​Three years ago, I made a logo for a shop called Alpharetta Flower Market in a town in Georgia of the same name. The proprietor wanted a logo that was rich, colorful, and had a 1920s vibe.  She wanted the sunflower as the centerpiece and noted a few other flowers that she wanted to include. This is what we came up with together.  It was draw in pencil, scanned, cleaned, and digitally colored, so that it could shrink or expand without loss of color integrity.
​

The proprietor approached me again this summer. Her store was rebranding and expanding as Alpharetta Flower & Garden Market. They wanted to keep the sunflower and the bee, but wanted simpler, lighter, airier signage, with the main focus on the name, so it could be read from the street.  She gave me some hints for color notes, and with that, I had a good feel for what she wanted: something fresh and springy but with a botanical print feel to it. This is what we created together! I drew it in ink for bolder lines and colored it digitally. 

Here is a detail of the head of the sunflower.

If you are interested in commissioning an illustrated logo for your business, please contact me here. 

A quick study self portrait to make me see myself again, something that has been hard to do in recent months.  And in pencil, because I missed it. 

"Lace (Self-Portrait)" 2016 Jessica Boehman. Pencil and gouache

I saw this little sparrow while walking my dog. 

Original is available for purchase here.

"Nature Study--Dead Sparrow" 2016 Jessica Boehman. Colored pencil, pencil, gouache. Do not reproduce without permission.

Here's a drawing that I did tonight thinking about the sheer power of illness. Today, after experiencing some strange nerve pain, I had a fearful moment that my old autoimmune disease was coming back. I taken ill with a potentially deadly disease three years ago, but I was very lucky: I just got the mildest case. A full-blown case could have paralyzed or killed me. Even so, its effects were terribly powerful. Three years later, I still have damage in my peripheral nerves. I explained how I felt about it to the doctor: I said it felt like Death touched me with one finger, in passing.  Today, I fell again into that deep pit of fear.  And so I drew this.

"The One-Finger Touch" Brush and india ink, acrylic ink, pencil. Jessica Boehman. Do not reproduce without permission.

A little comic I made yesterday for my godson--so he will remember.

"Stars" Copyright 2016 Jessica Boehman. Ink (with brush), acrylic ink, and gouache. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Below are a series of quick drawings that I did yesterday and today. I sat down to do another, completely different drawing, and this came out instead. I didn't know it was in there, and it surprised me.  But I think it was important to let it come out.  The drawings have not been edited.  This is a sort of an autobiography of post-surgical fallout.  I hope it will leave me alone now.

"Cuts" Copyright 2016 Jessica Boehman. Ink, acrylic ink, and white pencil. Please do not reproduce without permission.

I've been in recovery from major surgery while trying to teach a full-time load of college courses. My energy has been slowly gaining strength but my mental and creative spaces have been blocked. All of my body's efforts were used for stitching me back together. Yesterday I finished my final grades and forced myself to sit down in the studio. I was just playing around, really, trying to break my mind open again. It feels like scaling a high wall. 

​ I played with ink and ink wash to see how that would mix with colored pencils. The white creature is a wash of white gouache.

You might recognize the outlines of the composition. It's a play on another concept sketch I did last summer.  You can see it by clicking here. 

"Fairytale Wolf" Copyright  2016 Jessica Boehman. Mixed Media. Do not reproduce without permission.

This one has been sitting in my mind for some time. It was inspired by this little doodle below. I fixed its Latin designation with the help of a Classicist friend.
​

I've always loved Patience and Fortitude, the mighty lions carved of pink marble by Edward Clark Potter and the Piccirilli brothers that guard the entrance of the New York Public Library at 5th Avenue in New York City.  And they sparked my imagination on my visits to that beautiful building.  The idea to make a black and white wordless story about the lions had been floating around in my head for a while, and it finally came out, about one panel a week during my medical convalescence.  My brothers Josh and Chris provided insightful ideas.  I was inspired by the total lack of attention that New Yorkers pay to even the strangest sights, especially in close quarters, like on the subway. 

All of the drawings were made with warm grey colored pencils, pencils, and white gouache. I was experimenting with drawing in black and white with a medium traditionally used for color. I used digital effects only to clean up whites, where there were smudges, and to add some of the text.

"Lions' Night Out" Mixed media (colored pencil, pencil, gouache, and digital), 2016. Copyright Jessica Boehman. Please do not reproduce without permission.

I've added a few details of some of my favorite panels below. Click on all the images to see them larger.

This is actually my dog, Ludo. I love that he has a cameo.

Just a little silliness for the last days of winter, as I work on a larger project. Come on, Spring!

"Wee Wee Wee, All the Way Home" Colored pencil and pencil. Copyright 2016 Jessica Boehman. Please do not reproduce without permission.