.deighton @sisettazappone @annenoble_partridge @frankgambinoart @susannahpalartist

Hi new followers! I thought I’d properly introduce myself to anyone who’s found me in the last year through my online workshops or life drawing sessions. I’m Aaron, a queer artist and illustrator living in South London in the UK. I love focusing on live, fast work in the moment and most of my pieces on IG are completed in 5-20 minutes. I used to only paint at actual life drawing classes and I miss them terribly, but after everything shut down, I finally decided to invest in renting a studio last November. Having this space, and the opportunity to spend all day every day here without outside distractions, has actually changed my life. It’s expanded my idea of what I need to be doing artistically, and where I can go with it career wise. This is the first time I’ve ever shared photos of my studio - people see one wall in the bg when I teach but I’ve never really showed my ‘working area’. It’s weird how intimate it feels to do so, because I’ve only ever been alone in this room all these months. I spend about 12-18 hours a day in the studio, alternating between working on my dayjob work (digital illustration and 2d animation), teaching drawing and painting for @londondrawing , and attending a couple of zoom life drawing sessions a week to paint. I usually go home at dawn - I focus best at night and the studio is east facing… I love watching the sun rise after I finish my work. I have a sofabed in here to nap on demand, so I’m usually perfectly fine and functional considering my nocturnal habits. My partner is very patient - we are like ships in the night, but it’s given us the personal space and alone time that so many cohabiting people have struggled to find in the last year. I wish I’d got a studio years ago. I’m grateful to @bowarts for their work turning unused spaces (this was an old office block before) into artists studios. I’m very excited for when it’s finally safe to do an open studio day, and invite people to come by. Not shown in these pics: the unsorted Pile Of Doom - so many paintings done, so few photographed & shared. #artist #londonartist #bowarts #artiststudio #artstudio #artstudiolife #artstudios #studiotour #artstudiotour #artistspace

Last call for Kink Life Drawing TOMORROW!! 7pm till 9.30pm. Swipe to see the whole sheet! This is a series of 5 min sketches from the last session, during the short poses while @williambenhunter was tying @redridingbrat . Tomorrow we will be focusing on the Dom-sub dynamic and drawing some spicy poses and powerplay! Expect latex, a bit of S&M, and to see a real couple’s kinky DS vibes. DM me or comment and I’ll send you payment info! #fastsketching #movingposes #livesketching #watercoloursketching #watercolorsketches #livedrawing #watercolourillustration #kinkylifedrawing #fastsketching

Another reminder about Kink Life Drawing this Sunday! Our poses will focus on powerplay and SM, giving you a sexy, kinky dynamic to capture. Definitely not one for the easily shocked! £12, details in my bio link, or DM me. This painting is a 10ish min pose at @distanceddrawing by @sistertothesun , who has some sensual kink vibes all of her own. Swipe for a 10 sec process video. #watercolorprocess #watercolourpainting #watercolorart #expressivewatercolor #watercolorblending #corsetdress #redheels #latexskirt #watercolorbrush #brushwork #kneeling #painting #paintingfromlife #paintingfromobservation

Just a reminder about Kink Life Drawing this Sunday... book now if you’re interested! Link & info in bio. Unrelated: here are some paintings I really wasn’t sure about at the time, but now I love them. Does this happen to anyone else? For me, it’s what happens almost every time I paint. The model is @beatrizllmagalhaes.2 at @pedromacloureiro ’s Fado themed sessions with #MuseLisboa. #watercolourpainting #wetonwet #wetonwetpainting #watercolourtechnique #watercolortechnique #figurepainting #figurepaintings #fado #dancer

Last call for my Expressive Watercolour Portraits workshop at 3pm GMT today! Hosted by @sketchappeal - link in bio. Learn how to capture a fast, illustrative likeness in ink and watercolour - tips and technique galore to help with some of the most common portrait problems. Suitable for any level of experience as long as you have some paints handy. I’ve painted hundreds (literally) of quick 5-10 min portraits over zoom in the last year, so you’re in experienced hands! I’ll also be talking about my work as an event illustrator and how to deal with tricky live situations and lighting. See you in an hour or so! #liveportrait #eventillustration #eventillustrator #artteacher #learnpainting #paintingtips #portraittips #learntodraw #drawingfaces #paintingfaces #paintingtutorials