We were lucky to catch up with Jingting Wang recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jingting, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Speak of a particularly meaningful project I would appreciate a children’s picture book titled Lunar New Year that I have worked with a well-known picture book author who based in US.The project involve illustrating a book for children experiencing Chinese New Year culture — a story that helps them discover Lunar New Year culture from East countries in a storytelling and diverting way.

The idea for this project have come from author’s personal experience as she grew up in Malaysia,Singapore and Hong Kong and many stories are inspired by her cultural upbringing.The story of the book shows a typical family as they celebrate 15days of Lunar New Year-a time full of careful preparation,delicious food,lanterns,fireworks and dragon dancing.As an illustrator with same cultural background the heartfelt story resonated me deeply.To make the story come alive,I used warm,bright color such as red,yellow and textured lines to convey the tender emotions and design alive looks of each main characters,a lot of celebratory elements.Collaborating with them on this book would feel like a way to offer a magical first-hand account of Lunar New Year to children from all over the world.

Jingting, 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?

Hi,my name is Jingting Wang.I am working as a children’s book illustrator,I now specializes in children’s illustration and have worked with publishers in China/UK/US on a wide range of books. As an illustrator i enjoy bringing whimsical characters and heartfelt scenes to life, blending digital and traditional techniques to create imaginary worlds full of wonder and delight.My journey into illustration started during my college years in Kingston University London, where I studied illustration with a focus on visual storytelling. I realized that children’s books were a perfect combination of my two passions-creating art and crafting stories.

Initially, I worked on personal projects and built a portfolio of simple, playful illustrations on my website. Then I began sharing my work online mostly as I am always alive on my own social media.It is the most effective way for me to caught the attention of some publishers and indie authors. My first big surprise came when a well-known UK based publisher have been interested in my graduated project- a children’s illustration book about a brave little girl and friendship. That project taught me about the rhythm and pacing of children’s book illustration and gave me my first feeling of seeing my work in print.

In the next years it hasn’t always been a smooth road. Early on, finding clients was a struggle, and I had to balance illustration work with part-time jobs to support myself. The competitive of the industry meant I faced rejections and also had to build a solid visual style. As a freelance illustrator dealing with royalties and copyright on books was daunting at first.After that I entered a UK based illustration agency that I have got much helpful resources from my agent and gained great jobs- that helps problem of finding appropriate clients.Another challenge was keep finding my unique style which takes a lot of time to study. I experimented with different media—watercolor,hand-painting, digital painting, and mixed media—before settling into a style that felt authentic and resonated with clients.

Now, I specialize in whimsical and heartfelt illustrations, often featuring nature-inspired settings and diverse characters. My work usually have warm color palettes, textured layers, and expressive characters that I try to evoke a sense of wonder and curiosity. I love creating illustrations that spark imagination and make kids feel seen, whether it’s through portraying a wide range of emotions or celebrating cultural diversity.
I primarily illustrate picture books for children aged 2–8, though I’ve also worked on early reader chapter books and educational material. I enjoy collaborating with authors to bring their stories to life, often starting with character concept sketches and then building out vibrant, immersive scenes.
I think my focus on emotional depth and inclusivity sets me apart as an illustrator. I aim to create illustrations that tell their own story, even without words, and I’m passionate about representing diverse perspectives. I also love to see blending traditional and digital techniques to create a handmade, timeless feel while maintaining the flexibility of modern work.Ultimately, my goal is to keep studying and updating skills of storytelling through illustrations that inspire kids and young reader to dream, explore their own unique stories.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Personally, the most rewarding part of being visual artist would be the chance to communicate with readers without words but story-telling images,sparking full imagination and emotion in visual language. Especially for young readers, illustration could help a child connect with a story or link cultures, feel inspired, or even see the world in a different way is incredibly fulfilling.Children have vivid imaginations, they read story and emotion from images which have only few words on each page.It offers me a space of telling story from my perspective visually through silent images.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Even working for few years I am still learning how to work with clients better in creative process.I think in use of online creative communities and resources is important thing to try, like forums, social media groups, or even platforms, where I can learn new skill or technique directly from other artists and professionals. It’s easy to feel isolated when i was starting out, but connecting with others can really help me grow.
Another would be understanding the importance of constructive feedback, especially from peers or mentors. At the very beginning I might have been hesitant to share work, but getting feedback—whether it’s positive or critical can really push my work to the next level. And finally, resources around the business side of creativity, like understanding contracts, copyright, or how to manage commissions and payments, would have been quite helpful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jingtingwang.org/Works
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtwangillustra.w/