Jenna Cole
Illustrator & essayist · Portland, OR
I've been drawing professionally for eight years — 42 book covers, 60 café and brand packaging projects, and 200 editorial pieces, all sketched by hand before moving to the screen.
My work leans warm and a little imperfect on purpose: visible pencil lines, uneven ink, paper texture left in. I think illustration should feel like a person made it.
Outside commissions, I write a weekly newsletter about slow mornings and keep a stack of sketchbooks that never quite empty out.
At a glance
Tools & process
Pencil sketch
Every piece starts on paper, usually three or four thumbnails.
Ink pass
Line work is inked by hand with a dip pen or brush pen.
Scan & clean
Scanned at high res, then cleaned up without losing the texture.
Digital color
Colored and finished in Procreate, keeping the hand-drawn line.