Tell us a bit about yourself and how you found your way to a creative career.

I am an independent illustrator from Vietnam. I love drawing lovely, weird things with bright, vivid colors, strong contrasts, things that are mysterious, full of magic and sparkle.

How did you find your medium and style, and who and what influenced you?

I was a student majoring in graphic design. When I was a child, I loved to read manga and watch anime (Japanese comic and cartoon/animation). There are many mangakas (Japanese comic authors) that have influenced my style such as Fujiko F Fujio, Suzue Miuchi, Takahashi Rumiko, CLAMP, Hosokawa Chieko,.. After graduating from university, I focused entirely on illustration, and animation. My style is inherited from both the graphic design industry and the Japanese manga industry.

What subjects are you most fascinated with?

I like themes about cuisine and Asian culture. Lately I've been preferring clear and content themes , like life issues, and love - Love Cycle. My latest personal project is on this topic.

Those are the 4 stages of a love story (just an example, not meant to represent them all). Starting with getting to know the other person (find love) - then falling in love - then one of them having a third person interfere (betrayer) - then running away from that love (escape). I was delighted to be able to use iconic images to create these illustrations.

How do you create characters, what inspires them, how do you use color?

The character creation came to me quite naturally, as I was heavily influenced by the Japanese manga industry of the 80s-90s and 2000s. But with what I learned in graphic design, it helped. I create a more modern style, simple lines and shapes, but the overall is always sophisticated and detailed.

I like strong contrast, bright and vivid colors. Color is often the detail that can cause the most visual stimulation. High contrast colors can also reflect emotions the best, as I often like to draw characters with quirky, unforgettable expressions, or simply angry, worried expressions, scared.

If you had to pick a favorite project, which one are you most proud of and why?

I love and take pride in all of my projects. It's like every phase I try in this career. Each project has different emotions. The most recent is the personal project 'Incident at Sailor Teashop'. When I came up with the idea, I had a lot of strange thoughts and directions. I wanted to create an ordinary story that was predictable, but presented in a different way. The emphasis will be on small details, movements, and transitions. This project was completed in a relatively short time, but I absolutely love it.

What’s next for you?

I want to combine 2D and 3D into my works. And also 3D animation. Very few artists combine this, only 2D or only 3D, so I wanted to challenge how far I could do it. And also some 3D animation.

Rapid Fire Round!

Weekend - lounge in bed / go out and party? Totally lounge in bed. I'm a home addict :)

Coffee or tea? Tea

Cats or dogs? Both

Favorite season? Autumn in Hanoi (Vietnam)

Cinema or Netflix? Netflix

Pool or beach? Pool

Computer or sketchbook? Computer

Text or voice note? Text

City or countryside? City! Modern city

Getting dressed: colorful or monochromatic? Monochromatic

Thank you Lucia!