About Me

Hi, my name is Rejena, and this is a portfolio site that will contain various pictures, drawings and information about my interests. If I do requests or small updates to my main site, they will probably be here, too. Whatever the case may be, I hope you can find something interesting!

In my work, I believe that a true representation of the human experience can come entirely from the imagination as long as it has the right feeling for the story I am telling. Depicting the world, realistically, helps me to connect with God and appreciate His complex and intricate design that makes up our everyday life. Once we learn these realistic principles deeply, so that it truly becomes a part of us, our emotions can shine through.

There are as many styles as there are artists, so we only need to reach that subconscious level of understanding in order to let others see our distinct nature. All it takes is passion, determination, and the belief that our goals are possible, and that our dreams can be made into reality.

-In General-

I am a comic book artist, born on March 26th. I graduated from Alma College with a BFA, focusing on Illustration, and have completed my MFA in Comic Art at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, reading [comics and books], writing stories and playing video games. I am also interested in dreams, health, education, philosophy, religion and spirituality. My other hobbies include biking, playing/listening to music, designing fashion and creating impossible devices. I became a disciple of Jesus in October 2010.

Favorites

Food: shrimp, spaghetti, pizza, sushi, oranges, apples, watermelons, strawberries, and (dessert) empanadas! I also enjoy cooking!

Movies: A Goofy Movie, Aladdin, Wreck It Ralph & Muriel’s Wedding.

Cartoons/manga/anime: Hey Arnold! (Craig Bartlett), Paradise Kiss (Ai Yzawa), Gokinjo Monogatari (Ai Yazawa), Death Note (Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata), Kodomo no Omocha (Miho Obana), Dragonball/Z (Akira Toriyama), Peach Girl (Miwa Ueda), Marmalade Boy (Wataru Yoshizumi), Full Moon wo Sagashite (Arina Tanemura), Hani Yori Dango (Yoko Kamio), Axis Powers Hetalia (Hidekaz Himaruya) and Battle Angel Alita (Yukito Kashiro). This list is still on-going, by the way.

Video Games: The Mario series, the Legend of Zelda Series, Yoshi’s Island, Diddy Kong Racing, Banjo-Kazooie, Final Fantasy 7/9/10, and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue.

Tools & Art


I like to incorporate mixed media in my artworks. For inking, there are varies kinds of pens I use to achieve different line widths, shading and effects. Some supplies for black and white drawings include the Tachikawa Manga G-pen, Nikko Nib Pens, and Clip Studio EX for tones.

For ‘traditional’ coloring, I use watercolors, Prismacolor Colored Pencils, Copic markers, Acrylic paint, and Oil paint. For digital coloring programs, I use Clip Studio EX, Adobe Design Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, etc.) and Paint Tool Sai.

If there’s anything else you want to know, feel free to contact me! But, please, visit the FAQs first.

Watercolor Painting Finishing Touches

© Copyright 2024 Rejena Smiley. All Rights Reserved.

Website Builder Software