Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nina Tang. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Nina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
Since I was a kid, I’ve loved watching all kinds of anime and manga, and I also enjoyed learning each author’s drawing style by copying and practicing. When I grew up a little, I started to design my own characters and began to draw whatever I wanted. When I really started to get into the professional field, when I was in high school, I began to learn about still life and color systematically. After two years of study, I systematically understood human structure, lighting, and contrast. In college, I started to find my style by trying various techniques. Until now, I am still exploring and experimenting with different styles as well. One of the things that speed up the learning process the most is drawing more. Many people have mentioned this, but it’s very important. I only drew a little for two years, and I rarely even sketched, but when I got to college, I realized that I needed to draw every day in college. Each quarter was only three months long, and my improvement in those three months was much more obvious than in the two years, which was a waste of time. It’s also important to take proper breaks, and not everyone can keep drawing every day, but drawing more is defiantly one of the best ways to make quick progress. The basics of still life drawing and color are very important. Although some styles don’t really require these basic skills, mastering them can help build a more dynamic illustration with solid storytelling. The biggest obstacle I encountered in my learning process was laziness. During my high school years, the daily basic exercises made me feel dull and bored, so I wouldn’t consciously draw whenever I didn’t need to train during the summer, which is terrible for strength improvement.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hello, I’m Nina Tang, and I am currently studying illustration at Savannah College of Art and Design. I chose illustration as my major because I grew up reading anime and manga, which greatly influenced and inspired me. My culture also inspires me, and I love reading mythology stories. My style is more toward book illustration, and I am good at drawing fantasy themes. The fantasy theme has always been a subject I like to draw. It allows me to give full play to my imagination. I like the work of a Japanese artist named Nanaco Yashiro, whose work is mainly based on plants and fairy tales but also incorporates her own narrative. My strength is that I am good at many different styles, that’s will give my clients more choices; my work includes character design and background design, which is also one of my strengths.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I was very young when I started to draw, and I didn’t have much access to the internet, so the only resources I had for learning were textbooks from bookstores and art teachers at school. There are many good online resources; I recommend ArtStation, where many artists share their work and process, and other social media platforms where you can find the artists themselves. Some artists also offer classes, and those are available for purchase there. The artists on the site are very diverse, and most are more focused on game illustration or concept design. There, you can find modelers, art promotional illustrators, concept designers, etc. Overall, ArtStation is an excellent and recommended site as a learning resource. When you have your work, you can also put them on the site, and many companies there will post job openings, which is also very helpful for artists.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal now is to become a book illustrator, and I’ve been creatively working in that direction. Since I like manga, I am still immature in style and narrative shift, so I hope to continue growing in my subsequent creations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aizawayiyiko.wixsite.com/ninat
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nininana_art/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-tang-93b0b21b3/