by Jennie Wardle (JenDigitalArt)
When I was younger, I never would have predicted that I would become a digital artist. But now that I find myself in the role of contributor to design sites such as TheHungryJPEG, I couldn’t be happier; working at my own speed, doing something that gives me great pleasure.
Before that, I was initially interested in animation with a dream of creating my own feature film (rather ambitious, I know). I made the decision to purchase a graphics pen and tablet in the hope of pursuing that dream.
Upon acquiring my graphics tablet, I began sketching digitally and found it to be tricky at first. However, being someone who is quite timid when it comes to traditional watercolour painting, I loved the freedom of the ‘UNDO’ button. Eventually, I became more confident with drawing on a screen and I started creating digital images and dabbling with small animations.
The inspiration that I received from other clipart artists selling their work led to my decision to list three of my illustrations online. Months went by with no sales. Just when I was on the verge of giving up on selling my images and closing down my store, a customer purchased my ‘Cat With Glasses’ cartoon image. Yes! It was an indescribable feeling of pure excitement and delight at selling my first digital art piece. I was even more overjoyed when they requested that I create multiple custom images for them. At that moment, I knew that this was the beginning of something wonderful.
It motivated me to expand my catalogue of illustrations and submit an application as a store owner at TheHungryJPEG. The day I was accepted as a seller on TheHungryJPEG was a very happy one for me!
Now, I am constantly creating new images while being on the lookout for trends in the wonderful world of clip art illustrations. My specialty is in creating digital cliparts of cute animals. However, I am looking to venture out of my comfort zone with trying my hand in testing out different techniques of hand painted watercolour clip art.
Looking back, it is the encouragement and support that I received from my customers, particularly my first purchaser, that lead me on this path and it has given value to my digital artwork. Often times, I find that some of my best images are created when designing something specially for my customers upon request. Perhaps it’s the joy of curating one-of-a-kind artworks beyond my catalogues. Therefore, I can’t thank my supporters enough for being a fan and purchasing my work as it brings me so much happiness.
While the initial dream was to create animations, my life took a slight turning that has brought me to a different career where I get a lot of enjoyment out of what I do. When I have my sketch pad, my graphics pen and tablet, my cat sitting on my desk – half of her on top of where I’m trying to work — and a cup of coffee, of course, I have everything I need to dream on.
BIO:
A 30-year-old living in Australia, who has enjoyed art from a young age and is currently in the full swing of creating cute clipart listings for her online stores. https://thehungryjpeg.com/store/jendigitalart
