Artist Bio

         
  "I am a creative visionary ipad/digital artist with a fine arts
  background and my imagination and art are my escapes from
  reality."  Billie Jo Ellis

I was born in Danville, Illinois and have spent most of my life in my current town -Tilton Illinois.

I can always remember drawing as a small child and being eager to learn more on my own. As I got older I felt the influence of Symbolism and Surrealism as I absorbed the works of Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, and M.C. Escher.

After graduating from Oakwood High School, I earned my Associate Degree in the Visual Arts at Parkland Community College (Champaign, IL) before undertaking three years of Art and Design classes at Eastern Illinois University.  Before entering high school, portrait art was my focus. However, as my skills with different techniques grew, I found myself open to a larger world of personal expression.

My artistic skills include: graphic design, pencil & ink drawings, acrylic painting, caricatures, printmaking, airbrushing and creating digital art on my MacBook Pro Laptop. My computer skills, include creating vector art, digital paintings, digital photo collages, and photo manipulation & reconstruction. 

I create my digital art using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Corel Painter while using a digitized tablet with a stylus pen to create fine detail in my work. As of 2013 I am teaching myself to learn how to create art on my Apple iPad by drawing directly onto the tablet screen with a stylus brush. It is a exciting new way of creating art  and I continue to use it daily for sketching and painting.
 
In addition to being a constant student of art, I have taught classes on Printmaking and Photo Retouching.

On a personal level, I am a passionate animal lover. I have always had kitties in my life since I was a child.  They sometimes appear in my artwork and influence me every day.

In 1996, I began my own business, Digital Creations, based in Tilton, Illinois.  After sixteen years, I'm pursuing my own artwork along with offering commissioned work of my digital and classic art talents.  

I really enjoy creating art in the traditional methods, but have really embraced creating digitally!  I love being able to do both types of art.  Even though I know oil and watercolor techniques, I now only paint on the computer with what I like to call "virtual paint."  It's less messy and I now have an unlimited supply of colors and brushes.  With a laptop and a iPad, I can take my studio with me on my travels, ready to create whenever inspiration strikes.

So welcome to my Art and Imagination!  If you have any questions or want to make use of my talents, or interested in having a work commissioned by me, please drop me a line via my website at www.bjellisart.com and be sure to LIKE my Facebook page.

My studio is located at 201 South L Street, Tilton, Illinois 61833.  My email address is [email protected] and 
I work by appointment only or online.  If you wish to commission a piece of work from me, we can discuss your art needs by online chat-facebook or via e-mail. I accept all major forms of payment, including PayPal.

I belong to the following organizations,
NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) Member since 1998
Danville Art League
C.A.R.A. Citizens for Animal Rescue and Adoption

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