Tell us a little about yourself...
My name is Kenvi. I am an illustrator based in Chicago, currently studying at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. My focuses are mainly illustration and motion graphic. I like doing watercolor paintings, and trying to capture the beauty of nature and lovely moments in my life. I spent most of my adolescent years in China, growing and exploring new things. I'm also a chocolate and tea lover!
When did your love for illustration begin?
It began when I was little, probably around 6 or 7... I was fascinated by children’s book at first, then I started drawing things around me, such as people, animals, buildings and flowers...
What inspires your work?
My inspirations come from different sources, such as illustrated books, novels, pets, movies, music, and photos. I also get ideas and thoughts from daily life, especially from my childhood memories. When I think about them, there so many sweet moments that I want to illustrate and record. In addition, I like travelling and meeting different people, I always do sketches when I am traveling, it provides me with plenty of ideas to illustrate and animate.
How has your art developed over the years and how do you see it developing in the future?
In my earlier works, I liked to do pen and ink illustrations with large amount of details. Most of them were black and white, because I was more likely to play with the lines and contours of the things I drew. After I noticed that colour is also a powerful language to help illustrators communicate with viewers, I starting learning watercolor and explored it in depth. Using watercolor as a technique helps me to develop my illustrations even further, and expresses certain emotions and feelings that I want the viewers to have. In the future, I will focus more on developing the concept of my illustrations, and explore both traditional and digital drawing techniques.
How do you go about preparing for an illustration?
I always start with a few pencil sketches, and choose the one I like the most. This is actually the most difficult and important part when doing illustrations. I always make lots of changes at this stage. Adding colors is the fun part, that is the moment when you start to enjoy doing the illustration the most. It usually takes me four to five days to finish a illustration... it mostly depends on how complicated the illustration is.
What is your favourite drawing tool?
It is really hard to tell which is my favorite; I like lots of techniques. Now, I am focusing on watercolor and gouache, as well as pen and ink. Watercolor is a technique that is really hard to control, but I have so much fun experimenting it. You can even add alcohol and salt to create cool effects.
Can you tell me about your favorite illustration that you have drawn?
I think it is the piece called “Sweet Memories” (see above). It has so many reflections of my childhood, and makes me feel nostalgic and happy every time I look at it. I think a good illustration should express emotions and thoughts to the viewers, and communicate with people in its own unique way.
Can we expect any exciting new projects?
I am starting a new series, mainly focus on drawing people and their pets. I'm also learning Adobe After Effects so I can make some of my illustrations come to life. In the future, hopefully you will see more animated GIFs on my blog.
You can find more of Kenvi's work at www.kenviliang.tumblr.com, or can purchase prints on INPRNT. You should also follow Kenvi on Instagram!
No comments:
Post a Comment