Illustrative Works
Montréal Quartier Chinois
Jessica Stepushyn
2017
Painting Watercolor on paper
Size: 4 H x 6 W
This piece was done while wandering through Montréal's beautiful downtown spaces. There was this vibrancy to the city, and it's amazing collection of murals, that really spoke to me. Seeing as it was something of a redundancy to paint the murals, I ended up painting some of the more average spaces. This was my first Plein Air watercolor ever, and I ended up really enjoying it. Needless to say, I've done more.
Window to the Cafe
Jessica Stepushyn
2017
Painting Watercolor on Paper
Size: 4 H x 6 W
I think I ate too much ice cream on this vacation. It was pretty much constant, and I got the opertunity to eat some Ben & Jerry's at their Montréal location. The shop itself was very average, but it was in a beautiful building and had a sweet little patio.
Toronto Laundromat
Jessica Stepushyn
2017
Painting Watercolor on Paper
Size: 4 H x 6 W
I visited Toronto with a former partner, and I got to see some of the poorer areas of the city. The buildings seemed nice, but the insides of shops had this helpless feeling of poverty. I was very sick with a stomach bug, but we were locked out of our hosts place, so we decided to do some laundry. The place was stained a dull grey-brown with slow decline, and I tried to capture it here. This piece ended up being very true to life.
Collaborative Pieces
Jessica Stepushyn
2018
Paintings Watercolor on Paper
Size: 4 H x 6 W
The following four images are watercolor illustrations that are paired with written pieces by Irish writer Jacob Moylan. To read more on the project click here, or select "Writer & Artist" from the menu above.
A Midsummer's Night Dream
Jessica Stepushyn
2009
Ink on Paper
Size: 20 H x 16 W
This piece was part of a larger series of illustrations I completed for my college finals. The larger project was a series of Shakespearean plays, bastardized and re-imagined as something more sinister. This piece was featured at The Winchester Downtown Gallery, and gained high praise from local collectors and gallery owners.
Mushroom Tea
Jessica Stepushyn
2018
Ink on Paper
Size: 10 H x 8 W
There are few things in the natural world that have more variety in shapes and sizes than fungi, as such I find them fascinating. Going through pages and pages of sketches of mushrooms from field guides is my idea of a fun time. While out on hikes, I remember coming across puffball mushrooms and trampling them in joy. In the kitchen I relished those days that I get to cook them, frying them for sandwiches, or stirring them into broth soups. While my favorite foods consist of mushrooms, I've never had the urge to use them recreationally.
My Crystalline Lady
Jessica Stepushyn
2008
Ink on Paper
Stolen in 2008
There were few places I enjoyed working more than my old job at a tiny cinema in a unpopular mall. I sat in box office, surrounded in glass, with hours between rushes of customers. I had such freedom to create that I ended up creating a lot of very nice content for my portfolio. This is one of those works. All I had was a pen, printer paper, and the occasional magazine. I spent a lazy afternoon at work on this piece, and ended up loving the challenge of not sketching my work before starting. I was lucky enough to scan the piece before it disappeared at an art show.
Ocean at my Back
Jessica Stepushyn
2008
Ink on Paper
Stolen 2008
This was another ink-only challenge I did. I found a lot of inspiration from the way my fellow classmates drew their pieces, so I used some of their techniques to give the illusion of sun over water. I loved the way this woman was looking over her shoulder; kind of like she had an after-though after a difficult conversation, and is debating saying something insulting as she's walking away. Either way, I drew it as a response to my friend and artist doubting I could do it. I showed her!
The Poppy Effect
Jessica Stepushyn
2008
Ink on Paper
Size: 8 H x 11 W
I had been spending a lot of time on Deviant Art, and I happened to find this one unbelievable artist who worked almost exclusively at inventing new textures. Since I was in my psychedelic-inspired-phase of illustration, I quickly jumped at the chance to try out all their styles of drawing. I feel I learned a lot from this piece, and it's time to revisit this variety of illustration.