Illustration with Jo Painter
Have you ever seen the beautiful illustrations of Jo Painter and wondered what the story was behind her artwork? We had the privilege of interviewing her about her work as well as her giving you tips and recommendations for new illustrators and women entrepreneurs.
By Michele of VAMICreations and Jo of Jo Painter
You can find Jo's work in her Etsy Shop as well as her Patreon where you can also find a wonderful chance to learn from her as an artist as well as an illustrator.
More of her work as well as commission information can be found on her website and her Instagram profile is perfect for behind the scenes as well as updates on her latest works.
Archeron Sisters from Sarah J. Maas’ book series; Illustrated by Jo Painter
What gave you the idea/inspiration to start Jo Painter?
A few years ago when I saw the potential to go freelance and work for myself, It felt right to use my name as the branding. A lot of artists go this route as it makes it easier in the long run for clients to find my work online, but also come across more professional. At some point, I will change my instagram name to match. I also just like the idea of my last name being Painter and my profession is an Artist! Working for myself has also been a dream of mine for along time - the freedom it allows as well as the reduction in work related stress was a bonus for my anxiety and health problems too! It gave me a chance to work from home and heal at the same time which I am forever grateful for. Now that I’m feeling better and able to work more full-time, there’s a lot more I want to achieve with my work!
How did you get started in illustration?
I grew up watching Anime and reading Manga and that has been a huge influence for my work! I also love anything fantasy (courtesy of Lord of the Rings) and so fell in love with game design such as League of Legends and World of Warcraft. It wasn’t until I was about 16 years old that I realised that you could actually do concept art, Illustration and animation as a job that was openly available to anyone who wanted to work hard and build their skillsets.
My focus for the first few years of my career was animation and working in the film and advertising industry in London, but it wasn’t until approximately three years ago that I fell into illustration via the Sarah J Maas fandom and it has spiralled from there!
What’s your favorite type of commissioned illustration to do?
I love painting strong female leads that come from a fantasy world! Anything fantasy or YA will draw me in. I’m hoping to experiment with colour more and push my style in different directions in the coming months - something that I’m learning as I go through this journey is that it’s ever changing! It’s good to have goals, but better to enjoy the journey and see where you end up.
What’s your favorite type of illustration when you just want to create something?
I haven’t created anything for myself in such a long time! I would probably something fantasy or even anime/manga based. I find it easier sometimes to do fan art than my own art as there’s an existing reference to go off of, whereas creating your own art can be tough. Its something I want to get better at doing though and also give myself more time to do.
How do you choose the colors and types of illustration you work with?
I usually pick an overall colour tone for the illustration before I start, for example a warm palette with more pinks, reds and oranges etc. But for the most part, colour can change as the illustration progresses and you get to the end result. A lot of factors within the painting can also affect the colour, such as the environment or lighting setup you’ve chosen. Usually establishing these factors early on can help you keep a consistent colour palette throughout!
How do you choose the pictures you create – ie is there something that you take inspiration from when you start a picture?
I get a lot of inspiration from other artists work and I try and look at a variety of different artists, even ones who paint or draw completely differently to me! I also find inspiration from other things such as nature and the world around is, old stories such as mythology or folklore and of course, anything fantasy based!
What would you tell a new illustrator for encouragement?
Don’t compare yourself to your idols! A lot of us have artists we look up to, but comparing your work to theirs when they have been in the game for so much longer is a recipe for disaster. Every time you improve, they are also improving, so you will never catch up! Use their work for inspiration for your art, but carve out your own journey and don’t be so concerned with what everyone else is doing. Focus on yourself and your journey and you’ll find it much more enjoyable!
What is something you are passionate about and why?
Before I decided to go down the creative route, I wanted to work in wildlife conservation. This is something I am still very passionate about! I’m studying Zoology in my spare time and also support many charities across the world. I feel quite strongly that there’s more work we can do to help support our wildlife and the environments that they live in, so I try and do what I can to help minimize my contribution to these issues.
What is the most common question you get asked about your work?
I get a lot of questions asking me how I paint specific things! For example, ‘How do you paint skin?’ or ‘How do you paint hair?’. These are hard to answer without spending a few hours teaching someone and also its important to note that beginner artists should focus their attention on the fundamentals of art rather than the specifics of how to paint certain things. Painting these elements will come naturally when you study art as a whole.
What is one thing that you wish people knew about being an illustrator?
That you never stop learning. If you think you’ve hit the ceiling of what you can achieve and are convinced that you are as skilled as you can be, then your career won’t go much further. It sounds harsh, but an artists never stops honing their craft and trying new things. I personally have spent years learning multiple different disciplines within the art world such as 2D and 3D animation, 3D visual effects, video editing and illustration. All of which compliment each other and help me grow my skillsets!
If you had one (or several) things to share with a woman entrepreneur, what would it be? What would you encourage them about?
I haven’t personally experienced any changes as a woman when swapping from a career in a studio into a career as a freelancer. I was very lucky to work with a team of amazing men who taught me so much and helped me grow as a creator. I guess something I could touch on is that as a business owner, you learn to respect yourself more rather than relying on that respect coming from your piers or your boss. This is because suddenly it’s you who is dealing with the clients directly and organising the admin and filing your taxes. I guess I want to remind people that it is possible to be your own cheerleader and be your own boss! Grab opportunities as they come your way and don’t miss out!
What is a lesson learned for being a woman entrepreneur that you wish someone had told you when you first started?
That you can build your business to fit your life. Need a break? Take one. Need a nap because you hardly slept? Take one! Need to run to the doctors or the supermarket, take the dog for a walk or simply take a day off because your period pain is making you nauseous and tired? Do it! All of this is possible when you work for yourself. This is especially important for young mothers as well. I have friends who have very young children or babies and have set up their own business very successfully and managed to balance working from home and caring for their family at the same time. It’s tough, of course, but being able to simply start small like creating a few pieces of merchandise and setting yourself up on Etsy is one of the joys of the internet! Embrace that!
How has COVID changed or impacted your vision/strategy?
I think it’s impacted my mentality towards work more than anything. It’s reminded me how important it is to take breaks and let your mind and creativity rest. Something I’m not very good at is turning the off switch on, so having to stay home and loosing out on my social life a bit has forced me to not loose myself in work and actually take time for myself, whether that’s taking a walk in the surrounding countryside or reading a good book. I’ve also realised how important it is to make content that is available to people online. I think the internet and the access to entertainment that we have nowadays has been a real saviour during lockdown, so making sure that my work is easily accessible to my audience is a must.
What is something that has helped you get through, during this global pandemic? Something that is encouraging or a positive thing for you?
Learning that its okay to take a break and that ‘doing nothing’ is actually achieving something as you are giving your mind and body a rest! Rest days are so important - especially when you do a creative job. Re-kindling my love of reading has also helped me immensely. Getting lost in a story that is worlds away from our own has been therapeutic and I’ve totally fallen in love with YA and fantasy again, particularly anything that deals with romance, so I’ve been devouring books and quickly making my way through my ‘TBR’ (to be read) list!
Fun question – if you could meet one person in history or present, who would it be and why?
David Attenborough! I am a huge fan of the work that he does, especially with conservation, as well as the countless nature documentaries he has been a part of over the years. The Life of Mammals was what I watched as a child and sparked my love of nature and wildlife! I had the pleasure of watching him do a book signing at The Natural History Museum in London a couple of years ago and whilst I didn’t have tickets to be able to meet him, just being able to share that space with him was special.
What is your dream for Jo Painter to be (where do you see Jo Painter in 5+ years)?
Thats tough. I try hard to not set goals too far in advance as I’m a bit of perfectionist! I’ve also realized that my art journey is a winding path with obstacles and new routes that take a longer road and so they end goal becomes meaningless as I enjoy the journey. I have always wanted to work in the game industry so at some point in my life, I would love to be able to do that, but at the moment I’m happy not setting any major goals for myself.
If you like this, you may like:
Note - This post contains affiliate links, which means I will make a commission at no extra cost to you, should you click through and make a purchase.
To learn more about illustration and drawing, you can find classes and more information in the following places. If there are others you recommend, let me know and I’ll gladly add them. :)
Jo has amazing tutorials that you can find on her Patron account. You can learn directly from her about how to paint and different tips and tricks on how she does the amazing work she does.
Creative Live has over 40 classes specific to Drawing and Illustration with even more in all types of creative fields to include photography, art and design, crafts, crochet, knitting, sewing, music, mixed media and much more. Get Access to 700+ iconic creative instructors, 1,500+ online classes, and 60K+ lessons with CreativeLive's Creator Pass! Now just $15/Month!
Youtube has a great number of online tutorials as well and you can find them taught by a number of different artists.
Udemy is another great place to find many classes in drawing and illustration as well as many other fields and creative skills.
Skillshare is another great place to find many classes in both drawing and illustration as well as many others to include a number of different classes by many of the amazing artists in the creative community.
Thank you for joining us on this interview with Jo Painter, and thank you to Jo for doing this with us! What Jo Painter pieces do you have? We’d love to hear from you about your Jo Painter pieces as well as about what maker you would recommend be featured, email or comment below and wishing you safety and health my friend.
Have you ever seen the beautiful illustrations of Jo Painter and wondered what the story was behind her artwork? We had the privilege of interviewing her about her work as well as her giving you tips and recommendations for new illustrators and women entrepreneurs.