We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cryssy Cheung. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cryssy below.

Cryssy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

I primarily do freelance work in the entertainment industry, but my skill set also allows me to branch out into other industries, which affords me a wide variety of projects and really keeps things interesting. My body of work consists of art direction, illustration, and design for print, digital, and motion projects. The print and digital fields are pretty similar as far as deliverables go, but working in motion is a whole different way of thinking. I went to college at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and majored in Computer Art, Computer Animation, and Visual Effects. The program taught me to use After Effects and honed my burgeoning Photoshop and Illustrator skills. I started with Photoshop and Illustrator in 2003 and it’s been exciting to see both programs evolve over time. Illustrator and I actually share the same birthday!

While I was at SVA, I began gravitating away from animation and toward illustration. Once I began my first internships and gained firsthand experience with the industry, I discovered that in order to create animations, illustration and design work are required beforehand to plan the look and feel of the pieces and give the animation a roadmap in the form of a storyboard. I ended up pivoting from animation to design early in my career and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My working knowledge of illustration, design, and animation have been priceless for my career as an art director.

Cryssy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve had a lifelong relationship with art, and I’ve been creating and studying art as far back as I can remember! My mom had me take various traditional art classes when I was a kid, where I learned fundamentals, and I began working digitally once I got to high school. In the early 2000s I began learning about Photoshop and Illustrator and started using digital as a medium alongside traditional media. I was one of the first students to win a Scholastic Award with a portfolio consisting of work in both digital and traditional media (I won a silver!). Back in the early 2000s, computer art was a relatively new medium and wasn’t really taken seriously by fine artists. My mom and I, however, saw the potential of computer art as a respectable medium, and she was the one who actually inspired me to continue with computer art and to study animation in college.

I’ve always tried to carve out my own path in life and my career is no exception. The freelance lifestyle always spoke to me and the bulk of my career has been as a freelancer. I started working in commercials as a junior animator, pivoted to design, and then ended up in the entertainment industry, where I went from senior designer to art directing for motion, print, and digital. I currently illustrate for brands and publishers such as Disney, Marvel, Sony, CBS, Star Wars, IDW Publishing, Chronicle Books, and more.

As a freelancer, maintaining good client relationships is very important. Every client is unique and will have their own specific needs, so making sure that their needs are met to the best of my ability is an important aspect of what I do. I make sure to listen and have an open dialogue with each client, to ensure that what I create matches the specific vision in their head. Aside from managing my own work, I’m also part of an agency called the Poster Posse, which brings in some really cool opportunities, and having a good relationship with the agent and that wonderful group of artists is essential!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me is connecting with people through my art. Everyone has their own creative perspective and it’s fun being able to share mine with you all!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

When I started my creative journey, there weren’t nearly as many accessible learning resources as there are now. The Internet was a completely different place, and was only just beginning to provide the endless wealth of instruction and tutorials that it does now. There are countless free tutorials on YouTube as well as amazing paid learning content by industry professionals. There’s also a great resource for any graphic artist called the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines, which has been around for about 50 years at this point. It’s a great resource to look into rates and understand how other professionals price their work. The book also includes information about industry standards and best practices, and it’s always being updated to stay current.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cryssycheung.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cryssyface/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cryssy/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CryssyCheung

Image Credits
For the headshot, it is shot by photographer George Evan.