iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

I’m gonna try get this cover up on my website / IG this week, and I’ll include the other cover option I created that didn’t get chosen 😉

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

I’m lucky I get the best covers to work on 😍

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

You are very sweet, thank you ❤️

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Hello, I would just like to celebrate the fact that this slimy, sluggy F I made for 36 days of type in 2023 has made it into a client brief as a folio reference for the very first time. Please please please someone pay me to draw slugs. Thanks.

The letter F made out of peach-coloured rotting wood, intertwined with spotted yellow leaves, being devoured by multiple sparkly banana slugs who are leaving their sweet slimy little trails all over the place

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

I also do not know how to ride a bike and I live in Amsterdam AMA

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

My hair does not stay in my scarf. Even when I’m just walking. I do not know how to scarf chicly

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

Ode to Dutch girls who are always whizzing by me on their bikes with their hair tucked so perfectly into their scarves

Black ink sketch of a girl on a bike with her hair tucked until her scarf. Except I didn’t actually draw the bike

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

I just realised that it's never occurred to me to thank a client for delivering feedback on time. Even though this is such a rare occurrence (at least in publishing) that I probably should be thanking them

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

Ooooh good point. On the anxiety front I am also prone to sending work in at least a day early 😆

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

A client just thanked me for delivering on time. Do illustrators not deliver on time on a regular enough basis that we need to be thanked??

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

Pupdate: my little baby choys are now in their big boy bed on the balcony

Rows of pak choy seedlings planted in a small raised bed

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

Ooh I see! If you wanna know anything about getting book cover work, feel free to reach out with qs anytime :)

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Reposted by Jessica Cruickshank

Hend Amry @libyaliberty.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

By that logic, why can’t Israelis? Somehow that would be bigotry but this isn’t.

Screenshot of headline for WSJ Opinion: if Indians and Pakistanis can relocate, why can’t Gazans?
By Sadanand Dhume
Feb 12, 2025

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Hi Bluesky do you like gardening content? Because I’ve just started seeds for the year

A container of pak choy and choy sum seedlings growing under grow lights indoors

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

I’ve never been brave enough to just send one. I’ve done two! But not one I just did a project where I sent 5 because I’m a loser, and they picked the first sketch and said 10/10 no notes go straight to final 😭

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

I always thought it was in like, September or another warmer month, but maybe I’m confusing it with Fat Bear Week

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

I somehow ~completely~ missed that the Super Bowl happened. How do I make sure this happens again.

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

Now that I have finished the pigeons I’m working on a whole batch of celebrity portraits in black and white and it is going to be a grind. Similarly to the pigeons, a lot of grey. It’s for a pretty cool book though about famous folks who are neurospicy 💫

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

You’re a new freelancer? You’re a pro!! Also hiiii

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

Me, to every pigeon: YOU ARE NO LONGER A REFERENCE!!!!

Hand pointing to pigeons pecking on bare ground

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

Note for future self: when you are drawing a portrait of a real person, research the person to make sure you’re not drawing a pencil in their left hand while they are actually right handed 🙄

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

BREAKING NEWS foot pigeon has moved back to its place next to the boy's foot

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

He’s just spotted your chips and he’s a-comin’

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

I have a couple of people I chat to in Gaza ❤️ I’m always like “how are you? Are you safe?” And they’re like “I got shot at but I’m fine. Tell me about you, how are you” and I don’t want to just be like, WELL I’m reallllly struggling to draw these pigeons, foreshortening is hard

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

the art director always approves the cover concept with the most leaves WHY

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

If it seems like I hate my job, that is not true. But always I am like "shit yeah this book cover will look great with a fuck ton of pigeons" and it feels like no effort to sketch. But then I have to draw a fuck ton of pigeons at 400dpi for final art. I do the same thing with little tiny leaves.

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

actually it's only been 4 hours but it feels like 6 GOD DAMN

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

I'm working late tonight drawing a lot of pigeons. It takes me about 30 minutes to draw two small pigeons, and they are probably less than 1.5cm wide on the cover of this book. I have been drawing pigeons for at least 6 hours. The one I called "foot pigeon" is no longer placed near a foot. AMA

screenshot of photoshop layers and all the layers are related to pigeons

digital illustration of a pigeon pecking at the ground

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Have you ever spent so ridiculously drawing something that you end up overworking it and making it look like AI 😭 fuck

closeup of a digital painting of a child's face

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

I am very grateful for the variety of work I get 🙏🏽

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

It is wild that two art directors can look at my folio and one can go, “Jess’s style will resonate with 10 year old boys learning about emotional resilience” and the other can go “Jess’s style will be great for fairy sex and violent beheadings”

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

I have 6 active book cover projects at the moment and it’s basically an even split between books aimed at 10 year olds and books aimed at horny book club readers

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

A lil screenshot snackie for the blue place. What I'm working on today 🌱

Screenshot of an illustration currently in progress, featuring plant pots and seedlings and spilled dirt and twine

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

Thank you! Not quite sure how I feel about them still 😅

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

haha here's another one. I don't think this style really works for me but it's kinda fun. I do like my wobbly serif lettering though

Ink and watercolour illustration of a boy standing on a sidewalk. Seagulls have just stolen his chips. With the words, "everybody knows that seagulls LOVE chips."

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

About two years ago I started doing some exploration of a kids book style and I just never got around to posting it anywhere. So here you go blue place, you can have it.

Illustrated scene of kids splashing in a puddle on a rainy day, with the words "splash! Splashhhh!"

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

I’ve forgotten how to be new to social media HELP

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Felt very awkward having to write a somewhat considered first post instead of just being like ~brain vom~ haha

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Jessica Cruickshank @jesscruicky.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Hi, Blue Place! This month marks 10 years since quitting my advertising job so I could try and be an illustrator. So for my first post, here is one of the first illos I created as someone trying to be a ~serious illustrator~ and clearly I was just discovering textures

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