Alum Jasmine Redford (BFA, 2001) is an academic, an artist, a parent, and an illustrator. Wearing multiple hats at once, this alum has been busy. Enjoy getting to know Jasmine and seeing her latest project, Siegfried: Dragon Slayer. This is part of our Get to Know Series where we chat with alumni to get a brief insight into their practice and some wisdom they have to pass on. You can see more of Jasmine’s work through her portfolios on the web and Instagram.
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Jasmine Redford (she/her) and I have my BFA with a major in Visual Arts from Emily Carr University, my BA English Honours from the University of Saskatchewan, and I’m currently pursuing my MA in English studies while working as a graduate copy-editor. I’m a full-time single parent, grad student, and freelance illustrator and graphic novel artist. Clearly, “free time” is my middle name.
Describe your current practice in three words
Coffee, Comics, Chaos. All apropos; I paint with coffee.
What are you most excited about in your work right now?
Right now I’m involved in two of the most exciting, and time-consuming, projects of my life: my thesis on the identity of the domestically produced Canadian superhero and that projection on our national identity, and the artwork for a 144-page graphic novel entitled Siegfried: Dragon Slayer (Renegade Arts Entertainment). Siegfried: Dragon Slayer, written by Mark Allard-Will is an adaptation of The Völsunga Saga, which inspired both J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Richard Wagner’s Der Ring das Nibelung. Both are slated to be completed towards the end of 2020.
What do you wish you learned in school but didn’t?
I wish I had done more graphic design and learned more skills to make myself commercially appealing.
Name one thing in your practice that you can’t do without?
Coffee, coffee, and more coffee. I say this both pragmatically and in jest. Like many artists and academics, or anyone who works long hours, coffee has become my lifeblood, but it’s also my preferred medium; I paint with my coffee dregs–the blacker the better. I’m still experimenting with different roasts.
What led you to study at Emily Carr?
I began my studies at Emily Carr in 1997 with an eye on animation but quickly found out that my slow, methodical approach to sketching didn’t bedfellow well with the nature of the animation process. Through the discovery of my own limits, I was better able to identify myself: illustrator!
Were there any professors or classes that influenced you?
Every single life drawing and anatomy class I took at Emily Carr was precious to me. I left Emily Carr with a deeper appreciation for the human form than I had going in.