Thursday, December 3, 2009

Character for illustration - Work in progress


Here is a new character that I'm working on for an upcoming illustration. She is one of two old ladies that I'll be doing. I hope to have the next character started soon. Check my website for updates.

She is 12" tall, made from Sculpey, foam and fabric. She is reinforced with wire and Apoxie.

Check out my site (www.jessicafortner.com) to see more work in progress.

Cheers!
Jes

Saturday, September 12, 2009

My Woodland, My Nightmare


A few weeks ago I posted pic’s of a bear character that I was working on. Here is the final illustration for it. It’s the first in a series titled “My Woodland, My Nightmare”.

More to come!

Jes

Friday, September 11, 2009

Threadless t-shirt designs



I designed these t-shirts for www.threadless.com.
It would be awesome if you would take some time to score my designs!

Thanks so much!
Jes


Battle Boréale - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

Sweet as Pi - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Communication Arts Illustration Annual 2009



The illustration "Ruffled Feathers" was featured in this year's Communication Arts Illustration Annual!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Wilhelm the Flying Whale


Sculpted illustration

I wrote a little story for it:

In Wangerland, a small town in Northern Germany, there is talk of a dark shadow in the sky. It is said to be larger than any structure known to man. They call this shadow Wilhelm the flying whale. It is believed that Wilhelm in an attempt to get away from whalers swam so hard and so fast that he went through the earth, flying into the sky on the other side. Unable to return to the oceans Wilhelm haunts the sky and brings darkness to any land he passes.

I hope you all enjoy it.

I have pictures of just the sculpture on my site.
If you're interested click here :)

Cheers!
Jes

Friday, June 12, 2009

Happily Never After - opening night pics!

Wednesday night was the opening for the group show that Jess and I were in called "Happily Never After" at Keep6 gallery in Toronto. The night was a blast as a lot of people came out for the event!


Alexei Vella.


Eshwin Dhir.


Tessar Lo.


Rey Ortega.


Nataly Kim.


Michael Wandelmaier.


Jessica Fortner.


Jenna Russelle.


Greg Hill.


Christian Rosekat.


Chris Brett.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Happily Never After – Group show



Mike and I are in an upcoming group show with some friends at Keep Six Gallery in Toronto.

The show is called: “Happily Never After”

Hope to see you there!

Jes

Happily Never After - Opening June 10, 2009 at Keep Six Gallery in Toronto.

Artists

Greg Hill
Alexei Vella
Nataly Kim
Rey Ortega
Tessar Lo
Jenna Russelle
Mike Wandelmaier
Jessica Fortner
Christian Rosekat
Chris Brett
Eshwin Dhir

Happily Never After

What makes a ‘Fairy Tale’? We all know one when we see it. They are stories, usually brought to us in the form of an illustrated book or lavishly animated film, that we may remember as our first true moment of escapism; the first moment a childish dream was given form. And yet, fantasy never felt so familiar, did it? Whether as moral indoctrination, or simply as a means to entertain, the Fairy Tale is something both shared by and bestowed upon us by a previous generation, at the core of which lies an inherited system of symbols, meanings, and values.

Some might even say that Fairy Tales are most people’s first experience of modern mythology. Morality could never be more clear, evil so hideously obvious or goodness so modestly endearing. Sympathies lie with downtrodden heirs and valiant heroes, the distressed damsel, a charming prince … and so on.

In a world where the validity of convention and tradition remain dubious at best, we turn to different kinds of stories, those of forgotten eras, cultures, and in so doing we uncover ‘tales’ that the principle distributors of social convention finds too obscure, too strange, or too morally ambivalent, to popularize in films and on the sides of lunchboxes.

In Happily Never After, these ‘forgotten fairy tales’ are explored by works from an eclectic group of illustrators. Employing a diversity of media, styles, and approaches, ranging from commercial sensibilities to retro forms both novel and haunting, the exhibit offers pieces that explore not only the gamut of forgotten myths and stories, but of styles and mediums. Whimsical photographed sculptures tell their tale beside the moody, antiquated textures that tell another. Through each individual exploration, these tales of morality and amusement, mythologies telling an era’s fears as well as their hopes, find rejuvenated voice in Happily Never After.

Eshwin Dhir
Contributing Artist

Monday, May 11, 2009

Uli, Hexa and The Furry Friends







Here are some more Photo's of the Characters I made for C1 Art Spaces All Dolled up show.

Cheers,
Jes

Thursday, May 7, 2009

C1 Art Space’s All Dolled Up show









Here are some pic’s from C1’s open reception last weekend. Check out my Furry Friends in the display window.That is fellow artist Greg Hill in the photo with me. We will be in a show together (along with many other artist’s)in June at Keep Six Gallery. Check out his work!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Semi-Permanent 2009




Just recieved my copy of the Semi-Permanent 2009 book from Design Is Kinky. It made it all the way from Australia fairly unscathed.

The piece I submitted, called "Ruffled Feathers", is the one shown on the right.