The Darling Luddite: Jessica Johnson Illustration
My business started unintentionally. I was working for a college in suburban Chicago at the time, spending my 8 to 5 writing and cutting my design teeth for a development department. I found that I often had a sense of unfulfilled creative potential at the end of each day and decided to return to my long-time love of illustration to fill my evenings. After designing a handful of Christmas cards and completing small paintings here and there, I was given an unforeseen gift: a trip to Europe in connection with my husband’s job.
After we returned, I painted two of our favorite views in London and Paris, just intending to hang them in our home. After receiving a number of inquiries, I listed the two prints on Etsy and slowly began expanding my line.
I never thought I would sell my artwork or pursue creative work, so I only took one art class at Hillsdale. 
That watercolor class, however, deeply influenced my business in an indirect way. During the final month of class, Professor Knecht asked a model to come in for a lesson in portraiture. To my surprise, a friend of mine, Sam Johnson, was somehow roped into sitting for us. We got to know each other better through and around those sessions (as one does when staring at someone’s face for hours on end) and eventually started dating the next fall. We’ve been married for two years now, and Sam has been a constant voice of encouragement and support for my work. I don’t think I would have ended up pursuing any of this without his continual support.
In a direct way, Hillsdale prep
ared me to take on the challenges I have faced in illustrating and designing. I taught myself how to use the Adobe Creative Suite, work with printers, and prepare contracts. Though I didn’t learn how to do these things during college, I was prepared to tackle them. My classes and professors taught me how to solve problems and hold myself to a high standard of work.
My favorite pieces are generally custom work. I love to paint with someone in mind. I love the wedding invitation set I designed for a high school friend—that project will always hold special significance for me. It was the first time I was approached about doing custom work and it was unbelievable to me that someone would want to use my work for something as precious as their wedding.
Other favorites include a set of seasonal paintings, the custom wedding paintings I have given as gifts, and the city prints that started it all.
In a culture with way too much going on, it’s rare to have a moment to slow down and do things the old-fashioned way. Whether it’s a souvenir-style print, wedding portrait, or invitation suite, our products feature hand-illustrated designs. Founded in 2014, The Darling Luddite is the Etsy storefront of Jessica Johnson Illustration, where you can always find something made the old-fashioned way. All photos courtesy of Ms. Johnson. Her Hillsdale College print is now available through her Etsy shop.