Jannette Asked: Why Do you Draw Plus Size Superheroes?

The answer is a simple one, Superheroes are American icons, they have been a part of our culture as far back as men have had imaginations. I am fortunate because my art doesn't just respond to my inner creative voice, but it serves a community that needs a positive voice outside of all the negative misrepresentations of Plus Size.  So my natural love of the superhero genre makes it a perfect platform for including people of size into the pop culture mosaic.

It's not because I have a problem with the original versions of the superheroes or the demographic that they represent. It's just an artistic reinvention designed to speak to how we think and see people of all walks, shapes and sizes. Not as targets of jokes, disrespect, and discrimination, but as a part of our society and culture.

Thanks Jannette for posing the question.
And thanks to you all for looking.

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All the best,
JNESS
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JNESS GRAPHICS
Bigger Art Is Better!™
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HOW TO MAINTAIN CLIENT RELATIONS...

Last week, I missed making the blog entry. Reason… You guessed it, "Life got in the way". Fortunately the smoke eventually cleared and I got back on track with my client related work and eventually my blog post. It's a case of the dreaded workflow domino effect.

This is a classic example of how a designer ends up being late delivering to a client or several clients. Which brings me to the point of this week's entry. It is important that as creatives providing a service to our customers, that we are always forthcoming and sincere about events that effect the timeline on a project.

When the unexpected rears it's ugly head, keep your client in the loop. They don't need to know the personal details of the situation at hand, but they need to know that the timeline is effected. I have found that clients appreciate getting the heads up versus having to track you down to find out what's going on. It's a professional way of working and it maintains the standards of the industry as a whole.

People appreciate the fact that you consider their deadlines and value their time, in return they value your time and will continue to patronize your service.

Thank you for looking
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JNESS GRAPHICS
Bigger Art Is Better!™
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Commissioned Art - Mix CD Cover - Created For J'Ann entitled "Free World"art by JNESS

Fabulous project. J'Ann 's music is fitting perfectly into the hip hop mosaic. I was very excited when she spoke to me about this job and the idea she had for the cover. She's an easy going client, who has faith in my ability to bring the style and feel she was after to fruition. This is the result of our work. Hope you like. Let me know what you think...

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JNESS GRAPHICS
Bigger Art Is Better!™
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Commission Art - Revisited / Created for DJ JAY THREEOH SlowFlow vol. V

Smooth It Out Mixtape Cover for DJ JAY THREEOH SlowFlow vol. V illustration by JNESS
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JNESS GRAPHICS
Bigger Art Is Better!™
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A Creative Exercise Challenge

I cue up "Change the World" by Eric Clapton and Babyface on iTunes, and fire up a fresh TextEdit page because it's my favorite part of the week Sunday night... Blog time. What a week, my region of the world has experienced an earthquake and a hurricane. Frantic, trips to the supermarket on a quest for food and water, going to my 9 to 5, and doing my freelance client work. This weekend everywhere we went was out of water except for The Water Shoppe (thank goodness) but that's another story.

Ok enough of the update, now let's move to my recent imaginings, and thoughts. As my client base continues to grow, I am faced with the desire to create more work at a faster pace without compromising the quality of my services.

I think back to a time when I lived in Canarsie, Brooklyn. My long running partner-in-art Dwayne - RT, and I challenged each other to do one drawing a night, over the course of time our nightly drawing sessions grew to a 7 drawings per night standard. We worked diligently to have fresh ideas, execute them and have a strong sense of maintaining quality while meeting the quota. It was an incredible exercise. It eventually became natural, it was a place where the heartbeat and workflow sync up. Eventually, we moved too far from each other to continue the drawing sessions, but I never forgot the standard we had accomplished.

Now I try to channel that energy when addressing my latest design/illustration challenges. I want to work faster, more effectively, and at a high standard. I desire to be Bionic! (sorry, I grew up in the 70's watching "The Six Million Dollar Man") Lol!

The dilemma, I often face...
I have client work to schedule, and make happen in a timely manner, and keeping my clients happy. I have a promotion I am running on facebook, where two wonderful contestants get a chance to win a free portrait, it involves me doing 16 portraits in all (great project - but it requires time to complete). And last but not least, I need to continue creating relevant inspired art that will be made available in my online store (the really fun stuff).

The issue at hand is accomplishing all these things harmoniously. It's important as creatives that we take the time out necessary to do the personal projects that reflect the untamed inspirations when they come. That fiery Mexican muse, that has to be captured in an explosive illustration. That make-up artist from Chile who lives in Vegas that you must draw to survive. Those creative ideas that have to be explored, the list goes on. Its unhealthy for an artist to ignore creative passions. All work and no play... well you know the rest.

My new challenge to myself is to get one piece created from the heart per week. This project will be called INSPIRATA. It's not a collection, it's more of an incentive. The quality of my other works benefit from the existence of an exercise like this. I challenge other artists and designers to do this for themselves as well, you won't regret it. Create something weekly that stems from somewhere deep inside.

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JNESS GRAPHICS
Bigger Art Is Better!™
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