Today we’d like to introduce you to Pingnan Lu

Hi Pingnan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I’m Pingnan Lu, a visual creator who focuses on illustration and comics. I started reading picture books when I was very young and then switched to reading comics when I was 6 years old. Later, I bought around 500 physical comic books, comic magazines, and illustration collections in past years, which laid the foundation for my life to become a visual creator. I have been working hard to get closer to my dream step by step, spending a lot of time honing my skills. So far, I received lots of recognition in my field.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

I feel that my road has been relatively smooth because I have family and friends who always support me. However, some challenges did happen when I was working on graphic design. Because I didn’t have a good aesthetic sense by then, the things I made were very ordinary and difficult for people to recognize. I also knew that it was difficult for me to make a breakthrough, so I was distressed about this and lost some enthusiasm for design. Later, I decided to further study in the field of illustration. I have always been very passionate about illustration and have a strong desire to learn. Maybe because there is a connection between different kinds of art, as my illustration skills improve, my design and typesetting skills have also made breakthroughs. What’s more, the design background also has a great influence on my illustration. I gradually formed an illustration style with a sense of graphic design. Now my new-style works have got a lot of international awards from countries such as the USA, UK, China, Japan, etc., which also bring me more exhibition opportunities. I feel lucky to have turned my struggles into opportunities.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I am currently focused on illustrations and comics, where I enjoy using spatially aware shapes to create captivating narratives and unique fantasy worlds. Paper media also attracts me a lot, so I often combine different printing techniques such as letterpress, Riso, etc. to enhance the texture of my illustrations. My Riso print The Little Hero was recognized by the iJungle Illustration Awards before, and my Four Seasons Letterpress Postcards got recognized by the World Illustration Awards recently. At the same time, I do typesetting, and binding to create different kinds of handmade books. Recently my handmade comic book Gift Box was nominated for the Ignatz Award. I am proud of my comprehensive ability, as I am good at integrating knowledge from various fields and applying it effectively in my work.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?

Like a lot of artists, I use websites like Pinterest or Behance to find inspiration. Additionally, artists often need to have their own websites. I chose to use cargo. site to build mine, and there are many similar platforms available, such as Wix.com. In my work, I use Procreate for painting, Photoshop for photo editing, and Illustrator or InDesign for typesetting. To better control the color of printed products, a Pantone Color Match Chart can be quite useful to me. Lately, I’ve also been reading books on color management, such as ‘Real World Color Management: Industrial-Strength Production Techniques’.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pingnan-lu.com
• Instagram: @pingnanlu
• Other: Email: [email protected]