Jeffrey Jang

I am currently 19 years old, and a graphic design student in British Columbia, Canada. I decided I wanted to become a professional illustrator in 2005. I bought a tiny little Wacom 4×5 tablet which served me well until 2008 (I use a Cintiq now). I was trying hard to pursue this dream of mine, so for most of 2007 I tried to churn out better pieces for my portfolio. I failed to get into the program I applied for; and thus was forced to wait for a year. I finally applied for a graphic design program. I had no idea what to do, so I ended up asking Merekat for advice. I made it through, and am now in the process of completing the program; I’ll be done this year in September.

http://jeffufu.deviantart.com is my current method for displaying my better work.

July 29, 2005	July 15, 2007	2009
August 23, 2005	2008	2009
July 22, 2006	October 1, 2007	2008

I was fortunate to have a great mentor and friend through Merekat, and have learned many useful things:

• My advice is to accept all forms of criticism. By no means do you have to apply them, but consider what they are, and who they are coming from. Because just about anyone may be viewing your work you should keep an open mind to all opinions. I think it is a good mindset to always go about understanding that “you know nothing” and that others can help you fill that void.

• Don’t become attached to your work; if it is clearly not working, drop it. I can think of many hours I spent trying to make something work which, inevitably did not, and having nothing to show for it.
  
• Practice from life. Reference images of people for anatomy, photographs for landscapes, and everything else. Understanding how the world looks as it does will help you create a world others can believe in.
  
• Look at things around you, and mentally store them away for later. By building your mental library you’ll be able to pull from it to make your own creations.
  

I’ve still got a long way to go so my advice may seem a bit forward for my level of skill, but talented people have told me the very same so I want what works for me to be considered by others.

One Response to “Jeffrey Jang”

1. Jess says:

   June 14, 2009 at 12:11 pm

   the magazine cover girl is gorgeously drawn