Jennifer, thank you for taking the time to provide www.eyesonpixel.com with this interview.
Please, introduce yourself?
Hello there, I am Jennifer Regan the owner and illustrator of MoonBeam Illustrations.
_
Are you a self taught artist or have you been to a art school?
I am a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design of Savannah, GA. I received my BFA and graduated Magna Cum Laude after majoring in illustration. I was lucky to be able to attend school in such a beautiful city and I miss it very much!
_
Where does your inspiration come from?
Life itself is inspiration…the people we interact with and the places we go provides us with an endless story line! I think one of my favorite things to do is to observe my pets (2 canines, one ferret, and a rabbit), I like to imagine what they would say if they could talk…what their subject of conversation would be, maybe what accents they would have!
Another thing I like to do is sit with a pile of movie concept art books and flip through the pages. Pixar does a great job of putting together concept art books for their films, I own a few of them and they’re wonderful.
_
Who is your idol, do you have one?
It would be quite impossible to narrow down idols. I had so many people I wanted to be “when I grew up”, main problem is: I doubt I’ll ever grow up, but there are a couple of individuals that have impacted my life. The first being Walt Disney. What I find fascinating is what he was able to accomplish in one lifetime. Most of us have things that we want to do, maybe we get them done, many won’t, but Disney had so many dreams that he DID finish and DID begin, that’s what makes him such an appealing idol. Next would be Beatrix Potter, one of the most well known female author/illustrators of all time. Potter was one of the most determined individuals I’ve read about. She self-published before Frederick Warne & Co. would agree to publish her and she submitted to them again even after being rejected by them before…now that’s perseverance.
_
How does your job as an artist influence on your everyday life?
I think imagining everything as a cartoon could be a side effect. Sometimes I think of my life as one big, ongoing animated film. I always imagine what the people around me would look like depicted as stylized characters, it can be quite amusing and I highly suggest it =).
_
What kind of hardware and software you use?
Generally all of my illustrations are traditional in that I draw and paint them first and then scan in the imagery and digitally manipulate it until it turns into something that I think I can use. I work in inks and watercolor/gouache mostly, occasionally I will use acrylics and mixed media. For digital manipulation I use Adobe programs, mainly Photoshop.
_
Tell us about your typical work day?
I try to review e-mails and handle any marketing tasks I have before I sit down to work on an illustration. I’m also an art instructor and full-time graduate student as well. So I fit in homework somewhere in between deadlines and classes that I teach.
_
What are your favourite websites?
I do love FaceBook, but then again I think everyone does. It allows me to keep in touch with people that I would normally not be able communicate with otherwise, also connecting with new people and pursuing new contacts is great. And then of course there’s Google, I mean who doesn’t Google? I also like websites that showcase artists and their work, (portfolio sites), it’s interesting to see what other artists are working on. Like BearFoot Studio, this is the company that designed my website, www.moonbeamillustrations.com, which I love being able to showcase and update my work on so easily.
_
Where and how do you see yourself in five years?
That’s a tricky question, I think most people would say “ideally, laying out on a beach somewhere on some tropical island, sipping a fruit drink after winning the lottery”. Well, since I don’t really play the lottery all that much I doubt that will happen =), but all silliness aside, I hope that I can break into the children’s book market and really get going on a few ideas that I have. I already have a couple of stories developed and illustrations in the works so I’m hoping that I can generate some interest in them soon. I’m really looking to begin a series of illustrations concentrating on capturing just characters and their motion. The series will feature a couple of characters from my stories.
_
What makes you happy?
Egg rolls and macaroni and cheese! I love cooking and trying new foods among other things. Hanging out with my family and friends is also a priority in my life, they all play such a huge part if who I am and who I aspire to be.
_
Can You Please Describe Yourself In One Word ?
Animated =)
_
Thank you very much for the interview.
Name: Jennifer Regan
Date of Birth: January 27th
Location: Richmond, VA
Email: jennifer@moonbeamillustrations.com
Web: www.moonbeamillustrations.com
Jennifer Regan Gallery
