The Phone Art Of Finger-Painting

It’s hard to believe these striking artworks were drawn on a simple iPhone. We spoke to their creator, Annie Raman, about the source of her inspiration

- Robyn Lucas

The best most of us can do with the Notes app on our cellphone is to make a shopping list, record a quick thought or update our to-do list during the day. But not Antoinette “ Annie” Raman.

For her the app presents a way to express herself through art – she creates intricate images on her cellphone using just her fingers and the app.

Annie, a fine arts graduate from Johannesburg, has made a name for herself on social media with her iPhone art.

“My mobile phone is transformed into a modern-day pocket easel, so I can make something new anytime, anywhere,” she says.

Her finger art happened by chance. On a sleepless night during lockdown last year, Annie, who’s an advertising creative director and human rights activist, began drawing on an old iPhone that was lying around the house.

“Around 2 am, I recalled a cheese burger I’d drawn on an old iPhone.

“I opened the Notes app on my current phone and put thought to finger, and finger to screen. Now we’re here,” she says proudly.