Hi, I’m Janine and I am a Canadian freelance artist, born in Victoria, B.C. Growing up in a Navy family, we moved from coast to coast until settling back in Victoria again in the mid-seventies. I was a painfully shy kid, preferring the company of plants, animals and books. Art and drawing has always been my refuge. My goal has been to live a life of creativity, growth, and to be of benefit in whatever way I can.

At 15 years old I started doing art commissions and had my first table at a comic convention. It was very inspiring to see so many working artists!

As I wanted to be an illustrator it didn’t seem like an option to go to art school at that time, though. I took on whatever commission work I could, doing portraits, window painting, murals, tattoo designs, cd covers, posters, and logos. I’ve created props for Vancouver movie studios, had art shows, painted leather jackets, and even photographed the occasional wedding.

Things really started falling into place with my first published work for Dark Horse’s Tales of the Jedi comic book in 1992. Also that year I went to San Diego Comic Con for the first time. It was an amazing experience and I continued to go on a regular basis most years until 2006, often exhibiting as part of Artist’s Alley. After doing the pencils & inks on the Star Wars book, my next project was a fully painted issue of Blood of Ten Chiefs for Elfquest. When I look back on that now I realize how lucky I was to have been able to design all the characters for the Star Wars story and was given free rein to adapt the Elfquest comic from a short story. Other comic projects since then have included the Eisner-nominated Fallout graphic novel from GT Labs, The Factor from About Comics and Mikomosis and the Wetico for the Indigenous Law Society at the University of Victoria.

Comics are great fun but my first love is still illustration and I have done a lot of art for collectible card games and roleplaying games over the years. These include Magic: the Gathering, Legend of the Five Rings, Warlord, and Warhammer. I’ve also contributed to Fighting Fantasy, Battletech, and Everway, among others.

Locally here in Victoria, I was part of Camosun College’s Comics and Graphic Novel program from its beginning in 2011 as a Mentor, Guest Artist, and member of the PAC team. I’ve also done projects and volunteer work for The Maritime Museum of B.C. and The Royal B.C. Museum, plus art for David Suzuki’s Blue Dot tour with Shane Koyzan.

On the personal side of life, I moved back home to Victoria when my Dad passed away to help Mum with everything. That turned into a much bigger commitment when she was tragically diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2009. Those that have walked this journey will understand what this takes… It was imperative to stay healthy and strong so yoga practise became my lifeline. The art was pretty much put on hold and my creativity mainly found expression through the mutual growth of the garden.

I was actually born on the same day as Claude Monet, and like him, the garden is my inspiration and sanctuary. It has been one of my greatest joys over the years to create a colourful garden ecosystem for Mum full of native plants that nourish the bees, butterflies, birds and all the tiny creatures that live here. Mum had a profound love of Nature and she instilled and supported that appreciation in me. She left this world in the summer of 2020, but thankfully she was able to stay in her home until the final week, without having to be isolated in a care home during the pandemic.

Those efforts took their toll on me though, and like many through Covid, it has taken awhile to get back on my feet again.

Getting this website up and running again has been a big part of that!
I’ve tried to maintain somewhat of an online presence over the years, mainly on Facebook, but I hope that this site will give people a lot more to enjoy.
I would very much like to give the Magic: the Gathering card fans a special shout-out for their patience & perseverance over the years!
So appreciated !!

Given the long hiatus for care giving, I would be immensely grateful for your support to return to art again and to maintain my childhood home and garden.

With sincere thanks,
Janine

If you like my work and would like to support me, you can purchase items from my store here on this site. I also have a patron area on this site if you want to see my unpublished work, see works in progress, or just help support me as a full-time artist!

I am accepting commissions for commercial publications. Please contact me via email to discuss details.

Janine on the Web

You can find other projects I’ve been involved with here: