Behind the Sketchbook: Jenny Kroik joins LBCC art enthusiasts
AT A GLANCE
WHO: Jenny Kroik and art enthusiasts
WHAT: Artist Talk Zoom Meeting with LBCC
WHEN: Feb. 2, 2021
WHY: Take in new advice and the experiences of a professional artist
WHAT: Artist Talk Zoom Meeting with LBCC
WHEN: Feb. 2, 2021
WHY: Take in new advice and the experiences of a professional artist
HOW: Digital Exhibition and more information can be found at https://www.jennykroik.com/.
In every piece of art, there is a story that begins with the Artist themself. The faces of art enthusiasts filled the Zoom room as 2 p.m. approached. Jenny Kroik, a New York-based illustrator met with LBCC’s Anne Magratten, offering discussion on her life, career, and inspiration as a professional illustrator and artist. The LBCC Art Gallery Team hosted the event on Feb. 2 to share Kroik’s digital exhibition and give students the opportunity to ask her questions.
Kroik earned her Master’s in Fine Arts at the University of Oregon, where she met Magratten, who was teaching there at the time.
“We actually had this game where we would go to Goodwill and we each would buy something for the other person that we wanted to paint them in,'' said Kroik.
Kroik and Magratten befriended one another with their shared passion for fine arts.
The meeting was relaxed, friendly, casual and more like the experience of having coffee with friends.
“Jenny’s work has been featured on the cover of The New Yorker multiple times and her illustrations have graced many other publications,” said Magratten.
Kroik works on two-dimensional art designs such as paintings and sketches. She illustrates books and has offered her talents to a variety of clients.
During the interview Kroik shared how some pieces are years in the making. For example, she shared her illustration of Magratten from 2013 and her recreation of the piece years later.
“Ideas can linger and you always have a reservoir of stuff that you can dip back into,” said Kroik.
Inspiration for Kroik is pulled from constantly interacting with people and creating relationships while illustrating individuals. While painting and creating sketches is by no means a team sport, Kroik finds ways to include others in her process.
“Something I feel like I learned from you is that art can also involve a lovely degree of human interaction and friendship, where I think I was just sort of working in the studio by myself when Jenny was just like ‘No we can have this be something that is playful and fun and together,’ and of course there's an exchange of ideas that happens when we're able to actually talk with one another,” said Magratten.
While Kroik has been unable to have these in-person interactions with friends, colleagues and clients over the last year, she explained a great deal of her recent art has been based on photographs. She explained the art of sketching or painting from photographs.
“It’s compulsive to copy it exactly, so I think finding that balance between the photograph and your own vision behind it reinjects three-dimensional and a story,” said Kroik.
Kroik said sketching from real-life models and synthesizing your own style within work hand-in-hand. She listed some advice such as keeping a sketchbook on hand, writing down thoughts, playing with colors, and limiting a color palette.
She shared her sketchbook with the Zoom group and they were able to see it includes not only sketches, but also notes that came to mind, her play with different brushes and even jokes that she doodles.
Fifteen art enthusiasts asked questions during the discussion. “Did your style develop naturally, or did you work to develop a specific style of painting/drawing?” asked Kacey Montgomery.
“When I was in grad school and afterwards I had no particular style, I was just doing everything,” Kroik responded. “When I decided to go back into illustration, I got really excited about new faces and stories, and hearing others’ reactions to me painting them. In terms of content and execution, this style wasn't so much of a plan, it just kind of emerged.”
Kroik also went through her “Artist Talk” Google Slides, directing participants to “Laurel,” an illustration of an adolescent girl peacefully reading in the company of her two animals.
Kroik shared how she changed her approach for finding subjects during the pandemic.
To which Johanna Hennessy said, “You mentioned earlier that you're not really taking pictures anymore of people on the street, you're mostly going through your photo archives and then using those as references now. Are there any other ways that your artistic process has changed since the pandemic started?”
“That’s a perfect question to the first image we’re looking at,” said Kroik, “because I did this project when the pandemic started. A woman sent me a picture of her daughter reading and this came out of that.”
As an illustrator, Kroik is always on the lookout for new people and inspiration. She explained her use of Instagram as a tool to connect her art with others.
“I asked my followers, where are you in the world? What are you reading? Focusing on a positive thing from being inside and isolated.
“I tried to paint as many people as I could, and then people were like ‘Oh, can I have one too?’ So some of these ended up being commissions.”
Kroik was able to continue her work despite the pandemic, keeping from face-to-face artistic interactions and engaging her audience on social media. She shared her experiences as an artist with regards to elicit creativity and how she finds inspiration to complete her work. She uses the community and people to draw upon.
“Have the community, be playful, meet at a park, be in distance and draw.”
For those interested in pursuing an artistic career, Kroik shared her secrets on how to charge for her artistic pieces. Kroik mentioned the book “The Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines.”
She discussed the earlier struggle of not having the courage or confidence to charge a fee at first and the journey to now, when she feels comfortable to charge for her works and how she has an agent.
For aspiring artists, the meeting was informative and full of artistic knowledge and advice. “Just start with what you love,” said Kroik.
“We actually had this game where we would go to Goodwill and we each would buy something for the other person that we wanted to paint them in,'' said Kroik.
Kroik and Magratten befriended one another with their shared passion for fine arts.
The meeting was relaxed, friendly, casual and more like the experience of having coffee with friends.
“Jenny’s work has been featured on the cover of The New Yorker multiple times and her illustrations have graced many other publications,” said Magratten.
Kroik works on two-dimensional art designs such as paintings and sketches. She illustrates books and has offered her talents to a variety of clients.
During the interview Kroik shared how some pieces are years in the making. For example, she shared her illustration of Magratten from 2013 and her recreation of the piece years later.
“Ideas can linger and you always have a reservoir of stuff that you can dip back into,” said Kroik.
Inspiration for Kroik is pulled from constantly interacting with people and creating relationships while illustrating individuals. While painting and creating sketches is by no means a team sport, Kroik finds ways to include others in her process.
“Something I feel like I learned from you is that art can also involve a lovely degree of human interaction and friendship, where I think I was just sort of working in the studio by myself when Jenny was just like ‘No we can have this be something that is playful and fun and together,’ and of course there's an exchange of ideas that happens when we're able to actually talk with one another,” said Magratten.
While Kroik has been unable to have these in-person interactions with friends, colleagues and clients over the last year, she explained a great deal of her recent art has been based on photographs. She explained the art of sketching or painting from photographs.
“It’s compulsive to copy it exactly, so I think finding that balance between the photograph and your own vision behind it reinjects three-dimensional and a story,” said Kroik.
Kroik said sketching from real-life models and synthesizing your own style within work hand-in-hand. She listed some advice such as keeping a sketchbook on hand, writing down thoughts, playing with colors, and limiting a color palette.
She shared her sketchbook with the Zoom group and they were able to see it includes not only sketches, but also notes that came to mind, her play with different brushes and even jokes that she doodles.
Fifteen art enthusiasts asked questions during the discussion. “Did your style develop naturally, or did you work to develop a specific style of painting/drawing?” asked Kacey Montgomery.
“When I was in grad school and afterwards I had no particular style, I was just doing everything,” Kroik responded. “When I decided to go back into illustration, I got really excited about new faces and stories, and hearing others’ reactions to me painting them. In terms of content and execution, this style wasn't so much of a plan, it just kind of emerged.”
Kroik also went through her “Artist Talk” Google Slides, directing participants to “Laurel,” an illustration of an adolescent girl peacefully reading in the company of her two animals.
Kroik shared how she changed her approach for finding subjects during the pandemic.
To which Johanna Hennessy said, “You mentioned earlier that you're not really taking pictures anymore of people on the street, you're mostly going through your photo archives and then using those as references now. Are there any other ways that your artistic process has changed since the pandemic started?”
“That’s a perfect question to the first image we’re looking at,” said Kroik, “because I did this project when the pandemic started. A woman sent me a picture of her daughter reading and this came out of that.”
As an illustrator, Kroik is always on the lookout for new people and inspiration. She explained her use of Instagram as a tool to connect her art with others.
“I asked my followers, where are you in the world? What are you reading? Focusing on a positive thing from being inside and isolated.
“I tried to paint as many people as I could, and then people were like ‘Oh, can I have one too?’ So some of these ended up being commissions.”
Kroik was able to continue her work despite the pandemic, keeping from face-to-face artistic interactions and engaging her audience on social media. She shared her experiences as an artist with regards to elicit creativity and how she finds inspiration to complete her work. She uses the community and people to draw upon.
“Have the community, be playful, meet at a park, be in distance and draw.”
For those interested in pursuing an artistic career, Kroik shared her secrets on how to charge for her artistic pieces. Kroik mentioned the book “The Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines.”
She discussed the earlier struggle of not having the courage or confidence to charge a fee at first and the journey to now, when she feels comfortable to charge for her works and how she has an agent.
For aspiring artists, the meeting was informative and full of artistic knowledge and advice. “Just start with what you love,” said Kroik.
Jenny Kroik begins the Zoom session with a smile as art enthusiasts join.
Painting of Anne Magratten after their 2013 shopping trip to Goodwill for inspiration.
Recent painting with inspiration taken from 2013.
Painting of Anne Magratten after their 2013 shopping trip to Goodwill for inspiration.
Recent painting with inspiration taken from 2013.
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