Meet Jennifer Hines

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Hines. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.

Hi Jennifer, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?

Being a creative can be hard. It’s a job and you need your butt in the chair, but sometimes it’s hard to be creative on call and at all times. When I’m feeling creatively blocked, my biggest go-to is to go away. Get up and change my scenery. Explore something in a different room, with a different sense. Taking a walk often brings me the most interesting ideas because my mind can just wander freely and I see so many things out in the world. Going to see a museum exhibit, in any subject, is often inspiring to me because the visuals and shapes I encounter get my mind connecting things. The more I try to force a creative idea to come, the further it runs away, because they are shy. Our creative minds keep working when we’re not actively using them, so getting away, giving time, doing something else entirely is my key for creative block. Because I work digitally, doing something that has low stakes in my sketchbook or a craft with my hands is often helpful because there are no rules, I can play around with any medium, and the result is just for me with no judgement by clients or others. Being creative in any form always begets more creativity, it grows exponentially, so doing anything I enjoy that is creative but different helps me get unstuck. Sleep, play, walk away, repeat, until sitting down to create something feels necessary and exciting instead of a chore.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a freelance illustrator and lettering artist who creates whimsical, colorful, and fun illustrations to make people smile. I got obsessed with food illustration especially because I am often hungry and enjoy trying out new foods. I work with editorial, licensing, and commercial clients creating custom illustrations to suit their publication, product, or campaign and show their unique personality or message. I love discussing project details with potential clients and creating something entirely new for them, it’s such an amazing thing to collaborate on visuals and see them out in the world.

My road to where I am was circuitous, but I’ve always been rooted in creative roles. I started off studying fine art, doing printmaking and sculpture and I still love the tactility of paper. I also studied creative writing, which was the basis for my interest in drawing letters and typography, and creating custom lettering compositions. I have additionally worked as a graphic designer in publishing companies, so I am a pretty well-rounded creative familiar with fine art materials, page layout and book design, writing, brush calligraphy, and illustration! Illustration has been my favorite expression because I can add more color and details to tell the story of myself or the brand I’m working with.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Lettering: I’ve been drawing letters and doing brush calligraphy for over 10 years now. I started by just doing 10 minutes a day, practicing my brush pens and observing how to draw letterforms, and over time I felt more confident and was able to start teaching people since I remembered what it was like to be a beginner. Drawing letters is much harder than it looks if you make them in calligraphy or by drawing them differently than writing them in normal handwriting. It takes practice and varies by the tool you use, so each tool requires more practice! It can feel frustrating, but a little each day adds up. I cringe at my older work, but it’s amazing to see how far I’ve come.

Food illustration: All illustration is fun, but focusing down to just one main area of foods was a game changer for me. Before I was overwhelmed on what to illustrate, I didn’t feel like my style was consistent, and I never knew what to draw. It seems like limited yourself would have the opposite effect, but indeed it allowed more focus and was very freeing. Picking food as an illustration topic gave me a purpose, and also allowed me to develop a style that was unique, and helped me better my skills too. I recommend putting some limits on yourself, either in media or subject or purpose. Narrowing it down makes things easier to tackle and improve.

Creative print-ready files: I have loads of experience setting up files for print and working with printers. After working at a publishing company, I got very good at creating books and setting up files for print to the proper specifications. It’s nice to be knowledgeable about crop marks and bleeds, file resolution, CMYK vs RGB, and different Pantone or printing papers because it helps to set up illustrations and files right early on to save work later, but every project is different. This can be a lot of technical information for someone who is unfamiliar, but the printers are always willing to help! Just ask the specifications they need for a project and what settings you need to do, and over time it’ll become second nature.

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?

I love creating illustrations for clients. My ideal clients will be coming to me because they like my unique style and techniques, so they’ve reviewed my artwork and know that my style will suit their project. I believe a successful project is a collaboration, with the client giving me a clear description of what they want to start but trusting me to add my unique spin on it. In general, I prefer collaborations where people are understanding and respectful of my time and expertise, and I aim to do the same for those I work with. I want to work with nice people!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jenniferhines.design/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abctypography/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferhinesdesigns/