Featured Illustrator: Jennifer Bruce

 

CCS, zombie caterpillars, art shows, maps, AI, and TV shows to binge while creating: Jennifer Bruce

 By Charlie Barshaw

What major were you pursuing in college before you decided to take a few art classes at your community college? What finally convinced you that illustration could be a job?

I had NO idea. I went to Spring Arbor University right out of high school on a general studies track, hoping I would figure it out along the way. I had a bad year for my GPA and ended up staying home the next semester, and taking classes at my local community college for a few years while I tried to make a decision. I almost went for a business degree, and then almost a graphic design degree. I like business, so I thought: “Graphic Design is the middle between art and business – perfect!”. It didn’t really give me the creative freedom I wanted, so I soon realized it wouldn’t work.

Then I found out about the Illustration major at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, and I realized it was just right where I wanted to be on the spectrum of the business and art combination. I wouldn’t be a starving artist (HA) because there were actual jobs (HA) for this.

Years later I would be living the starving artist if it weren’t for my husband’s job, but I love what I do and there are good things on the horizon.

Reading from my notes, I see these three names: Timothy Scott Currey, Dennis Avelar and Grant Smith. How do these names intersect with you?

Cover of "Death of the Tree Path" by
Timothy Scott Currey, my first book cover!

Three people that I have professional affection for – some of my first book cover clients, and all return customers! Timothy Scott Currey’s cover was actually what I consider my first professional commission. I had been advertising on Reddit and he reached out to me to illustrate the cover of his upcoming fantasy novel. I was so excited to have my first real commission.

These people – and the of other independent authors that I’ve worked with – have been amazing clients and great to work with, and they’re all passionate about their work.

Likewise, Zombie Caterpillar?

Ah yes, good ole’ Ophiocordyceps. I was approached earlier this year by Nautilus Magazine to create the cover image of their print Issue 51 – which corresponded to the feature article “The Last of the Fungus” (see what they did there?), which is about the dying Ophiocordyceps trade in Nepal. The dried caterpillar + zombifying fungus (which takes control of infected caterpillar young and uses them as food source) is an apparent medicinal delicacy in some parts of the world, but it is increasingly dangerous to harvest due to warming temperatures in their mountain habitats. Scientists have tried to cultivate this fungi in controlled environments, to no avail. I’ll let you read the article for the rest of the story!

Photoshoot in the woods with an art piece 

It was the idea of the Nautilus art directors to put the Nepalese landscape in a lab beaker to illustrate the tale, and I’m honestly jealous that they thought of it first. They were great to work with, and I got to do an interview for their online magazine.

Did you transport, display and sell your artwork at the Art Show in Reading, PA? What does it take for you to make an art show happen? What logistics are required (i.e., vehicle, secure packaging, display techniques?)

Yes! I’m a relative newbie at art shows, actually, and my setup is pretty simple. One of the very helpful things to bring with you if you are showing at a convention is a helper, and my darling husband Steven is one of the best! We drove ourselves and my art work 9 hours to Reading, PA, for IlluxCon. He helped me set up and would occasionally man the booth for me while I took a bathroom break or checked out the other artists’ booths. That’s one thing that people showing at conventions don’t always account for – you can’t really leave your booth unless you’re willing to possibly lose a sale or two.

Jennifer at her booth at Illuxcon in Reading, PA.

Like I said, my booth set up is pretty simple. I use a retail store supply company for packable grid wall panels and accessories, I have a custom table runner with my name and logo, and lots of containers from home to hold prints and other goodies.

It’s the prep, travel, and mental toil that makes it hardest. I want to sleep for a week after we get back! I did better this year with the prep, thankfully. In 2022 I made up 50 or more block-printed t-shirts, sewed pencil bags, and purchased prints and other media with my work on it. For better or worse, I had a lot of stock left over, so I only had to stock up on a few prints and stickers this year.

Do you do commissions? How does that normally work?  What are some of the most unusual projects you’ve been tasked with?

I do, of a sort. I don’t list my commissions as “open” on social media, because I’m not currently interested personal commissions, which tend to be low budget and don’t match the portfolio I’m cultivating. I also like to have a little more control over the subject matter.

I do take commissions for book covers, random board game art, fantasy mapmaking, and other professional jobs. Essentially, anything that is commissioned by a serious person with a budget and a willingness to trust my creative expertise. Good art takes work and time, and should be compensated accordingly!

Do you have an agent or an art rep?

Hands-on studio

I don’t – but I am actively looking for one! If you’re reading this and you are an agent looking for new clients, hit me up!

Which instructor most influenced your artwork?

There are two: Francis Vallejo helped me to love figure drawing, and Kirbi Fagan was a positive force and great help in my senior year. They’re both fantastic artists, instructors, and just generally awesome people.

Were your parents receptive to your drawing ability? Did your artwork end up on the fridge?

Yes and yes! I even remember my dad asking me to go grab the paint by number paintings I had made to show a friend he had over at the time. My mom, who homeschooled my sister and I, always encouraged our creativity, and my dad would look very carefully over any drawing presented to him while praising it. My sister is also an artist, and we were ALWAYS drawing or creating something.

After expressing some concern (normal parental concerns over future starving artist daughter), my parents were fully behind me as I started art school, and continued helping me to pay for classes.

Ruth says she likes your maps. How difficult is it to be accurate and fanciful at the same time?

One of the maps

Thank you, Ruth! In truth, making maps is a bit of a mental break for me – I get to play with pretty colors and draw sea monsters, but I don’t have to concentrate on ideation or composition much. Thus far I’ve only worked on maps that existed already – the map of Narnia and New Jersey – or something that my client came up with. Sometimes it’s nice to just do mindless work.

The part I find most tedious is putting the location labels in, because I have to make them fit around other landmarks or locations, and sometimes they’re close together.

Did the College for Creative Studies prepare you for marketing your art? Are the courses at CCS aimed more at creativity or business?

They tried, and mostly succeeded. We had one class that entirely focused on our futures after school and promoting our work. It was a good class, and I’m sure I still use some of what I learned.

Virtual art studio

In general, the majority of classes are focused on improving artistic skills, as I think it should be. It takes a long time and a lot of work to cultivate skill as an artist.

In Junior and Senior year, they would mix more business education in with art instruction, so that I had a pretty good road map for when I left. What I wasn’t prepared for, however, is how long and how much effort it would take to be where I’m at now. It’s been 4 ½ years since I graduated, and I still don’t feel like I’ve hit “the big time”.

How do you feel about AI?

For starters, please see previous section on how much time and effort it takes to become an artist. Then, teach a computer to copy my work and pump out “art” in my style for someone else’s profit. Now, do that to thousands more artists, and sell the resulting work to big companies who used to hire artists but now want the “same” thing for a fraction of the price. I’m a little bitter, to be honest.

I’ve heard a lot of people say that it’s just another “tool” for artists to use. But it seems to me that this is just like someone holding up a page from a coloring book that they colored in and calling it an original piece of art. Yeah, they made your own marks on this page and colored it in a unique way, but they’re still using someone’s work as the base framework and it didn’t take much skill or effort on their part to do the rest.

Essentially, my view is that it will inevitably be a part of the future of commercial art, but it needs to be regulated appropriately so that human-made art and at least some art careers have protections. We are at the crucial point where we can still define how that future looks. Human-made art is valuable just for the reason that it’s made by humans.

You say you binge on movies and TV shows while painting. Which binges for which art projects?

Ooh that’s a great question, but I can’t remember exactly what I was watching for each project, partly because I’ve watched so many and they sometimes repeat. So, instead let me list a few of the favorites. In college, I watched a LOT of Gilmore Girls. Watching a show with a lot of seasons and that doesn’t require too much attention could help to keep me going through long nights of painting.

The Office is very bingeable of course, and I really like big movie series like Harry Potter or Hunger games, the kind that is easy to watch in succession. I’ve been through several period piece shows, like The Crown, Poldark, and Downton Abbey (some of these multiple times). I was on a moody streak a year or two ago, watching The Head, Broadchurch, and other small-town-murder-type shows.

I like sci-fi; Stargate Atlantis was a good low-engagement watch for a while. I think I started watching The Expanse as a background show, but it got too good and I had to save it for TV nights with Steven. The Last Kingdom ended the same way.

All in all, I’ve watched WAY too much TV. But at least I’m only half-watching!

You say you’re inspired by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Is it their stories, or the subsequent movie and series treatments that helped paint mental images?

The books and the movies, for sure! Narnia is near and dear to my heart, and has been since I was young. Faith is a big and important part of my life, and C.S. Lewis’s allegorical depictions of God and Jesus were always so appealing and comforting to me. I also loved his colorful and diverse cast of characters, the adventures they went on, and the world they lived in. I’m pretty sure I saw one of the movies 3 times in theaters.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy came to the big screen before I was allowed to watch it as a kid, but once I was able I adored them. There is so much gorgeous imagery, so many characters with moving stories, and an incredible sense of adventure. The movies are impeccably made, and they will be on my re-watch list for the rest of my life.

In your freelance work you’ve done a number of book covers, enticing pieces of art that are tasked with selling a whole novel. Do you read the novel, or simply get a synopsis? How much back and forth with the author is enough?

I have worked primarily with freelance authors thus far, so the art direction process is a bit different than if I were working with an Art Director at a publishing house.

I have direct contact with the author, and they have the final say over the art. However, I do my best as the stand-in art director to steer them in a direction that I think will best serve their work.

The Writers and Illustrators of the Future Awards Gala
in 2020 with  Finalist Award and the illustration
for Sara Fox's story "Death of a Time Traveler

They usually come to me with a loose idea or a few thoughts on direction already formed, and I’ll make a few sketches from that and their synopsis/descriptions of the story. I don’t usually read the whole book. I have done this for just a few clients, either because they felt a synopsis wouldn’t give me enough information, or because I was interested in the work. In general I don’t do this because it adds too much time to the production schedule.

I ask a lot of questions in the beginning of the process during the sketch phase, but after a sketch and color scheme have been selected, and any adjustments made, I go to work and let the client know that I will contact them part way through with an update. Tweaks can be made at this point, and after I send the completed work to them. This is their last chance to make changes, but I make sure that they are aware of the whole process before we start, so that there aren’t any surprises.

Generally the process has been very smooth, and these independent authors have been great to work with.

What would your dream project be?

Probably getting hired to do covers and interior drawings for a giant book series that becomes super popular and is made into a movie. And then I would get asked to help with art direction on the film and promotional materials, visit set, and meet Harrison Ford (who would obviously be the hero of the story). Oh – and of course, it would include a lot of pay and a lot of time to complete the projects.

What’s next for you? What are you currently working on?  Do you have any of your own stories you long to tell?

Primarily, I’m working on making this my primary career so that I can “quit my day job”. I’m reaching out to art directors in young adult publishing, editorial, and board gaming for commissions. I’m also adding more works to my portfolio and social media, and trying to cover my bases so that art directors see what they’re looking for. Generally, all that self-promotion and marketing stuff.

 Me and my sister - who is also an artist - I'm the older sibling.

As for stories of my own that I long to tell – yes, I do have one, and I love that you asked! It’s going to take a long time to pull together, but I have a graphic novel developing in my head that I would love to publish one day. It’s a space opera that pulls from all of the greats in that genre – Firefly, Star Wars, The Expanse, and others, and it’s inspired by some daydreams had while listening to Fleetwood Mac – “The Chain”, in particular.