Visually Jay.Me Art Is Picture Perfect

"Guy" by Jay.Me Art

Jay.Me Art hails from the Houston, Texas area and she is involved with art on a whole different level from traditional artists. When it comes time to clean up, there aren’t any messy oil cloths or paint spatters on her floor or workspace. All she need do is put away any pencils and art papers, or simply close her computer and walk away. Plus, Jay.me is savvy enough to include and use all kinds of new artsy-technical devices. She begins with a blank screen to point-and-click and air brush her designs into beautifully constructed works of art. Specifically, Jay.Me has the presence of mind to take today’s computer-programs and use them to her benefit. She is highly skilled and if you take the time to view her art videos, you’ll become inwardly excited by how she accomplishes her drawings, as she extracts and coaxes these tools to her best advantage.

Jay.Me is cleverly innovative in her thinking and it is in this way that she designs her personable subjects. Just looking at them one can easily see how she has breathed life into their very existence. Their personality is written across their features. Some are fun, while others are regally posed. It’s thrilling to see how many different characters she has developed over the past eighteen months, and I always love to stop in to relax and see what she has been sketching lately. If she keeps at it perhaps one day we’ll see some of her work on a theatre screen in a major film production. You never know just who will sketch or paint the next new marvel.  Join me now and let’s learn a little more about the cool artist behind the blog.

Me: I am on of your admirers and I do not say this lightly. Art is always a subjective matter and you have the innate ability to present to convey your subjects to your audience. Art is also an extremely personal matter, too. How did you get brave enough to start your blog and expose yourself this way?

Jay.Me: Thank you, Theresa!  What a wonderful surprise to be interviewed by you here at BlogCatalog.

I think it takes a certain amount of bravery for any artist to display their work online or off. It means taking a chance that people will not like your work, or possibly worse –not notice it at all. Everyone fears rejection on some level.

Artwork is a reflection of the artist in many ways. I think if someone harshly criticizes an artist’s work, it’s almost like telling someone that they have an ugly baby. Okay, probably not that bad, but it can feel quite personal.

If I get apprehensive about posting, I remind myself that art, like everything else is subjective. So it’s really nice when I connect with someone who admires my work. And for me, that’s what makes sharing worth the risk.

Me: You have a scanner that helps you in your work. Please explain how beneficial this tool is and would you recommend it to other sketch and visual artists.

Jay.Me: Yes, a scanner is quite helpful. Having a scanner enables the artist to digitize their sketches, colorize and further manipulate them with computer art programs. Another useful tool I would recommend for any digital artist is a tablet and pen tool. I have an INTUOS WACOM TABLET and STYLUS PEN. It does take a little practice. You have to get accustomed to looking at the screen while drawing on the tablet. Instead of looking down at your pencil and paper as you would in traditional drawing.

"Stuffed"by Jay.Me Art

Me: Have you been an artist all your life? Did you study before experimenting in this subject or did you take it us as a hobby first?

Jay.Me: Yes, I’ve always considered myself an artist. I think everyone is creative in some way. As a child I had a serious dislike of crayons and coloring books. I was more interested in drawing my own pictures. Clean white walls looked like huge canvasses to me. My mom didn’t always appreciate my efforts to beautify our home, so she made sure I had plenty of drawing paper.  I was always drawing something, usually horses, dinosaurs or fantasy landscapes and strange creatures from my imagination.

In School, I liked to decorate my homework with doodle pictorials in the margins. I recall getting into trouble more than a few times for drawing on the desks, and at least once for sketching a less than flattering portrait of my English teacher. I don’t think I should mention my experiment with spray paint. But I can say that it only happened once.

After HS I enrolled at a local college and was studying graphic design. Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned and I had to quit. That was as far as I got with formal art study. But I have learned a lot on the computer. Really you can learn just about anything you want with research and practice.

Me: Does the fact that you have a blog make you produce more, or less art works?

Jay.Me: I don’t know if it’s made me produce more or less artwork. But blogging has certainly introduced me to some amazing people and artists from all over the world, and from different backgrounds. Interesting people I surely wouldn’t have met otherwise.

Starting my blog has been a great positive experience all around. In addition to displaying my artwork online, and meeting people, blogging is how I discovered the greater possibilities in the wonderful world of digital art. Seeing what talented artists were creating from scratch with digital tools was quite inspirational. I also learned about several Free and Open Source Software available like: GIMP, INKSCAPE, and MYPAINT.

Me: Inspiration just like flavored coffees is different for so many people. What gets you in the mood to start working on a new work?

Jay.Me: I am always ready to start new art projects. Sometimes I just don’t know what I feel like drawing.  So I doodle until an idea happens along. Other times inspiration for a painting will come to me in its basic finished form.  I just have to get it out of my brain and onto the paper.

Anything can spark an idea. Nature is a big inspiration for me. I think the patterns and color combinations of creatures and flowers are so amazing. Plus, I like to paint animals that have great eyes.

"Dragon Lizard" by Jay.Me Art

Then, there are times I enjoy drawing creatures that only live in my imagination. They’re fun because there are no rules at all about what they should look like.

Me: I have a tendency to work on many projects at the same time. Do you do this? Start something, lay it aside, work on something else and then return to do a little bit more, etc.?

Jay.Me: Yes, I do this also! I generally have five or six projects in rotation. I think its more fun to work that way. There are times though that I do start on something and work on it until it’s complete. It just depends on how it’s going I guess, and how badly I want to see the finished product.

Me: Which of your works so far, are five of your favorites?

Jay.Me: Of the ones I have posted on my blog, I’d say…
Dragon Lizard, Unicorn, Sumatran Tiger, a portrait of “Sylar” (top photo), and a vector I made in INSCAPE of a stuffed animal.  

Me: How do you feel about photography and architecture? I know you started a second blog Picture-Texas. How long have you experimented with your camera?

'Unicorn" by Jay.Me Art

Jay.Me: I have always admired and had an interest in photography and architecture. It doesn’t seem like that long ago that I finally purchased a new DSLR camera. It’s a Nikon D3100, my first camera that’s not a ‘point and shoot’. I’ve probably had it long enough that I should know more about how it works already. But, I’m still experimenting with it and learning about the different settings.

Picture-Texas, is a blog I started to post documentary type photos. Posting pictures and sharing what the Houston area looks like. One day I hope to be able to capture more artistic shots, although I do get lucky every hundred pictures or so.

Me: Do you ever dream of having your art displayed in a gallery for an art exhibition? Many artists do and many do not yearn for this attention. How do you feel about it?

Jay.Me: I certainly wouldn’t mind, but I’m not dreaming about it. I do have a smaller goal for my art in the very near future. I would love to see people wearing my graphic designs on T-shirts. I plan on submitting a design at THREADLESS first and see if I can get printed. And from there perhaps team up with a printer and sell some shirts online. I figure everyone needs clothes, most people wear T-shirts, and even better if they have a cool design on them.

Me: I along with many other BlogCatalogmembers always look forward to seeing you in the Connect Discussions. Your involvement is sometimes crucial sometimes, because you usually have such a calm outlook on life. How many people have you come to depend on seeing there? And how have we as a community impacted your daily life? (I’m wondering if some of them might secretly want you to draw them) (chuckles)

"Sumatran Tiger" by jay.Me Art

Jay.Me: Thank you, Theresa. I do my best. I really enjoy taking part in the Connect Discussions. Checking in at BC has become a regular habit for me. There is always such a group of diverse and interesting characters there.  A number of members show up and join in the thread topics on a regular basis. Despite the fact that I have never met any of them in person, I feel like I have come to know some relatively well. It feels like a big dysfunctional family at times, but it’s a great group of people.

Me: What do you have planned for your next two pieces of art?

Jay.Me: I was actually making a film for this interview. It was going to show my workspace and the art process I use to get from a hand drawn sketch to a finished digital piece. I experienced some technical difficulties with my camcorder and didn’t get it finished. But it will be posted on my blog eventually.

A couple of pieces that I am working on, and almost finished with right now are: An INKSCAPE vector of a woman holding flowers, with little “dragon bugs” flying around; and ‘”Frog King”, a Gimp digital painting of some zombie frogs and their king.\”Cat Speed-Drawing\”

As you can see Jay.me is evolving into a splendidly original and imaginative artist. I am awaiting her transformation and progression over the next few years and I wish her all the finest life has to offer. Please visit her site to explore all of the art we did not discuss here. She’ll surely be a favorite of your soon enough. Jay.me than you so much for the time and effort you have put into our time together. Jay.me can be found frequenting our Discussions and she is a vital part of our BlogCatalog Family.