Jeanette Driftmier (b. 2000) was raised on the rural outskirts of Verona, Wisconsin, before moving to the cityscape of Chicago to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Through 2D animations, watercolor paintings, and miniature sculptures, she seeks to observe, and connect with the natural world’s inhabitants. Jeanette will be receiving her BFA in the Spring of 2022 and will be exhibiting her senior animation project Roach at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Spring, 2022.
Roach, Still from Scene 1 of Roach, 2022
Equus Evolution, Still From Equus Evolution, 2021
Iolanit Tori Character Reference Sheet, Turnaround character reference sheet, 2020, Procreate, Clip Studio Paint
Papilio glaucus/Cirsium vulgare, 2019, Clip Studio Paint
Robin Miniature Box Set, 2019, Sculpey Clay, Acrylic Paint, Chain, Polyester Cotton, Cardboard, Paper (4.5” x 3.75” x 2.25”)
I am an artist and animator, working in 2D and 3D animation, storyboarding, illustration, character design, and game development. I seek to observe and connect with the natural world around me, and use my art as a way of appreciating and cherishing the small lives that surround us all. My thesis animation ‘Roach’ achieves this by exploring themes of life, death, and undeath, through the lens of a dead American Cockroach, and the living bugs it meets along its journey. I’ve drawn much inspiration for this project from my hobby of pinning and preserving insects, and all of the species shown in the film are native to my home of Wisconsin.