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About Me
My name is Alexandra/Alex/Ali/Al and I am the face behind 'Al Actually Draws' (AAD for short).
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Unless you live locally to Christchurch (Dorset, UK) and you've had the pleasure of collecting an order from me and experiencing my awkward small talk in desperation for social interaction, then I thought I'd best introduce myself with a small ramble and a professional "I'm drinking my tea" headshot.
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Al Actually Draws started in my modest, one-bed apartment on the South Coast of the UK back in August 2022. In all honesty, AAD was born through my sheer lack of funds when trying to source a wedding gift for my friends’ big day. Instead, I thought I’d draw them their sassy Maine Coon, Kali. And as they say, the rest is history! Within a couple of weeks, AAD took off and I was almost fully booked until August this year (2023) …tears of joy.
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​So, a little bit about my background…
As a child, I had pet hamsters, the family dog (Jake the Jack Russell - who was the love of my life), an Arab x New Forest pony called Murphy and my uncle’s farm that housed pups to pigs to geese, all of which I helped care for after school and at weekends.
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My grandmother (a fantastic horsewoman and lover of her German Shepherd, Bruno) would throw me onto shire horses, gymkhana ponies and riding school happy hackers from the time I was in nappies which no doubt influenced my time working with horses as I got older. During my time studying my Bachelor and Masters degrees in Fine Art at Arts University Bournemouth, I also had a job working at an equestrian centre in the New Forest, conducting general yard work, caring for and exercising the horses as well as coaching adults and children how to ride. I sometimes wonder whether the years I spent there is what makes horses one of my favourite subjects to draw (although we shouldn’t admit to having favourites!).
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Currently, alongside the Al Actually Draws ‘journey’, I also work full time at Arts University Bournemouth and have done for the past 4 years after studying there (clearly, they can’t seem to get rid of me!). Although, what you see here at Al Actually Draws is not the style of work that I produced on either of my degree courses. Rather, I studied the world of art that you’d typically find at the Tate Modern – conceptual, contemporary and modern. In fact, some of my “finished work” didn’t even exist in its physical form. Whereas my method of drawing that you see here at AAD is self-taught and a “side-hustle” that developed naturally through a hobby and a favourite pastime.