Jordan Thompson: Meet the Artist

Meet Jordan Thompson, an Illustrator primarily working in acrylics. Jordan is a senior Illustration student at Kendall College of Art and design and is excited to continue to expand her work as a muralist. Jordan joined the Lions and Rabbits team as on artist on Storm Drains, Curated work and an Independent mural at The Right Place. We are excited to highlight her work and passionate personality.

Q: How did you get involved with Lions and Rabbits?

A: Through the Storm Drain Initiative! I knew about Lions and Rabbits through mutual artist friends beforehand, but that project gave me the opportunity to work with the organization for the first time.

Q: What themes/ideas are highlighted in your work? Intentions?

A: I love the idea of telling stories without words or explanations, with many narratives at once. My work is really bold and graphic, so I paint with the initiative that someone will be able to walk in a room and have their eyes immediately gravitate towards my pieces. They have to have that "pop"! Many people recognize my work due to the use of thick black outlines, I use it in every piece, it's become my definitive style. I'm still trying to find my audience, so currently I feel like I paint everything, primarily animals. If I like it, I paint it, but it has to be exaggerated and full of life.

Above: The Right Place 125 Ottawa Ave NW Grand Rapids, MI 490503

Q: Run us through your creative process - How do you start, flow and finish?

A: I tend to find my inspiration from reading articles or something in particular that stood out to me that day. Finding ideas is one of the easiest parts of my process because I'm always daydreaming, so my mind tends to think of something really quick. My biggest challenge is my sketching process, which is usually the longest process. My work is very boxy, I try to squish it into the shape of the canvas or paper I'm working on, which is usually a square. I play with proportions a lot and how I can stretch and squeeze my drawing into a limited amount of space. It's challenging but I think that's what I love about my process the most, it's like a puzzle. Once the sketch is done I clean it up digitally on my iPad, and then freehand that sketch on my paper or canvas. I lay flat colors down first, build up shades, and outlining is last. I'm a perfectionist, so if one drop of paint is out of place and I can't fix it, I start over completely. I like my work as clean and as graphic as possible, no brush stokes to be seen.

Q: What obstacles/struggles have you encountered throughout your career as an artist? Or challenges you face through your creative process

A: I compare myself a lot with artists I look up to, which can lead to a lot of self doubt about my work. Doing research on artists and how they work throughout the years has helped me sort out my style and what fits me quite early, but it also made me question if the work I made was up to par with who I studied. It took me a long time to funnel out the bad and have the confidence to tell myself and others that I can be a successful creator. The people I look up to have already gone through the trial and error stages, whereas I am just getting started. Reminding myself of this has helped me overcome a lot.

Q: Can you share a little more about how your art career started. Have you always been in your field? Were you self taught or had additional schooling?

A: I am currently attending Kendall College of Art and Design working towards a BFA in Illustration, but before that I was completely self-taught. I don't really have creatives in my family, and I lived in a rural town in Tennessee, so I had to seek inspiration out myself. I have always loved to draw, and knew I wanted a career in it from a very early age. I earned a full ride to Kendall with my high school senior portfolio and have been working to build up my work ever since.

Q: Who/what are your biggest inspirations that play a key role in the work you produce?

A: I follow an immense amount of artists on social media and I love watching studio visits on youtube. I gain so much inspiration and fulfillment from people I admire and growing creatives just like me. Probably my hugest inspirations are mural artists. My bright colors and bold outlines come from seeing these traits used on huge buildings around cities, especially Nashville. I want my work to stand out no matter the scale, so I really go for the sticker like quality that a lot of mural art has. Some of my favorite mural artists include: Taylor White (@taylurk), Bicicleta Sem Freio (@bicicletasemfreio), and Brian Butler (@upperhandart)

Q: Is there anything you wish you could change about your work?

A: I want to go bigger one day! I usually work quite small for right now, due to having to produce so many pieces in so little time for school. When I have more free time, I want my work to be, if not on walls, huge huge canvases. I tend to restrict myself to what I am comfortable drawing too, so I would like to become more experimental with my subjects.

Q: What mistakes have you made? What did you learn from them? What are you trying to get better at?

A: Sometimes I need to learn how to say "no". As a student artist, sometimes I pick up jobs I know I don't have time or interest in because I think that every opportunity is a good one. Sometimes I need to remember that I'm not a machine, and that if I don't accept the job now, I might accept one similar in the future that I'll be better equipped for. When I DO accept a job, I need to work on putting it first and not steering off track when I become discouraged. Ask for help when you need it, there is always going to be someone to give you a hand and teach you a valuable lesson.

Q: Do you feel supported by your community as an artist? In what ways could you feel more supported?

A: Very supported, I tend to see a lot of already established artists in the community, and I would love their advice or input! Artists talks and events would be a great way to serve the creatives that are still in their beginning stages. I'm still in school and would love to be able to participate in workshops or classes and I believe other artists my age would love that too. What are my other resources and how do I take advantage of them as a growing art student still in the beginnings of my career?

Q: Describe a moment when you felt most proud of yourself

A: When I got the call that I would be going to art school at little to no cost. I have never felt more validated in my life. People in the art field from hundreds of miles away saw my work and believed in my success, and that was something I had never really had before. My family didn't know how to be very supportive of my career choice because of financial hardships, I didn't even know if going to college was an option for me at the time. Getting the acceptance letter for school was amazing, but I kept getting reminded that it was impossible for me to go, so I knew that I could live out my dream the day I won my scholarship. I'm very lucky to have received such funding, and to this day it is one of my biggest accomplishments.

Q: What does being an artist mean to you? What is the function of artists in society?

A: Being an artist to me means having the ability to produce new perspectives and new light to society. We represent every design that the next generation can grow up with to inspire them to evolve us as a culture. In simple terms, I think we have a unique ability to spark new ideas and new attitudes!

Q: And of course, if you could chose any vehicle to travel, real or imaginary what would it be?

A: A bicycle that flies, like ET!

Follow more of Jordan’s work on www.bit-bones.com and instagram.com/bit_bones

Thank you for tuning into this week’s Meet the Artist, be sure to checkout more artist stories every week on our blog!

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