Jay Pillerva
ARTIST AND AUTHOR
Hello!
I am Jay Pillerva (pil-YER-vah), an independent digital illustrator and author. I love drawing cute, warm things and writing dark, scary books. How fitting!I left my animation job to pursue freelancing and to work on my own content. I write young adult novels and design characters for streamers, hobbyists, and even fellow authors. I aim to create my own identity in this vast digital space.
Email: jaypillerva17@gmail.com 💌
Hardware and Software
| Display Tablet | XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro |
| Desktop | i7-4790K CPU @ 4.00GHz 16 GB RAM GTX 1050 |
| Tablet | iPad Air 4th Generation with Apple Pencil |
| Illustration Software | Procreate, Clip Studio Paint EX, Affinity Designer, Adobe Illustrator |
| Animation Software | Clip Studio Paint EX, Adobe Animate |
| Layout Software | Affinity Photo, Affinity Publisher |
Featured Testimonials
"Investing in Jay’s artwork was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Not only was I totally pleased with the product, but the process was also fun and easy. Working with Jay felt like simply talking to a friend. Highly recommend!" —Ally
"Jay was so great to work with! She took a wonky stick figure sketch I provided and really hit it out of the park. She brought my characters to life perfectly. Jay was also very communicative and provided updates at every stage of her process which made receiving the final product all the more exciting! I would not hesitate to work with her again as well as recommend her to others!" —Kiley
"Great Artist. Was very patient and a pleasure to work with. She kept me updated every step of the process, responded in a timely manner, and was making sure I was happy with the piece. Would definitely recommend Jay to others." —Riley
Testimonials
Reviews customers have shared on my commission services
"Jay was so great to work with! She took a wonky stick figure sketch I provided and really hit it out of the park. She brought my characters to life perfectly. Jay was also very communicative and provided updates at every stage of her process which made receiving the final product all the more exciting! I would not hesitate to work with her again as well as recommend her to others!" —Kiley
"Jay made my wildest dream come true. I did not expect to get the exact thing I asked for as it was pretty strange to begin with but she did it with no questions asked. She was so kind and easy to work with. Definitely will get to commission her again." —Cooper
"Working with Jay was a delight, start to finish. She was able to give me a quote for the first piece I ordered after I sent her the details, including a breakdown of how the pricing went. There were no issues at any point with communication from her, I was the one who kept being delayed due to circumstances so her patience was greatly appreciated! Jay provided multiple WIPs and allowed me plenty of time to give feedback or raise any concerns I might have—but really, I had nothing but glee because she got everything perfect. Still, the option was there if I needed it! The finished project is amazing, I love showing off the art to friends (and including Jay’s Twitter info each time!) and just smile whenever I look at it. I’ve since spoken to her about commissioning her for more projects, and can’t wait to work with her further! Cannot recommend her enough!" —Faux Ghoulie
"Great artist, great art, great person. Could not recommend more. Will commission again in the future, likely multiple times." —Thorsten Kleeberg
"Jay was a pleasure to work with from start to finish. She made it apparent through our discussion prior to commencing work that she not only wanted to do a good job, but also cared about my original character who I was getting commisioned. Jay asked about not only my color choices but about my character's personality and background to make sure she could deliver exactly what I was looking for. I was given an expected timeline at the start and frequent updates as things were progressing. I was thoroughly satisfied with the final product I was given and would highly recommend Jay to anyone looking for high-quality art." —Nelley
"Amazing artist and super pleasant to work with." —Matt D.
"Investing in Jay’s artwork was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Not only was I totally pleased with the product, but the process was also fun and easy. Working with Jay felt like simply talking to a friend. Highly recommend!" —Ally
"Jay was fantastic to work with. All communication was fantastic from clarifying my requests and ideas to helping with revisions and providing the commission. In total Jay provided six unique works (D&D characters) which matched the source material (rulebook art) perfectly. I look forward to working with you again in the future!" —Cullen
"I love the art style, the reason why I commissioned in the first place, I also appreciate your work and professionalism while working with me." —Chow
"I knew Jay was the right person to work with when I needed beautiful backgrounds illustrated! So very happy with the process and how it all turned out. Would definitely come back for more art!" —Lala
"Jay is an absolute joy of a human being and an absolute joy to work with. I recommended her to everyone I know and can't wait to comm her again!" —Marcie P
"I love the drawing I received so much! I commissioned a drawing of Bakugo from MHA and Jay mentioned that they don’t do fanart often, but looking at the art I received you would never be able to tell. it is absolutely perfect and I hope to commission again in the future! " —JR
"I had never worked with an artist for a commission before and was unsure of the process. When reaching out through social media, there were lots of hits but too often it just felt like bots—vague responses without any form of certainty. The first thing I liked about Jay was there were links to her portfolio and rates which immediately screamed professional. I acknowledged that I was new to the process and she was so friendly, courteous, and patient with me the whole way. The way she was able to listen to my ideas and not only know exactly what I wanted, but actually EXCEED what I was looking for, making this such a seamless and rewarding experience. I hopefully have a lot more books left in me and I will not hesitate to reach out to Jay in the future!" —Brandon Braxton
"The artist did an amazing job and I really appreciated her professionalism as well. " —Linnae
"Thank you so much again for your brilliant work! You've brought the scene to life and I'm obsessed with it! Truly so lovely to work with and I'll definitely be back again. " —Anise Starre
"Service was very quick and I got my order nicely before the deadline. And the fact she has set working times made communication very predictable. Despite the big time difference, the communication went very well... The finished piece really looked like the photo of my partner with our cat. She nailed it!" —Laura
"Jay was very friendly and responsive and made sure I was happy with every detail. She took all of my requests into account and delivered a great result!" —River
"Great Artist. Was very patient and a pleasure to work with. She kept me updated every step of the process, responded in a timely manner, and was making sure I was happy with the piece. Would definitely recommend Jay to others." —Riley
"Jay knew exactly what I had in mind. Her talent exceeded my expectations. We are very happy to have done business with her. I highly recommend her." —Sarah
To All Former Clients:
If you've worked with me before, I would greatly appreciate it if you could take the time to rate my services. Your feedback means a lot!
Let’s Work Together!
If you're interested in a commission, refer to these links below:
Artworks
Illustrations for various projects
Illustrations
Character Art
Cover Illustration and Layout
Featured Testimonials
"Jay was a pleasure to work with from start to finish. She made it apparent through our discussion prior to commencing work that she not only wanted to do a good job, but also cared about my original character who I was getting commisioned. Jay asked about not only my color choices but about my character's personality and background to make sure she could deliver exactly what I was looking for. I was given an expected timeline at the start and frequent updates as things were progressing. I was thoroughly satisfied with the final product I was given and would highly recommend Jay to anyone looking for high-quality art." —Nelley
"Jay made my wildest dream come true. I did not expect to get the exact thing I asked for as it was pretty strange to begin with but she did it with no questions asked. She was so kind and easy to work with. Definitely will get to commission her again." —Cooper
"Jay knew exactly what I had in mind. Her talent exceeded my expectations. We are very happy to have done business with her. I highly recommend her." —Sarah
Let’s Work Together!
If you're interested in a commission, refer to these links below:
alt. The Metropolis Series
illustrated novels by Jay PIllerva
Author Abandons the Story
QUINN VASQUEZ is a fictional book character, and the Author has left her story unfinished. That shouldn’t have been an issue, as life still goes on in the fictional Metropolis. Quinn attends school, deals with boy problems, and all those other things you’d expect from a cheesy teenage story. However, the Author’s old, forgotten work begins to collide with the new, causing Quinn’s reality to shatter. Now, she has to deal with monsters and overlapping timelines that only bring chaos, and without the Author to fix things, she isn’t sure what to do.Worst of all, if she tells anyone about what the Metropolis really is, they turn into monsters themselves.Quinn and the Metropolis (alternatively known as The Metropolis Series) is a three-part illustrated novel series that explores what happens to unfinished work, and what dangers its characters have to face in turn. Will Quinn be able to overcome these challenges, or will the world around her spiral into ruin?
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery, Drama
Content Warning: Mild Horror, Violence, Profanity, Implied Intimacy, Existential Dread, and Discussions of Loss and Grief
Books in the Series
Available as ebooks and paperbacks
Click on a book to view its synopsis
Ebooks
Paperbacks
Support the Series
THE METROPOLIS SERIES #1
Quinn and the Metropolis
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery, Drama
Content Warning: Mild Horror, Violence, Existential Dread
QUINN VASQUEZ has problems with her romantic life. No biggie. It’s just like your average teenage drama. But what if you suddenly have these monsters that begin popping out of nowhere, and suddenly, poof! They’re gone, and everyone goes about their lives like nothing happened. As these strange happenings begin to unfold, why does it feel like time has been repeating itself over and over again? Most importantly, where did those monsters come from?As everything begins to spiral out of control, Quinn kisses her normal high school life goodbye. She becomes a fugitive and is blamed for all the weirdness. But why, what has she done, or are the accusations rooted in what she didn’t do…?Follow Quinn as she discovers the secrets of the Metropolis and learns how to grasp its bizarre existence.
THE METROPOLIS SERIES #2
Quinn Beyond Bounds
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery, Drama
Content Warning: Mild Horror, Violence, Existential Dread
QUINN VASQUEZ has always believed that Cassandra Diaz was just a girl in her head, a personification of her deepest, darkest thoughts—but she was wrong. Cassandra is real, and she’s only growing stronger. Quinn is convinced that she was involved in the disappearance of one of her closest friends, her leads taking her beyond the Metropolis’ bounds, straight into Cassandra’s territory.She shares her mission with Julio, a boy with the same determination to stop Cassandra. However, he has a few quirks of his own, mainly concerning his past with an ex-lover. He remains secretive about the topic, and only shares his life in obscure little pieces. His world is a deep, mysterious ocean, and Quinn is no longer sure what she’ll find if she dives in.In the quest to stop Cassandra, travel beyond bounds to uncover more secrets the Metropolis keeps hidden.
THE METROPOLIS SERIES #3
Quinn and Cassandra
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery, Drama
Content Warning: Mild Horror, Violence, Profanity, Implied Intimacy, Existential Dread, and Discussions of Loss and Grief
QUINN VASQUEZ and CASSANDRA DIAZ are both fictional characters in the Author’s Metropolis. Despite their shared state, they are nothing alike. While Cassandra is notorious for violence and murder, Quinn just wants a normal life at St. John’s Academy. After the trouble she faced being Cassandra’s look-alike, Quinn cuts her hair and embraces her new appearance. However, the line between them blurs even more after Cassandra kills someone at a party filled with Quinn’s schoolmates.While her friends at St. John's are determined to solve the mysterious tragedy, Quinn is pulled into a silent battle against her evil twin. Cassandra is trying to reclaim her spot in the story, a position that Quinn currently holds. Because she was scrapped and forgotten, her anger and frustration culminate into one grand plan: to destroy the Author’s precious work, to erase the Metropolis forever. Quinn then asks herself: Can Cassandra really do that?But as their origins slowly come to light, Cassandra gains the upper hand. Quinn’s determined to keep the Metropolis alive, no matter what it takes.
Now available!
Request Free Copies
Are you a book reviewer or blogger? Or do you just like reading more books? If so, you may request free digital copies of my books in exchange for a rating on Goodreads. A written review is optional but appreciated!In the message form below, please include the following:
• Enter "Read Quinn" as your subject
• The book/s by me you'd like to read
• Preferred book format (PDF, ePub, or Mobi)
• A link to your Goodreads account that actively rates booksPlease enter the correct subject and provide all of the requested information or your message will be ignored.Thank you for your interest in my books!
Contact
Email: jaypillerva17@gmail.com
Commissions
Like My Work?
Your support is very much appreciated!
Write to Me
Note: As of January 2023, the artist is no longer taking commissions full-time. They have now limited the number of slots to just two-three projects per month.
Commissions
Rates and information on commissions. Please read everything carefully.
Character Rates - Personal Use
Starting rates per character in USD. Prices may increase for more complex designs.
Backgrounds
Includes interiors, exteriors, and outdoor sceneries. Rates of backgrounds depend on the complexity and style of the commission.
| Style | Easy | Medium | Complex |
| Line Art | $30 | $50 | $70 |
| Flats/Shadows and Highlights | $50 | $80 | $110 |
| Vector/Lineless/Painted | $80 | $120 | $150 |
Static Vector Emotes
