What type of project do you enjoy working on the most? 

I like to work on illustrations that include some sort of theme or storytelling! There’s something about illustrations that can tell a story that makes me so curious to want to know more. I don’t think I’m the greatest storyteller, but at least I can have fun with working on improving these skills through art. 

Are there any other mediums or forms of art you like to work in? 

I love to simulate other mediums of art into digital art using photos from actual sketches or simulating the texture of paper, graphite pencils, and even paint through my art software. I do this a lot in videos I animate in Adobe After Effects, which gives me a lot of freedom to try and think outside the box. 

Other than digital art, I do like to work in oil pastels. I like to stick to digital, but it never hurts to try out something new, which is how I was able to discover that oil pastels aren’t all that bad. I dreaded the thought of having to use them because I didn’t have confidence that I would be any good at it, but it’s so much fun to play around with colors in oil pastel! 

Why do you think design is important? 

There is design in almost everything in the world. While they may not fall into the same type of design I do, which is illustration, every idea comes with some sort of visual: advertisements, architecture, vehicles, cinema, and even everyday items people use.  

If we didn’t have some sort of design, everything would be much harder for everyone, and everything wouldn’t be as fun. If every store had no sort of graphic design, everything would be blank and empty. By having graphic design in this case, companies have an appeal and can catch the eye of potential customers. When people often go to look for a book to read, most of the time people are swayed by a book that catches their eye. That’s what I think, anyways. 

How do you get inspired? 

I always get inspired by other people around me. Whether they’re artists or not, I always discover something that is new about them that is completely different from my everyday life. Learning about what peers like or something that makes them different always opens my mind up to seeing the world from another angle. 

While creating my piece for the contest, I was greatly inspired by Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse and its beautiful imagery of bustling city life. The artstyle of Spiderverse mixed with the inspiration from Philadelphia as a beautiful city gave me everything I needed to create my piece for the contest and I couldn’t have been more inspired.

To see more of Jolie’s work, check out her portfolio website.