About Me!
Jessica Ruehl graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a BFA in Drawing in 2022. She is a writer, illustrator, animator, and concept artist who works primarily digitally. Jessica creates art in varying levels of realism, from stylized illustrations to realistic renderings.
Jessica’s work is primarily narrative-based, centered around identity, family, and fantasy themes. Her concept art strives to create comprehensive designs and concepts for illustration, animation, and game design. Jessica finds inspiration in various sources from real-world observations, art history, mythology, and media such as games and animation.
Jessica has shown work in the 2019, 2020, and 2021 Student Exhibitions at Northern Kentucky University and Northern Kentucky University Unveiled Exhibition 2022.
Artist Statement
Stories and Narratives bring people together and allow for connections to be made with one another. I feel like this is the most integral part of an artwork. People are constantly surrounded by stories in various media, from literature and music to the visual arts. They draw us in, transporting us into the storyteller's shoes, transcending time and even worlds taking us to places we would not have imagined otherwise. Stories have inspired me since childhood, whether watching animations and playing video games like Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or Disney/ Pixar films.
Since then, I have explored various media to create my stories. Recently I have focused on digital media because the possibilities of that medium are without boundaries or restrictions. Animating my characters and illustrations brings back that sense of wonder and play I had come to find as a child when watching movies and playing video games, giving them a sense of life.
