It’s no secret that the CBJ fan base is full of talented individuals and today on TheUnionBlue we’re very glad to have had a chance to speak with Ashley Ware (@LeAshleh on Twitter) who recently has been generous enough to share what she refers to as her doodles but that I would deem them masterpieces. Some recent samples include her take on fan favorites Boone Jenner and Brandon Dubinsky:
Early-Afternoon Doodle: My prey? Boone Jenner. I’m so sorry Boone. #ImNotActuallySorryAtAll pic.twitter.com/ZQfJfS3ZFa
— Ashley Ware (@LeAshleh) January 20, 2014
Warm up doodle for the morning. Brandon Dubinsky! Yeah! I didn’t do him much justice but… I tried. pic.twitter.com/ESjDibXFuM
— Ashley Ware (@LeAshleh) January 18, 2014
Not to belittle these awesome works but these are just the beginning. Ashley posted a watercolor project on her Tumblr that has been spreading through the #CBJ fan base like wild fire and rightfully so. If you haven’t seen it yet, click though and check it out now. I’ll wait.
You back? Are you as impressed as I am? I reached out to Ashley and she was kind enough to answer a few questions I had about her work and what inspires it.
TheUnionBlue: I, along with many Jackets fans, had the pleasure of seeing your Tumblr post “The Good Ole Hockey Game” and I have to say it seems to have really struck a chord with a lot of the CBJ fan base. Why do you think your personal story resonates so well with so many others?
Ashley: I think a lot of it comes from the fact that our fan base is so close knit. When you go to a game you’re not watching it with strangers really. When the Jackets score you’re on your feet high fiving the guys behind you and in front of you. The Blue Jackets fan base is fiercely loyal, and that kind of loyal, family bond is something I think Jackets fans, and hockey fans in general can very closely relate to.
The artwork, typography and textures are great! How would you describe your workflow/medium for this work? Is this a combination of hand-drawn and digital? Purely digital?
Thank you! It’s a combination of traditional and digital. I sketched out the pages, and watercolored them. I then scanned them and did some line-work overtop to clean it up, and the type is all completely digital. It was a long process, but it was a lot of fun!
In your Twitter timeline, you’ve posted great doodles of Boone Jenner and Brandon Dubinsky. Can we expect to see more of those coming? If so, what’s your inspiration for who get’s drawn each day?
Oh yeah, expect to see more Boone Jenner! When it comes to choosing who I draw next I just pick the first player that comes to mind. It may be because of how they did in a game the previous day or just because I found some really nice dynamic poses of them. It’s pretty much a spur of the moment choice.
I see that you go to CCAD (Columbus College of Art & Design for out of towners). From what I understand, it’s a pretty tough curriculum. Do you find it difficult to keep up with your course work and stay up to date with the Jackets? Do you still get together with your family to watch games?
CCAD is a lot of work, but it’s work that I love to do. It doesn’t hurt either that I’ve kept myself to a pretty tight system of when I work and when I sleep. I’ve found a schedule that works best for me, and because of that I can get my work done really efficiently and find time to watch or go to games. Sometimes I’m in class and can’t watch the game, but luckily I have the Jackets App and it keeps me pretty well updated. My folks and I frequently go to games together actually! It’s really nice because they only live an hour away. As a matter of fact my Mother, my Cousin and I are going to see the Jackets play the Flyers later this week, and I’m super excited!
Last but not least, what do you think of RockmanHalo’s Game in One Pic series on our game recaps? Is there any chance that we might have a future guest appearance when he’s too busy stomping Pittsburgh Penguin fans to submit one?
They’re really awesome! I’d love to fill in whenever! Thank you so much!
Author’s Note: If you aren’t already following Ashley on Twitter you should because seeing what she’s contributing has proven inspirational for me. Now I wonder if I can commission her to do a doodle of one bearded super-fan that I know…
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