We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Qingru Yang a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Qingru, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I hope that drawing can become a way to express my emotions. For instance, one of my projects is about emotional venting. When I work on subjects that I am not good at or simply not interested in, I am often dissatisfied with the results, which causes me to lose motivation to draw and even become irritable. In a final project, the teacher allowed us to create our own themes, so I drew the state of mind when I was drawing something I didn’t like. The story is called “Execution” and it is about me drawing, but the more I drew, the more unsatisfied I was. Then I took my drawing tool, iPad, and tied it to the chair like “kidnapping” and took out a pistol to shoot the iPad. As the pistol fell I realized it was all just my imagination. The image is in a bright purple tone because I think it also echoes the ending of the story. The process of preparing the work is also an exploration of myself, and there is a sense of accomplishment after seeing the final work. My teacher told me that this is the psychological norm for many people. When we encounter a situation we don’t like, we need to adapt to the various outcomes and learn to adjust.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

During elementary school, I was fascinated by comics. The compelling stories and vivid characters inspired me to create. Every day during lunch break, my classmates and I gathered to doodle our favorite characters. Encouraged by my parents, I delved further into basic sketching techniques. However, when I entered middle school, my creative activities temporarily slowed down due to academic pressure, but despite this, I still maintained my love for manga and comics. When I was faced with choosing a college major, I decided to enter a field related to drawing based on my long-standing interest, and eventually chose to learn illustration. Throughout my college studies, I realize that illustration is different from the comics, it involved a variety of fields such as children’s books, advertising, posters, and editorials. As I explored various facets of illustration, I realized that I preferred narrative illustration. For me, illustration is not only a way to express myself, but also a way to connect with the world, allowing me to integrate artistic style with written content to convey profound meanings.

In my graduate studies, I gradually began experimenting with crafts, transforming my illustrations into handmade items. I created a series of funny animals that incorporated some subtle elements of dark humor. For example, in my handmade 3D book, Frog Party, I turned frogs into swings, strings, and other objects to create an absurdly fun atmosphere. I felt a great sense of accomplishment in making my work into a product. At the same time, I’ve realized that I love making interesting content, and I’m currently trying to continue in that direction, but I’m open to experimenting with other genres.

I think the obstacles I have encountered mainly involve two aspects, one is the concept from my parents, and the other is the challenges in the learning path. When I was a kid, my parents encouraged me to cultivate interests, so they didn’t oppose my pursuit of drawing. However, when it came to choosing a college major, they were concerned about my future career development and were hesitant about me studying illustration. However, I didn’t want to study a field I wasn’t good at or didn’t enjoy. Therefore, I gathered information about various schools. And with the help of classmates, my parents learned more about the employment prospects of illustration, they finally agreed to my choice.

On the academic journey, I found the most challenging aspect to be defining my style and direction. Since I hardly drew during middle school, picking up drawing pen again felt unfamiliar, and I wasn’t sure what to draw. Additionally, the diverse array of illustration styles made it difficult for me to determine my own developmental path. During my college life, I experimented with various styles, but most of them left me unsatisfied. Trying out techniques that I didn’t enjoy led to a period where I strongly resisted drawing. However, after extensive experimentation and practice, I gradually established a consistent artistic process, developed my own style, and confirmed my inclination towards narrative-based illustration.

I specialize in risograph technology and learned it at SVA RisoLab. As a result, many of my works are presented through riso printing. After practicing for a while, I realized that while riso printing produces unique effects, it is not always convenient, and certain effects can only be achieved through printing, so I started experimenting with brush effects to simulate the texture of riso. I really love the neon colors that riso printing can produce, so most of my works feature vibrant colors. Through continuous practice, I’ve gradually learned how to create works with textures even without relying on printing. Bold colors are a distinctive feature of my works, and when combined with textures and overlay effects, they make my creations more unique. Also I love handmade work and I show my work by making some 3d products.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I have a project about stray cats. The initial idea was to create a long illustration depicting interactions between people and cats on the street, aiming to convey multiple stories through rich details. However, the execution of this illustration faced some challenges. Firstly, because I wanted abundant details, I spent a considerable time searching for references about different neighborhoods and collecting stories about stray cats. As a result, final sketch took a long time.

During the creation of this artwork, I didn’t have a fixed art style or process, making it uncertain how to present it. I started by drawing the line work and attempting the first color palette. The initial colors appeared too dull, lacking appeal, and I felt uncomfortable during the creative process due to my struggle with color matching. Consequently, I removed all the colors and tried a brighter palette. The second version had better colors than the first, but I still wasn’t entirely satisfied. After experimenting with various techniques, I realized I couldn’t accept the final product with linework.

Having learned riso printing techniques, I decided to eliminate all the line art and created the third version using methods prepared for riso printing. This version took much longer than the previous two. Without line to hide imperfections, I had to smooth out every edge. Also, the abundance of details compared to my previous works extended the time spent on color selection.After three versions, I finally finished this illustration

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

I find the most rewarding moments in successfully expressing what I want to convey. In personal projects, where the themes are self-selected with no limitations, I have the opportunity to choose some absurd topics, such as roasting a pig or gossip. Achieving the things I’m interested in within my artworks gives me a sense of accomplishment. At the same time, it allows me to learn different skills. Because art can take various forms, I can use materials like wood, ceramics, clay, and others to convey my ideas. I learn the unique characteristics and techniques of these mediums, making it an ongoing process of learning and improvement.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.qingru-art.com
• Instagram: qingru_art

Image Credits
Qingru Yang