Meet the Artist: J. Perez

Name: J.Perez

Instagram handle: @jpmadethis 

Profession: Hand-letterer/Illustrator

Years in the biz: Professionally 5 as a fan of the biz 15.

VH: Describe your illustration style.

JP: I've always been a fan of traditional Chicano art. So it's definitely derived from that, but with my twist. Bold black and white lines.

 

VH: When did you know you wanted to do this for a living?

JP: I was always that kid in class either drawing names for my friends or drawing their favorite cartoon characters. I took a brief break, for an "extended vacation," but once I was back I honed my skills and saw what was possible. I quit my desk job 5 years back, started freelancing for the industry and I've never looked back.

 

VH: We knew right away we wanted you to do the script on the pink satin jacket for us. Can you tell us a little bit about your process and how you got the finished product? 

JP: When I was originally pitched the idea, I knew I was all in right away. We both knew the direction we wanted to go and the script and rose just came naturally. 

 

VH: What was it like collaborating with Valley High? Give us all the dirt.

JP: Haha! No complaints on my end. We had a tight deadline, but I always enjoy the pressure....less time to second guess myself and I'm glad we got it right on the first attempt. From the script to the rose.

VH: Where do you like to gather your inspiration from? What inspires you?

JP: As mentioned before, I've always been drawn to Chicano art. Anything from traditional black and gray tattooing to vintage design.

 

VH: How many hours a day/week would you say you spend drawing?

JP: I get to do this for a living, so I'm rarely seen without a pencil in hand. Whether it's digitally or with a traditional medium it's roughly 10 hours a day.

VH: What’s your favorite “tool” right now (this could be anything from pens to programs to paper)?

JP: Of course, I wouldn't be here without Illustrator, but my go to tools right now are my Pentel Graphgear 500 lead pencil in a 0.3 ( need talk ) and my Pentel brush pen.

 

VH: Any additional information about you, your work, your process, etc.?

JP: I'm 5'10"...my zodiac sign is Leo, jk....jk. I'm color blind, ironic for my line of work, I guess that's why I gravitated towards black and white art. Big bold lines, less is more when it comes to design. It's what I know and glad Valley High saw it and we were able to work on a project together.

 

Thanks JP! You are tite AF and we're stoked we could introduce you to our Valley Girls.