Featured Artist Jessica Boehman

Illustrator Jessica Boehman shares her portfolio, rich in folklore and childhood memories. Enjoy and visit her website for more from this artist.

 

 

Art runs in my family; all five of my siblings have some form of artistic talent and many of them work in the field professionally. I came to art as a very young child because I wanted a sketchbook like my older brother had; the thought of being allowed to draw in a book felt so exciting to me. I loved the comfort that drawing with a simple pencil in that book brought me. I still have my first sketchbook; it’s filled with marker drawings of superheroes of my own design and pencil sketches of my dog.

 

 

I identified myself as an artist at that young age and never stopped drawing. I earned my B.A. in Studio Art and Art History, with a concentration in Illustration, from McDaniel College. After that, I switched gears to earn my M.A. in the History of Art from Penn State and my Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. During that time, I studied how art works visually and saw my own artwork improving.

 

 

While researching in Rome for a year as a Fulbright scholar, I became enamored with detailed patterns I saw in frescoes, mosaics, and sculptures throughout the city. You will find evidence of that lush ornamentation in my work. I now teach college-level students in New York City to find the beauty and humor of art. Though I work by day as a professor of Art History, my first love will always be creating art. When I’m drawing, I feel like that child again. As I get older, I understand the importance of listening to that child’s dream that still lives within me; it’s wiser than I am and I recognize that.

 

 

Inspired by such illustrators as Arthur Rackham, Chris van Allsburg, Shaun Tan, Gennady Spirin, and Trina Schart Hyman, I create highly detailed pencil drawings, working with a range of artist’s drawing pencils on 80-lb recycled paper. I am also looking to find the perfect balance between paint and pencil to add color to my works while keeping the fine detail and the control of pencil work.

 

 

In my online shop, I have been inspired by the concept of magical animals. Taking a nod from fairy and folk tales, I have worked to make my animals whimsical yet realistic. I sell archival giclée prints on Hahnemühle photo rag and notecards printed on eco-friendly, tree-free paper.

 

 

More recently, I have been adding more people into my work. I am also experimenting with text and image and also with incorporating lush borders inspired by medieval manuscripts. I want the end result to remind the viewer of the rich tapestries of old.

 

 

My goal is to become successful as a children’s book illustrator. I’ve been working my way toward that goal for over a year now, honing my style, refreshing my skills, and building the loveliest portfolio I can design.

 

 

Jessica Boehman lives in New York City with her husband, Mike, and her dog, Ludo.