Get To Know Me

Written By Jessica Page

Thank you for stopping by to check out my website, I’m so glad you’re here! This is a really special moment for me. I have wanted to start a website to share my art with the world for a long time and it feels fantastic to finally get this project off the ground. 

This blog will  be for sharing my personal art journey as well as tips and tricks that I’ve picked up over the years. For my first post here, I thought it would be fitting to share a little about myself and how I got here. 

First and foremost, hi, my name is Jessica Page. I’m 29 years old and from Maryland where I live with my husband, John. During the day, I work in communications and marketing (you can learn all about that side of me on my portfolio website), but whenever I have free time you’ll usually find me creating art. 

If you were to ask me when and how I got into art…there really isn’t much I can tell you. It’s just kind of something I’ve always done since I could hold a pencil so I don’t remember much about how I started. I do know that it’s in my blood — my grandpa was a really great artist, as well as my dad. All I know is that one day I want to draw my favorite cartoon characters so that’s what I did. 

That love of drawing stayed with me for the rest of my life. No matter what else I got into, art was always the one thing that was constant for me. 

What was my art education like? 

Honestly, I don’t have much formal art education. Apart from a few art classes I took in school, I mainly taught myself. I’m sure this must have hurt me in the long run in terms of some of the foundational knowledge that you would get by taking consistent art classes, but that’s okay. I learned in my own way. 

I learned most of what I know in two ways: a lot of reading and a lot of practice. 

When I wasn’t drawing, I was consuming art books. These started with how to draw books of my favorite cartoon characters, then progressed to more formal instruction. There were also a handful of artists online who I learned from. Anyone remember DeviantArt? I was there obsessively in its golden years, c. 2010, learning from many artists and their tutorials. 

And then I practiced. A lot. I was always drawing. I had stacks and stacks of sketchbooks. I drew all over my notes in school. I drew on my pants when I didn’t have any paper. I was drawing cartoons, anime characters, celebrity portraits, you name it. Over time, it just became second nature.  

What does my art look like now? 

I consider myself kind of a jack of all trades type of artist. I dabble in multiple mediums:

  • Graphite pencil

  • Charcoal

  • Colored pencil

  • Watercolor pencil

  • Watercolor paint

  • Acrylic paint

  • Oil paint 

I switch back and forth between them every few weeks or so. Again, not sticking to one thing to specialize in has probably hurt me because I don’t necessarily feel like I’m an expert in any of them, but I like being able to pick and choose. 

The thing about being an adult is it’s hard to fit in art in between all the different things going on in my life. I wish there were more hours in the day, but I do as much as I can, whenever I can. 

Portraits are still my favorite thing to draw; something about the human face is really fascinating to me. I really like nature so I find that I do a lot of landscape paintings now. I like cute animals like cats, dogs, and bunnies, wild cats like tigers and cheetahs, and also sea creatures. I’m also a big fan of fantasy, so I’ll do things like fairies, elves, dragons, etc. 

Where do I want to go from here? 

I’ve already taken a major step by launching my art website. For a long time, I didn’t think I was a good enough artist to do this and then I just didn’t have the time. Now that I do, I want to grow my presence as an artist. 

In addition to connecting with people and sharing/publishing art online, I’m also hoping to get involved in the local art community. Over the next year, I’d really like to get my feet wet in selling prints and other products featuring my art at local craft shows and I’m hoping to join some community groups. 

This has been such a major part of my life and it’s extremely important to me. I want to share the joy that I find in it with the world, as well as use it as a personal mechanism to find fulfillment. 

Other fun facts about me

  • In addition to drawing, I’ve also spent my life being into creative writing. I’m currently working on a book. 

  • I’m passionate about music. I play the piano and my favorite artists are Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey. 

  • I love to read. I read 50 books last year and I’m up to 13 so far this year. 

  • I’m a huge Disney fan. My favorite animated movies are Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, and Lilo & Stitch.

  • Inuyasha is my favorite anime ever. 

  • I’m really into true crime. I watch Kendall Rae, Hayley Elizabeth, Dreading, and Black Girl Gone on YouTube religiously.

Jessica Page