Frequently Asked Questions

What is 'Jengalill'?
Jengalill is the name of a character that I created during my middle-school years.  Jengalill was a baby dragon born with a magic stone embedded in her forehead.  It was hoped that one day the story surrounding Jengalill would be published, but after the computer 'ate' the story document, I lost a great deal of motivation surrounding the story.  The name and the character, however, stuck around.  My first AOL screenname was Jengalill and is to this day.  Thus naming the business after this little character who has become more of a persona made perfect sense.

How do I go about getting a commission?
It's pretty simple.  Develop an idea of what you are interested in having done- is it a portrait?  A mural? A sculpture?  Then decide what sort of medium you would like to have it created in.  Each medium has benefits and drawbacks.  To see more details on this, check out the next question.  Finally, decide what sort of material you want your artwork done on.  The variety of choices include bristol board, watercolor paper, canvas, clothes/bags, and of course walls- for murals.  Once you have an idea, email me at Jengalill@StudioJengalill.com for a quote.  You can get a basic idea about how much your commission will cost by continuing to read the FA.Q.

What are the pros and cons of each medium?
Acrylic Paint- Acrylic paint is pretty versatile and easy to use.  It dries quickly though so the blending is not as good as,  say, oil paints or  a computer-colored image.  Because acrylic paints can be bought at relatively low prices, you can get a very nice painting for less than it would cost with oil paints.  Acrylics, unlike oils, can also be watered down to take on similar properties of watercolor paints.  Since acrylics require a durable surface for the artwork, it can often be hard to frame an acrylic piece, in that you cannot simply go to your local department store and purchase a frame.  Frames for canvases can be bought at art stores, however.  Of course, some people opt not to frame a canvas piece at all.

Adobe Photoshop- Adobe Photoshop is one of the most commonly used computer programs for illustrators- and for good reason.  A variety of tools and special effects are available to the artist, and effects that- if even physically possible- would take hours and hours on an original piece can be done in minutes by the computer.  Don't misunderstand- it can still take many hours to complete the coloring of a piece on the computer, but the effects can often blow 'concrete art' out of the water.  The drawback here is that no matter what, the final piece will of course be a print.  Studio Jengalill produces very high quality prints, but a print is a print- not an original, one-of-a-kind, piece of artwork.  However, by commissioning a piece, you, the client are entitled to be the sole owner of that piece, meaning that it will never be reproduced and sold to another customer.  It will be LIKE having the original, but not exactly the same.

Ink- Color not in your budget?  A simple black and white, inked piece may be just what you're looking for.  Not only that, but if you are interested in trying some different media out yourself, a piece of line art is a great place to start.  It can be easily scanned into a computer to experiment with digital coloring, or colored in other 'concrete' methods.

Markers- The type or markers used at Studio Jengalill are high quality illustrator's markers- usually Prsimacolor or Copic brand markers. The colors are bold and vivid and create a striking final product.  Color blending with markers is similar to that of animation cells- the colors do not blend smoothly, but with skilled hands, the artist can easily give the illusion of depth.  Choosing markers as your medium will also save you money on the commission since markers are inexpensive in the long run, and there is little process for set up and clean up with them.

Pencil- The most commonly used artists' tool, pencil work is not to be underrated.  Not only does it save a great deal of money, but the blending of grays can be carried off very well.  Of course, the drawback to using pencil is that you have a limited palette consisting of various shades of gray.  Colored pencils are an option as well.

Polymer Clay- Polymer clay is pretty much the only three dimensional modeling compound used for sculptures at Studio Jengalill.  Larger sculptures will use a variety of materials to create the base figure such as wire armatures, newspaper and tin foil, but the details of the sculpture are fleshed out with polymer clay.  Polymer clay is a great medium because it is easy to use, easy to cure, and quite durable.  The finished product is similar to a hard plastic.  There are of course some drawbacks though.  Polymer clay is breakable, and though many steps are taken in the creation process to ensure stability of the final piece, there will inevitably be some fragility.  Luckily, mending a polymer clay piece is often quite simple.  A strong super glue such as 'Zap-A-Gap' which can be bought at game stores that sell miniatures will mend the piece extremely well, often leaving the impression that the break never even occurred.

Watercolors- Watercolors, as expected, will produce a very fluid final product.  The colors will literally flow and bleed together.  This medium can be worked two ways.  It can be used to produce a very tightly controlled coloring job, as in illustrative work, or it can be used 'loosely', allowing the watercolors to exhibit their natural properties, as is evidenced in many classical works.  Watercolor paper is thin, so it can be framed easily.