For this artist spotlite, we would like to introduce you to Judy Perrin, a wildlife and fantasy artist from England. She is a creative spirit who paints and draws in a wide variety of mediums and styles.
Read on to hear what Judy Perrin has to share with us regarding her life, and experience with art.
To be included here as a featured artist, please visit this page: Artist Spotlite
Judy Perrin – Wildlife and Fantasy Art
Please introduce yourself and your fantasy and wildlife art to us at ArtPromotivate
I'm a fantasy and wildlife artist from the UK, with a deep fascination for all forms of traditional 2D media. I'm an animal lover and a recovering arachnophobe (now with eight pet tarantulas!) and my partner and I are staff to three feline companions.
After spending thirteen years painting cartoon characters on bouncy castles, I feel it is time for a change and to get my art out there into the big wide, highly competitive, world.
What types and styles of art do you create?
A huge variety! I can't limit myself to one style or one type of media (apart from digital - not keen on computer art in general), so my portfolio is bursting with fantasy, wildlife, cartoons and tattoo designs, in media ranging from oils on canvas to coloured pencils even biros have been requisitioned when I've run out of black drawing pens!
Judy Perrin, why do you create art?
Why laugh? Why cry? Why read? Art is more than just an outlet; it's baring your soul to the world. Even if you do nothing more than straight portraits or copy work, you can't help but put some of yourself into the work, it's like giving out a piece of yourself to the rest of the world. Besides, I'm no good at doing anything else!
What other artists have influenced you?
While I was at university, we were expected to study the Old Masters, and true, I did; however, my greatest influences were artists like Frank Frazetta, David Shepherd, Boris Vallejo, and people who did more illustrative work like Kelly Freas. I loved his re-working of one of his pictures for the Queen album "News of the World". If I had to name a "real" artist who has influenced me, it would be the likes of Escher, Magritte, Ernst and O'Keefe.
Have you managed to make a living as an artist?
Sadly not, I've yet to crack the magic code that would get buyers flocking to my door, so I have to have a day job. I don't think it means that you can't give your art your all if you have to work elsewhere for a living, but it does impact on your time. It's about balance. I really envy those artists who can rely on an income purely from their art, however even they have had to work d*mned hard to get there and it's still never an assured success; your stuff could be hot one minute and not the next.
What are the subjects and themes of your artworks, and in what way are they translated to your medium?
I'm very much of an illustrative bent; that said, I don't really do photo-realism. I think you have to get expression, feeling, into a piece and it's hard to do that when you're hung up on the realism of something. No excuses for not knowing your anatomy, though! My themes vary, but they're usually strongly narrative with characters and actions. I also like to explore darker areas of the mind, particularly with my fine-line pen work, but I also have a lighter, quirkier side that comes out.I've found that coloured pencils are the best for the fantasy work; they can be layered heavily for darker, more emotionally charged pieces, and kept very light and ethereal for more whimsical works.
How often do you produce art?
Not as often as I'd like, but I manage one piece a week; it could be a drawing, no more than a doodle, or it could be a larger oil or acrylic painting. I also have a number of time-consuming hobbies, all of which are a creative outlet, so it's somewhat sporadic. I tend to work best in the evening, which I think is a leftover habit from when I worked long hours in a factory for some time and that was the only time left I had to be creative.
How have you been promoting your art on the internet and elsewhere?
Good question! I'm still going through promotional exercises, but I think it differs from person to person with what works for you. For instance, I find Twitter hard because I like to ramble, but a blog would end up so turgid and wordy that I would have to rein that in a bit. My website's a good base, I guess it could be called a launch pad for people to find me elsewhere. LinkedIn has been the most successful for me in terms of getting noticed, as has Facebook. Offline, I'm just about to start attending networking events as word-of-mouth is the best thing ever for advertising. Plus, simply getting your work on a wall in public somewhere, like a small gallery, art shop or similar, is a good start.
One sentence that is descriptive of you:
What I am wouldn't fit in one sentence!
What is the best advice you can relate to emerging artists?
Nothing revelatory, it's all about hard work, getting to know people and keep creating stuff - never, ever stop being creative.
Thank-you Judy Perrin for sharing your wildlife and fantasy artworks with us, along with your creative experiences.
Judy Perrin’s artist website can be visited at Dark Flights Art.
Her other social profiles: Twitter and her Facebook page.
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