Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacki Li.
Jacki, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember and taking art classes for around the same amount of time. In those classes, I built my technical skills – observational drawing, painting, portraiture – while using my free time to draw the subjects I was most passionate about – dragons, horses, wolves, and Pokemon.
I decided I wanted to pursue art as a career when I was in middle school. A teacher was kind enough to introduce me to a working illustrator, and getting to see that I could make a living doing what I loved most was a life-changing experience. After that, I devoted all the free time I had to getting better at art – I practiced anatomy and gesture drawing on a daily basis and taught myself Photoshop to create more complex illustrations. My interest in animation led me to Art Center College of Design, where I now study to become a visual development artist. My ultimate goal is to help create the concept art that goes into fleshing out animated films or TV shows.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
A lot of my work is created with the goal of fleshing out a unique but believable world – whether it’s set in a fantastical version of southern Italy or the jungles of Central America. Every element must be carefully crafted, from characters to props and sets to full illustrations that piece everything together. The process is incredibly time-consuming from start to finish – you never know how many iterations it will take to nail down the right feeling for a character or composition. As frustrating as it can be, it’s hard not to get attached to a project after working on something for weeks or months at a time. I love being able to look back on how all my thumbnails and sketches led me to the finished body of work.
Getting to see people connect with the characters and story beats I create is deeply rewarding. I live for those moments when people look at my artwork and understand the exact feeling or emotion I am trying to convey. Those are the moments I know I’ve succeeded at my job.
In your view, what is the biggest issue artists have to deal with?
I can’t speak for all artists, but in my particular field, there is a lot of competition when it comes to finding art-related jobs. There are so many talented artists working in the animation field today and many more in school like myself. It’s easy to keep up with favorite artists and peers on platforms like Twitter and Instagram, but those sites have also become important tools for finding work and building an audience. Trying to find a unique voice in a worldwide community of artists is a daunting task.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I am fairly active on social media – I post most of my finished work to my Instagram (@fruitcaboose), and I have a Twitter (@bguavas) for more casual work. My portfolio website jacki-li.com features my most recent projects. I am available for freelance work – you can contact me through DMs or through the email on my website.
Contact Info:
- Website: jacki-li.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fruitcaboose/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bguavas
Image Credit:
Photo taken by Peter Li
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