Tell me about yourself as an artist!
My name is Jennifer Hernandez, I am a first generation Mexican American, and I was born and raised in New Mexico. I currently live in Albuquerque, which you might recognize if you were a fan of Breaking Bad. As a kid, I was obsessed
with books and I spent all of my free time reading. It wasn’t until high school that I became interested in creating art. I started doodling in my notebooks during class and listening to angsty music and dreaming about becoming an album cover artist. I knew I wanted to do something creative with my career, so I went to college for graphic design, and I’ve been a graphic/web designer for almost eight years now.
You are an amazing illustrator - how did you get started in that field?
Why thank you!! As I mentioned, I started doodling a lot in high school and then in college I got to take some drawing classes as part of the graphic design program, but it wasn’t something I was doing every day. After I graduated and got a job as a designer, I stopped making personal art for about three years. I started to feel creatively frustrated, so I realized I needed to start making art for myself again. That was in 2017 and now I draw almost every day!
What's your favorite part of illustrating and character creation?
My main sources of inspiration are animals, specifically octopuses and my favorite part of drawing them is thinking of new and interesting situations in which to place my octopus characters in. My second favorite thing about creating characters is making them as cute as possible. I love hearing people say, “Oh my god, that is so cute”. It just makes me so happy to know that my art brings other people joy and laughter.
You sell all sorts of different things at Shana Logic including handmade masks, totes and even coasters! How in the world are you able to create so many different things?
I started out by selling prints and greeting cards and one thing I would hear
often is that people don’t always have a lot of wall space for prints. So, I started to look at what else I could put my illustrations on, and I also really like to be really involved in the production process as well. One of the things I wanted to make were mugs and that’s how I stumbled into the world of sublimation. That has allowed me to expand to other products like totes and masks!
Real Talk: Got any gripes about your work?
I think the only real gripe I have, like most artists, I struggle with the never-ending cycle of highs and lows when it comes to creating and loving your work. Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what to draw and I have no good ideas and other times I have SO many ideas and not enough time. I’m also still trying to find out who I am as an artist and what my “style” is. It’s always evolving and changing.
The most important question: Do you have any pets? What are their names? Got any pics?
I’m so glad you asked! I have three doggos. A Dachshund mix named Delilah, who is very emotionally intelligent, she’s the one that will come cheer you up with kisses if you are sad. We have a Pittie Boxer mix named Posh, who has a very accurate internal clock for when it’s 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM (her lunch and dinner time), and we have a very sweet boi named Zuul, who looks like a Lab Dachshund mix but is really 50% Cocker Spaniel according to his DNA results. He is also the best nap buddy.
What's something that most people don't know about you? (it could be other hobbies, a place you which you could visit, a pet peeve, anything at all)
Most of my artwork features Octopuses and squids and other sea creatures. I love sea creatures, but I can’t swim, and I’ve spent very little time near or in the ocean. I’ve never seen an Octopus in real life and the thought of being in the ocean and just thinking about the deep ocean makes me feel quite terrified and yet fascinated at the same time.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Just that say I’m so excited to be a part of Shana Logic and thank you for featuring me in your blog! (Shana's note: Well of course! You're amazing and we're so lucky to have you! :)