Once upon a time, Sofia stumbled upon a fabulous fashion illustration of a sweet-faced girl with bold swipes of blue eyeshadow, created by a talented fashion designer turned illustrator… and it was love! Enter: the accomplished Jacky Marshall, also known as JackyBlue.
After years of following (and a few art purchases) Sofia knew she wanted to collaborate with Jacky in some way, someday. So as the Everyday Gold Bands were being developed, it only seemed right to add an artful element and JackyBlue came right to mind.
We sent the first ring samples of the EGB collection off to her in New York City and let her work her magic. Needless to say… they really are magic. We chose six illustrations (well, we originally tried to narrow it to three… NOPE!) from the dozens she sent over and couldn’t be more excited with the way she’s given life to these rings.
Keep reading on for JackyBlue’s journey in fashion and illustration, how she defines her style, her thoughts on her work for the EGB collection and more!
Jacky, you’ve had a fascinating background in the world of high fashion design. Was fashion illustration always a part of your design process? How has your work evolved over the years?
Fashion illustration has always been a part of my design process. After going to art school for fashion design, I was lucky enough to work with a number of very creative fashion houses. These allowed me the opportunity to continue drawing. Illustration for me has always been a part of the fashion process as you are always thinking about creating a mood through silhouettes and proportions.
My work has stayed pretty consistent through the years. I was encouraged to draw as a very young child. Some of my childhood drawings still exist and I must say my style has not evolved very much! The lines and colour choices I used as a child are similar to the style I currently use. Personally, I love this as I think the drawings we make as children are the most honest and beautiful.
Three of six illustrations by JackyBlue for the EGB collection.
As you know, we are enamored with your unique style. How do you personally define your style and what motivates your work?
I think of my style as loose, linear and sometimes colorful. I try to have a lot of variety in my work. In addition to drawing, I also enjoy photography, collaging, screen printing, etc. Often times, one thing leading to another when working and the mediums crossover. I am often inspired to use different materials when working, whether that is pen and paper when interpreting a beautiful fashion collection, or fabrics and markers for my life drawings. For me it is different every time and motivated completely by whatever I am inspired in the moment.
What advice would you give to a young artist who is trying to find their own artistic voice?
My advice would be to create as much work as possible and explore all avenues that interest you in art. If that means taking time each day (even for a small amount of time) to draw, paint, photograph, etc. — just do it. For me, the way I found my voice was through constantly being creative through one of my many artistic interests.
One of six illustrations by JackyBlue for the EGB collection. Wearing the Melt Bands.
We are so honored to have your illustrations as part of our Everyday Gold Band campaign. Seeing how you depicted our rings makes us giddy! What does your creative process look like? Do you typically start with a vision or just let your hands guide you?
Thank you! I loved making these drawings for you. It is a bit of both vision and hand. I typically have a faint image tucked away in my mind, but once I begin a project, I tend to let my hand guide me to the final product. For your Everyday Gold Bands, I started with my favorite Sennelier paper, which I find works really well with my inky lines. Then like all other projects, I put on headphones, picked some motivating music, and began to draw.
One of six illustrations by JackyBlue for the EGB collection. Wearing the Melt Bands and a Flower Power Cigar Band.
Sofia actually found you via Instagram years ago. How do you feel Instagram has affected your work?
I enjoy posting on Instagram, because I can curate my page and feed to reflect the vision of how I see my creations interacting. It is almost like having my own magazine. As I post, I always take into consideration how all my work looks together on my feed. I really enjoy playing around with images and colors. I would say Instagram has had the biggest effect on my work in that it has allowed people to be able to see my work whom otherwise would not have had access – which I find amazing. I also love how Instagram has connected me with people that I would have “met” otherwise.
JackyBlue: artist, designer, and incredible fashion illustrator by day… How do you spend your free time?
I live in NYC, so I like to spend time being outside around the city. Since I have to walk my two dogs a few times each day, I enjoy going for a coffee with them to people watch. I also love watching TV as it really helps quiet my mind. I usually use tv time to draw. I find it helps loosen up my work to be slightly distracted.
JackyBlue’s studio.
Finally, where do you see your creative energy going next? Do you have any fun projects in the works that you can share about?
I always have multiple projects going on at once, whether personal or professional. I recently made a zine combining my photography with collages and drawings. It is being sold exclusively at Dashwood Books in NYC. I really loved working on that and plan to work on more zines in the future. After the shelter in place order was lifted and I was able to get back into the screen-printing studio, I decided to take the pages apart and screen print some of my favorite drawings over the photographs. The process is quite time consuming and a lot of hard work physically, but I love it and am very happy so far with how the pages look. It changes every time I am at the studio and I could see this going on for years to come!
One of six Illustrations by JackyBlue for the EGB collection. Wearing the Flower Power Cigar Band.
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We are honored to feature a talented artist such as JackyBlue. You can keep up with her beautiful work on Instagram here.
