FAQs

Q What is STUDIO 309?
A 309 was my studio number when I was in the Illustration program at Syracuse University. When I started my business in 1991, I chose STUDIO 309 as my business name (DBA) because I had fond memories of my time at S.U., and because I like the sound of it.

Q Jerry or Gerald -- which is it?
A It's both. Gerald is my given name. Jerry is the common derivative of Gerald. That's Jerry with a "J". (Gerry with a "G" is another common spelling).

Q So... are you STUDIO 309 or Jerry Russell Illustration?
A STUDIO 309 is the name of my business (dba), which started out as mostly design and desktop publishing, with a little illustration thrown in the mix. Since around the end of 2001, I have been promoting myself as Jerry Russell, Illustrator because I've been concentrating my efforts more on marketing my illustration and trying to establish more name recognition in the industry.

Q So, what happened to STUDIO 309?
A Studio 309 is still the official, registered name of my business. I still get a lot of design work from existing clients, but for marketing the Illustration end of the business, I use my name.

Q Mac or PC?
A I use Macs (a MacPro and a G5 tower) to do all of my digital illustration and design. I still have the first one I ever bought, back in 1991 (for $2,300) It's a Mac II Si. My laptop is a MacBook Pro.

Q How do you paint on a computer?
A I use a Wacom 4 digital tablet and Photoshop. Sometimes I use Corel Painter, but Photoshop does most of what I need to do with digital paint, and it's far more stable than Painter. I keep a Wacom 3 in my laptop bag for painting while I'm traveling.

Q Where is Liverpool?
A Liverpool is a suburb of Syracuse, NY, right in the middle of the state. Four hours from Manhattan, 2 hours from the Adirondacks. Home of Heid's - world famous hotdog stand!