Meet Jamie Lee Reardin | Artist | Character Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jamie Lee Reardin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamie Lee, what do you attribute your success to?
I think the most important factor behind the success of my art is staying open to receiving new ideas and allowing inspiration to lead me to my next path. I’ve learned the best thing I can do for my career is to immerse myself in the things that intrigue and enchant me, like diving into a book of Tim Burton’s art and marveling at his use of line and proportion, or watching 101 Dalmatians and taking immense delight in the stylized backgrounds and character design done by past Disney legends.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think I can say that the inspiration behind my art is rooted in one fiendish, fur-wearing Disney villain and a childhood obsession with Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. Cruella De Vil was the villain who captured my heart. Something about her boney physique, overly arched eyebrows, and overall madness lingered with me for years, so when I became interested in fashion illustration, she became my ultimate muse.

My foray into the world of fashion illustration began back in 2012, when I began posting on Twitter and Instagram. At the time, “tagging” was a fairly new feature, so I began illustrating style icons in the fashion industry and tagging them in my posts. Creating these personalized drawings was the most authentic (and least intimidating) way for me to build connections, and soon I acquired my first freelance job creating illustrations for a luxury e-commerce site, headed by one of the women I had drawn. From there, my career as a full-time artist began to take-off. About 90% of my clients were discovering me through Instagram, including Dior, Prada, Nike and the New York City Ballet.

With Dior, I was appointed their Resident Artist and Beauty Ambassador, which brought with it memorable trips to Paris to illustrate their runway shows and create content for press releases. Prada commissioned me to create a series of short animations for social media, and Nike invited me to their Flagship store in LA to host painting workshops for a Coachella event, along with partnering on a few other collaborations. The New York City Ballet was my most memorable project to date, for which I was commissioned to create their first-ever illustrated marketing campaign for the 2015/16 season. I was informed that I was selected for the project based on a particular drawing I had posted to Instagram (which I had nearly deleted on several occasions because I didn’t think it was any good)!

The main challenge I’ve faced, as many freelance artists do, has been inconsistency of workflow. I either seem to be juggling multiple projects at once, or wondering when I’ll ever work again. While the downtime can be stressful, it gives me the time I need to grow as an artist and evolve my illustration style– whether it’s through taking online courses, playing with a variety of mediums, or scouring my favorite books for inspiration.

Another challenge these days is balancing work and family. When I first became a full-time artist, I had the freedom to work at all hours of the day and select my work hours based on when I felt most creative. Now that I’m married and have two young children, I have to be able to work-on-demand whenever there is an opening to do so. It’s been a tricky adjustment, but I feel so incredibly lucky to have something I truly love to do that also allows me to be home with my kids everyday. I always know that no matter how busy my days are, I will always find time for my art– maybe not as much as before, but enough to restore some balance in my life.

Since I’ve been enamored with the art of traditional animation for as long as I can remember, I would love my creative career to lead me to a film or television animation project. Seeing my illustrations come to life is the greatest thrill, and designing characters that become known worldwide would be an absolute dream come true.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The restaurant I’d take a friend to would be Sweet Wheat in Redondo Beach. It’s an authentic French bakery a few minutes from the beach with a spectacular array of pastries, sandwiches, and delicious bread. It might be the place I frequent most.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ll dedicate my shoutout to my parents. They’ve been supportive of my love for art since I was a child, and always encouraged me to pursue a career in something I was passionate about.

Website: www.jamieleereardin.com

Instagram: @jamieleereardin

Twitter: @jamieleereardin

Other: TikTok: @jamieleereardin