Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellie Copeland.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in a very creative household. By having two artistic parents, I was quickly introduced to the wonders of art, which developed my passion for it. Since elementary school, I experimented with all sorts of mediums like paint, clay, markers, pencil, metal, and more. As I grew, I honed my skills in high school and found passion with illustration on both paper and digitally. On a whim, I took an animation course at my local art school, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, or MCAD. It was here that I fell in love with animation and knew it was something that I wanted to do. Now, as a junior at Savannah College of Art and Design, I have found my passion. I am currently majorly enrolled in the School of Animation and Motion as a Story and Concept Development artist for animation with a minor in Visual Effects. I have found so much passion within me on my major that it’s almost scary, but I’m thankful that I at least will get a chance to do art for the rest of my life. I am already taking steps in my life to prepare me for when I graduate, such as being a freelance illustrator, making shops and selling my art, participating in art shows, and testing my abilities and skills in internship programs. All and all, I’m just excited to see where life takes me and the inevitable journey I will be going on.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For the most part, it has been a smooth ride. With having supportive parents, I was never boxed into the idea of being a “starving artist,” as I knew there were outlets to be successful in this career. There has always been the pressure of doing well subconsciously placed on me with being the eldest child and wanting to set an example, but even with that; I have always placed my career and school life first. This in retrospect, is not the healthiest thing as life is a mix of work and play, but it’s hard to say no to the work when it feels like play. Even when I was back in high school and deciding if I wanted to do art or biology as a career, I knew that at the end of the day, I would rather get my hands covered in paint than sit in a lab.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I right now, am a generalist as I have not yet graduated and decided what I want to do. My major, however, is specifically targeted to Story and Concept Development for Animation. This means I get to create fun things. More specifically, though, I get to design creatures and characters, develop worlds far off or deep in Earth, write stories and storyboards that create empathy and drama that people can relate to, and most importantly, create things that have an impact. Within school, I feel like with my stories have two sides on the genre. On one hand, I write very heartwarming stories about things such as self-healing, and on the other, I write very macabre dark comedies. It really just depends on my mood for the day. Within my art in school, they also fall on a more realistic side in style. However, outside of school, it’s another story. Outside of school, I also work as a freelance illustrator creating logos, illustrations, and designs for a wide genre, from retro 1930s cartoon to intense semi-realism for Dungeons and Dragons art. My Instagram is a good place to see how my mind works. Here I post all sorts of things, and everything is almost in a completely different style than the last. I think the fact that I have such a diverse style is what sets me apart from others. I as an artist, consider myself very adaptable, and that is something I am also most proud of. Yes, there are pieces that I love and adore and things I prefer to draw, but the knowledge that I can draw whatever I want if I set my mind to it makes me the proudest.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I think the thing that comes first to my mind that people who don’t know me might find surprising about me is just how much of a nerd I am. I could probably talk about things such as Studio Ghibli for days, and you don’t even want to see how big my Spotify playlist is that is dedicated to movie and musical soundtracks. I am a huge enthusiast for films, TV, books, music, musicals, and more. I think what keeps that side of me hidden from viewers is that fact that I make very little fan art so no one will suspect anything until I let something slip and the dam breaks.
Pricing:
- Commissions are priced by what you want. Let you mind lose, and I will find a price that fits!
- I sell earrings on my Etsy page that range from $16-$21+ depending on how customizable you go.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elliezcopeland.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliezcopeland/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-copeland-424175209/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/elliezcopeland
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnoQNuX6BybuPj_OMh1i1wA
- Other: https://www.redbubble.com/people/ezcopeland/shop
