Thank you for talking with us Jenny.
1) How did you become a part of the psp tube community?
I've only been involved seriously since late last year, when the wonderful Lisa Cree asked me if I would like to join PSP Tube Stop. Years before I'd been asked by several groups if they could use my Elfwood artwork (for free). I'd said yes, with the stipulation that I see what folks came up with, because I am a curious person. Unfortunately, I never saw any tubes with my art in it, if there were any, though I kept getting asked by groups if they could use my art. That was a bit depressing for me, so I revoked permission, and hadn't thought of tubes again until Lisa asked me.
2) What does your artwork mean to you?
I know it sounds kind of cheesy, but my art is a part of my soul. I am a self-taught artist, and I am really proud of that fact, no offense meant to anyone with art education. I guess I am kind of afraid that if I did get a piece of paper that says I completed some course or other, all my skill would be attributed to that. I don't know, I suppose I am kind of irrational about it, but I feel that this way I have something that is all mine, that what I have learned I personally pursued. I am sure it is a harder way at times, as it is difficult to size up what I need to learn at times, though in hindsight I can see where I was going wrong, say, with a "really huge legs" phase, or the difficult 3/4 eye.
3) What inspires you in creating your artwork?
All sorts of things! From one word prompts, music, something someone says off hand, to flamer/troll comments; I can get struck by inspiration from some pretty strange things. I like to challenge myself and see if I can do art in different styles. It always seems to me I don't quite get away from my own, which is frustrating, but I still try. While I am guilty of sticking with the same subject most of the time (pretty girls), I also like to try and do new takes on things, which can take a bit of mulling the subject over.
4) How long have you been selling psp tubes?
Since late 2011, when I joined PSP Tube Shop.
5) How do you create your artwork? Is it by hand or digitally? What tools do you use in doing the artwork?
I have tried all sorts of materials and tools, if you browse my online galleries you can see the different mediums I have worked in. Right now my favorite way to work is a mechanical pencil for sketching, and then color Micron pens. Those are the best! I haven't really seen anyone else use the colored lines the way I do, but I probably haven't looked hard enough.
Sometimes I'll print out the pictures and watercolor them, the way my printer ink bleeds when wet actually works for me, I usually end up reinking my lines at any rate.
I used to hate watercolor, but, once I got the hang of preserving the white, I really like working with them. I also use Photoshop a lot (the old Elements 2.0); it is really handy for cleaning things up, and I have dozens of pictures in various stages of coloring.
6) Aside from psp tubes, what else do you create with your artwork?
cover artist for the Steam Punk coloring book!
Ellen also have a site called Portrait Adoption, which I have a lot of work on. I like to draw people, and this site gives me the chance to sell those sorts of pictures as character portraits.
7) As you have developed your style and artwork, which artists have influenced you?
That is a tough one, because there are so many people that have inspired me! My mom, first and foremost; it was when I, age 4 or so, saw her drawing, of all things, the hand of God reaching through the clouds that I recall thinking, "I want to do THAT!" (as in drawing). My art didn't really start to take off until my teen years, after I had read the first Dragonlance trilogy, which had Larry Elmore's art on the cover. I was blown away by how awesome his art is. It is funny to think back on how I thought he had actually painted the cover art that small! *laughs*
I have to say that if I hadn't met Ellen Million on Elfwood I'd be a lot farther behind than I am. When I joined Ellen Million's Portrait Adoption, we had a forum that made a close knit group of PA artists. The sharing was great, we respected each other, and I learned a TON from my fellow artists. It is sad that we (PA artists) kind of drifted away from there, life happened, but I have to say that it really changed my life. I miss my buddies!
There are so many other artists I am influenced by: the Brothers Hildebrandt--I ADORE baroque and rococo style art; Wendy Pini of ElfQuest fame (I have gotten away from trying to draw "exactly like her," which was tough to do); Esteban Maroto, Charles Dana Gibson, Elvgreen, Vargas, Playboy cartoonists.... I also adore a lot of Deviant artists (Linda Bergkvist, whose skin tutorial I have used many times; Michelle Hoefener), the ones who do the cute pinups (Kei Phillips, Wendy Chew, and more), and certain ones that do these awesome color combinations and different shading. I wish I had more time in my life to dedicate to exploring more of that art!
8) Does the psp community help artists become more well known with getting their names and artwork more visible?
With how popular psp-ing is, I am sure it does. :)
9) What do you enjoy the most about being part of the psp community?
Right now I haven't been able to get too involved due to stuff in life, but I do know that really enjoy collaborating with Lisa; she is such a great, hard working gal! I am looking forward to submitting more images for the themed sets she is putting together. I also like seeing what folks come up with for tags, it's like scrapbooking, which I am into as well.
10) What are some of your favorite art pieces which you have done and why?
Oh gosh, another tough question, I am fond of so many, that is like asking a mother of more than one to pick her favorite child!
Aries, from my zodiac series, I love working on itsy bitsy details, and this time I had the patience to follow through. The tartan was challenging, as well as the knotwork, and I love Scottish things.
Aries, from my zodiac series, I love working on itsy bitsy details, and this time I had the patience to follow through. The tartan was challenging, as well as the knotwork, and I love Scottish things.
MacDragon, though I wish I did the coloring better on this, I like the concept so much, it makes me smile. Notice again the Scottish theme.
<a href="http://portraitadoption.com/portrait.php?id=463"_blank">"Cloak of Mystique"</a> is one of those "Wow, *I* did that?!" pictures. I worked really hard on this, the skin was killer, and something I tend to have a hard time rendering in Photoshop.
Wizard is one of my rare acrylic paintings, and another "I did that?" pictures. For about six hours of work, it isn't bad for me.
Mesmereyes is another breakthrough picture for me. I was working with colored pencils at the time, and had a set of watercolor pencils, which I discovered filled in the little dots of white paper left on my colored pencil pictures. I went from those to just watercolor, since I was taking the paint from the pencil tip with my brush anyways. This is one of the first commissions I have done.
SteamVillian is one of my favorite inked drawings. This was for the Steam Dream coloring book, I just really like the interaction that happened with the characters.
I also like a lot of the illustrations I have done for EMG Zine tutorials and articles I have written. A lot of them were my first time drawing certain things, or at least forced me to focus on drawing them well.
Though it is hard to pick among my many Sketch Fest pictures Snow Angel is a favorite. I like how the hare turned out, I did this after doing an EMG-Zine tutorial on rabbits and hares.
Though it is hard to pick among my many Sketch Fest pictures Snow Angel is a favorite. I like how the hare turned out, I did this after doing an EMG-Zine tutorial on rabbits and hares.
11) Do you prefer tags with your art tubes animated or non animated? Or are both great to you?
Either is great. I saw this tag the other day which had animated sparkle things, and I sat there watching it for about two minutes. Seeing those makes me want to get into animation, which I have been hankering to try for a long time now. It is hard to know where to start with that, though.
12) Do you do commissions for taggers? How about ideas for tubes which taggers may have?
I haven't yet, but I am open to commissions in general. As for ideas, Sketchfest is a great place for folks to get art from me, I am totally addicted to it (all of my tubes on PSP Tube Stop are actually from there). Prompters might not get exactly what they were thinking of, but that is half the fun. :) Right now Sketch Fest is closed for a few months, the founder, Ellen Million, is on maternity leave. I had to stock up on sketches to finish the last few Sketchfests. *laughs*
Also, if someone sees art of mine that isn't a tube that they would like to see as one, I am happy to oblige. The only exception are the Portrait Adoption pieces, I like to keep those exclusive to their owners.
13) Is there anything which you don't allow to be done with your artwork? For example mirroring, animation, etc.
Pretty much anything is fine by me, though don't erase their (characters) clothes, or put them into questionable situations. ^_^'
14) Would you like to receive tags which our readers may do featuring your artwork? We often love to send the artists tags by our members.
That would be awesome, I love seeing stuff with my art in it!
excellent interview jenny !!
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