JESSICA ARCHER ARTWORKS

"My mission is to create art that reminisces in happy nostalgia where the art converges with childhood memories..." Jessica Archer

Do you remember your first comic book or who was your favourite superhero growing up?

I do, I remember distinctly a Winnie the Pooh and the Windy Day..lol I don't have that one in my collection anymore but I do have a issue of Superman 58 by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding still sealed in a bag and board in a flip box in my studio that is mangled beyond belief. That is because that one book had many flip throughs, re-reads and drawing sessions and it was my comfort and joy when we were in the midst of moving. This is also one of my first comics!

Welcome friend!

I am so excited to welcome you to my little online hub of nostalgia, where creativity collides with the things we loved growing up! My name is Jess and I am a Canadian artist who from an early age loved to draw, colour and collect!  Throughout my school years I had extreme difficulty academically as I was diagnosed with dyslexia and, although I never maintained the the same level of grades as my peers-my grades were poor and passed with a C or D average, I did well in my art classes.  Feeling like an outsider from my peers I took comfort and joy in my hobbies. I have loved drawing since I was a kid and would spend hours  looking at looking at comic books, drawing them and sketching celebrities from my favourite movies.

Comic books have played a huge role in my life personally and creatively.  I have been collecting comics from a young age and they also taught me how to draw; learning  and studying from Stan Lee and Sal Buscema's How To Draw The Marvel Way.  They helped get me through depression as they kept me positively occupied and, have met amazing people that have changed my life.  My hobbies and passions have been with me through multiple moves, various stages in my life and have served as a comfort in the more difficult times and the reason why I love them so much and continue to make them a part of my everyday life and work.  It is the things we love that make us who we are and to this day I continue to combine my collecting with my artwork. 

I finally got the opportunity to be at the same level of education ( well sort of lol) when I got accepted into the fine art program at Fanshawe College where I studied from various established artists such as Gary Spearin.  While I still struggled with my learning disability it was Gary who encouraged me not to give up on my dream of being in the arts and became a positive influence. Gary always pushed me to try new things in my work and it has stuck with me! I am a diverse artist who enjoys learning new mediums, techniques and themes.  I have dabbled in painting but my main focus and love is for portrait drawing and comic art inspired works.  I am continuing portrait work  combining my comic book collecting, focusing on realism and experimenting with new methods as well as colour.  

After graduating college, I did ok-I had group shows in local galleries, and continued this while working full time in non art related jobs. The life of an artist right? I spent 10 years at the Gap eventually becoming a full time visual merchandiser which was actually pretty fun, and creative. I got to do window displays, merchandising and lol make the stores pretty and organized. After the company started restructuring, my position was taken away and soon after it was just a revolving door of unhappy retail and serving jobs. I was still always  drawing in the background though. It was also during this time I began to struggle with depression, never finding the happiness I craved of having a career, being stuck in dead end corporate jobs and being left high and dry, time and time again from these jobs. One thing that has always been a struggle with my dyslexia, is that it has made learning academics so difficult to learn and understand. People would see the unhappiness in these jobs but could not understand my learning just halts to a certain point. Some things don't ever *click no matter how hard I try to understand and the frustration of not having to be able to have a "normal job" was a big factor into my mental health. Going through these struggles it was my hobbies of comic book collecting and art that brought some positive distraction! 

Then COVID-19 hit. It was at this point in life when I discovered practicing artist Sergio Gomez who has shown and helped so many artists including myself that it is possible to have a career in the arts. I discovered Sergio with his online videos "Breakfast With Sergio" and his positive, refreshing outlook on the artist life and being a working thriving artist seemed so possible! (Also note: when the pandemic began I had also just lost another corporate job and ended up being out of work for 5 years thanks to covid..) Still living with dyslexia it has always made my life more difficult especially in terms of having a more  academically inclined career and the reason I have always gravitated towards art. Believe me it's still a ton of hard work and learning but it's a different kind of learning and one I could and can understand easily.  As my mom always said to me: anything is possible if you put the work in! Many times I thought to myself   could I achieve this?  I didn't want to go back to school to be in debt just to struggle.  Through his mentorship and joining his mentoring group Art Next Level I learned a whole new side of being an artist and that it was very possible for someone like me to have a career in art!  (Also side note: it was during this time I was doing art  and only art, it was carrying me when I didn't't have a part time or full time corporate job..:)) ) There are still things I'm learning and need to learn but I did it once I can do it again..!

I still struggle with my dyslexia but, Sergio's positivity and optimism helped reignite my goals and passion for learning. His simplified ways of teaching and breaking things down easily made me excited to learn and that it was indeed possible to have my dream career! My journey hasn't always been an easy one but, I look back at those hard times with gratitude, lessons and learning experiences. Without those roadblocks I might not have had the opportunities that I have been blessed with currently.  I have been very fortunate to have had so many opportunities already and grateful for the kindness of others for sharing their knowledge. In my new path of working towards being a full time artist I have been so blessed to have opportunities such as becoming an official ambassador for Chartpak artist brands, as well as creating new relationships with new collectors, and other local businesses! 

Bringing people together and promoting positivity through art and shared hobbies on my platforms is one of my goals.  Going forward I still continue my mission of giving back with projects like The Drawing Artist Blog! Realism has not only helped improve my drawing skills it has improved my problem solving skills in terms of thinking outside the box! Art and drawing is for everyone and this blog aims to be a guide and mentor to anyone wanting to learn how to draw realistic portraits!  I have learned so much from others that giving back will always be important to me.  Connecting through hobbies, art or learning have helped me in all aspects of my life good and bad and encourage others to get creative! 

I would like to add that none of this would be possible without my parents, my mom and her unlimited kindness and support, who used to drive me to the comic shop so I could buy a book when we didn't have a lot because she knew how much I loved them, for showing me we should help others if we can, and my stepdad for being my true dad and unwavering support for anything I choose to do.  Forever grateful to my ma and pa bear!  

I invite you all to visit the links on my website and discover my life in art! If you feel a connection to my work I invite you to be a part of my journey just visit the contact page or click on the message icon. Art is not just for the high end collectors, it is for everyone! 

Sincerely,

Jess Archer