About

Hi!

My name is Eline “Jay” Nijdam, and I am a Scottish-Dutch artist based in Europe.

Currently studying Creature & Character Creation at Escape Studios.

My Background

I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. As a child, I only drew animals and characters from my favourite media: golden-age Disney, Star Wars, Eragon, and Pokémon to name a few. Also – lots of dragons.

My family moved countries regularly as I was growing up. As a result, I wasn’t rooted to anywhere in particular and instead tried to find home wherever I was. Drawing became a way of connecting with new people.

From Maths to Art

I graduated from Heriot-Watt University with a BSc in Mathematics with Physics and later moved to The Netherlands for an MSc in Astronomy Research at Leiden University.

During the Covid lockdowns, I decided a career in academia was not for me after all, and I changed direction to pursue a career in Concept Art for film and video-games. Working in bookstores, I spent my free-time exploring traditional and modern art techniques, learning about the Art & Entertainment industry, and working on my portfolio.

Freelancing

Since 2022, I have had the pleasure of working on a number of music- and film-related projects as a freelance illustrator. Along side personal commissions, I have worked with clients including Scottish music producer (and brother) Ian Robert, Eye Filmmuseum Amsterdam,  and South Korean percussion group Variety E-Seo.