Interview with Artist Jeleynai
This month’s cover art features a delicate and gorgeous yet sorrowful illustration by concept artist and illustrator, Jeleynai. Jeyleynai’s portfolio is full of strikingly realistic portraits and landscapes dripping with emotion and symbolism.
BRADLEY POWERS: What program(s) do you use to create your digital works? What does your process look like from start to finish?
JELEYNAI: I mainly use photoshop for my finished works! In terms of process, I work in 3 steps:
Step 1 - Brainstorming and Composition Sketches: I try to do the first part of my work away from any specific reference and either just keep the core idea in mind (if it's personal work) or have my written brief to the side somewhere and come up with a few ideas. Sometimes I land on something early—within the first 2 or 3 iterations—but there are definitely also pieces that went through many more sketches until I found the one I was happy with. I try to keep this step as independent as possible to make sure the core idea behind a piece is as 'me' as possible before I move on to the next step
Step 2 - Reference and Research: After I've come up with a basic composition I'll gather references and do research. That means shooting references for poses for characters, finding mood inspirations for colour and lighting, as well as occasionally making 3D scenes if there are more complex environments or light setups that will benefit from a 3D mockup. This step is where I think you can save the most time! Good preparation ensures the rest of your process is much smoother and you'll run into fewer unknowns.
Step 3 - Drawing The Damn Owl: From there it is just down to painting it! I'll build up my painting using all the references I've gathered and gradually move through the piece. The thing I try to pay the most attention to is staying zoomed out pretty far for as long as possible and only zooming in once I'm ready to actually add final details and finishing touches. That way I don't get sidetracked with unimportant things and my piece stays cohesive.
BP: On your Instagram there are several gorgeous 30 minute environmental studies. They are so beautiful and look surprisingly finished for 30 minutes! Where did you learn your skills? If it was through professional training, where did you go and how did you grow as an artist there? If it was somewhere else, what resources did you use to get to the artistic level you are at today?
J: I'm actually mostly self-taught! I say 'mostly' because I think it's a bit unfair to say that when I've learned from so many different places and people over the years. I didn't go to art school, is what I'm trying to say. I had elective art classes like most people but I really started learning art once I had access to the internet and learned what digital art was. I fell in love with the medium early, I bought my first Wacom Bamboo at seventeen, and obsessively watched YouTube speedpaints. I've always been really fascinated with art since it's a skill you never really master. There obviously are plenty of old and new masters that we all aspire to learn from but there technically is always something new you can learn and improve on with art. I learned most of what I know by watching my peers and analyzing artworks I like. Community is also a huge thing here! The most important thing with art is to stay motivated to do it and to never stop practicing. Surrounding yourself with likeminded people that are all working hard on their art goals is priceless and you'll build a support system in a career (or hobby) that can otherwise feel a little isolating. As for my 30 minute studies, I actually did those for a study group I host! Doing timed studies is an incredible exercise that will teach you how to properly and quickly analyze a reference, which parts are important to nail down to make sure the scene reads, how to simplify detail, as well as get super familiar with your tools and brushes in order to get the most out of them in a short time. I can't recommend them enough!
BP: If you made a vision board for your art, what would you put on it? Are there characters from games, books, movies, etc? What colors represent your “brand”? What quotes might you include? What would you include to represent your future as an artist?
J: Definitely a ton of art from people I admire! The art from the Diablo franchise also comes to mind. I've always found it very striking. I also generally tend to gravitate towards darker moods and pieces so it'd likely end up looking a bit grim. I'm actually not sure what colours would be associated with my “brand” but I'd imagine darker, earthy tones? I like working in those a lot!
BP: In “Dark Thoughts” are the birds crows, ravens, or another type of bird? White crows/ravens are real but are a rare genetic anomaly. As a viewer, I thought the transition of white bird to black bird could represent positive thoughts being rare to the figure in the piece and commonly turning dark and twisted. As the artist, what does the transition of white to black bird mean to you? Or do you prefer to keep interpretation of this piece up to the viewers?
J: You've pretty much nailed it! The birds are meant to be ravens although I'm not an ornithologist so they may not be 100% accurate. My personal work often deals with some struggles you face as a person or feelings I've had about the world. Art for me offers a time to express things for myself that are otherwise difficult to describe in words. It's a bit like therapy to me! In this specific piece I was trying to capture that stinging feeling of your brain twisting every thought and situation into a bad thing or a failing of some kind. That tightness you feel in your chest when your brain whispers "you're not good enough" or the sense of worry that the nice thing someone says isn't really what they think. Long story short, I like to take things that make me go "aw, bummer" and try to make it look pretty on paper!
BP: There are a few details that, as an art history nerd, I thought were a nod to medieval religious artworks. The piece is broken up by faux paneling in the background. This brings a sense of texture which makes the entire piece feel more tactile. It reminds me of a triptych: a three-paneled work of art often made to be altarpieces. Additionally, the crown of leaves on the figure’s head and the circle behind the head indicate a halo. It looks strikingly similar to the flat circular haloes around spiritual figures’ heads in medieval Christian art, before they understood perspective. Are these details actually nods to historical works of religious art? What kind of significance, spiritual or not, do these details have?
J: There's definitely an element of that to it! I quite like a sense of drama and the beautiful renditions of the renaissance, and baroque paintings are nothing if not dramatic. The three panels behind her were a nice mirror to each step—the white birds, passing through her chest, to the dark birds—and the halo behind her along with the laurels were meant to signify that regardless of her perceived “glory” her body and mind will taint whatever passes through it. I'm not religious myself, although I was raised Catholic. I've always really liked subtle nods to myth and legend when it comes to art. I find it's a very nice way to insinuate meaning without words and offer a deeper layer to connect with people. Mythology is also a really cool source of inspiration. Ancient cultures knew how to come up with wild ideas. (Must have been the mushrooms.)
BP: Jeleynai, it has been an absolute treat getting to know you and your work. Thank you so much for your contribution to Apex Magazine. To find more of Jeleynai’s work check out her Instagram, website, and Patreon!