Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Kilgore.
Hi Jasmine, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I fell in love with drawing at a young age. My first encounter with drawing was when I was in the fourth grade. I saw my classmate sketching a tweety bird from her notebook cover, and I became interested, so I asked if I could borrow it over the weekend to practice, and she was delighted to. So I traced it the first time to get a feel for it, then I continued freehand sketching all weekend until I got it down-packed. Upon returning to school on Monday, I gave my classmate her notebook back and thanked her. I continued drawing tweety birds in clothing styles with accessories, and other classmates started noticing my work. They would ask me to draw them with the different requested clothing styles, so I started charging a small fee.
After realizing I wanted to be an artist, I started drawing different cartoons, like characters from my favorite animated movie, Aladdin. When I entered high school, I began exploring different aspects of art, like perspective and landscape drawing. I made my first self-portrait in a Japanese abstract style, I even drew a blueprint of my dream home. Also during high school, I learned graphic design basics, but it interested me less than other art. In college, I became interested in film production because I wanted to become an animator, which was a required course for my major. I dreamed of creating cartoons and even someday having my own production company where I would make my own animated movies, cartoons, etc. After a few semesters into my degree program, I explored painting and sculpting. Also, I fell in love with charcoal. When I learned my strong suit which was shading, I continued to use charcoal in my drawings.
Once in the lateral part of my college journey, I started learning about the digital side of art. I explored film even more, like editing. Graphic design had crept back into my viewpoint. So I knew I had some promise in graphics, but it still didn’t grasp my interest. In 2012 I graduated with my fine arts degree and digital art certification, and since then, I have been a freelancer. I started a couple of series of works based on self-expression. I am currently working on a couple of projects I will launch soon. Within the last year, aside from being a freelancer artist, I have been featured in a magazine, showcased in a couple of art shows, and started learning digital art.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have had some ups and downs, I mean who doesn’t in this thing called life lol. However, I find new ways to accomplish what I set out to do. I have learned that you have to have confidence in anything that you do and believe in yourself when others can’t see your vision. It does get lonely sometimes but you have to keep pushing through it and block out the noise.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a multimedia artist. I specialize in creating art that’s everlasting. My mediums are charcoal, pencil, and digital art. I am known for creating portraits, however they aren’t the only thing that I like to create. Most of my work is self-expression abstract. I am proud of taking on challenges head-on when it comes to evolving my artistry and taking chances on new endeavors.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I don’t know much about finding a mentor because I am looking for one myself. If I can provide any advice regarding that, it would have to be find someone willing to push you to your potential and make sure they are vetted in the field. Now when it comes to what works for me so far in my journey is networking. I would have to say networking has to be the biggest thing that has helped lately, for one, to build your confidence and, two, to open yourself up to opportunities that you may never have known could be.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/j._denese_the_artist
