How and why did you decide to pursue illustration as your career?

I love drawing since I was small. Thanks to my parents who encouraged me to doodle on restaurant paper napkins, drawing became my favorite hobby to express feelings and just escape to fantasy land. I have spend more time on art than any subjects in school, even in university when my major was geography. That's when I decided to turn my hobby into a profession.

Did you attend art school or undertake any other formal artistic training?

After I graduated from university, I went to pursue a Master's degree in Fine Arts at the Academy of Arts University. It was my dream to attend art school and receive formal artistic training. It was an unforgettable experience that shaped my art style and made my career possible.

Who or what have been some of your major artistic influences?

I love a ton of different art styles! I'd say Zen Pencils by Gavin Aung Than inspired my comic Roar Street Journal, and Pascal Campion for the beautiful depiction of light.

What is your favourite medium to work with and why?

I started drawing digitally pretty early, and found it very helpful especially when working for clients. My current favorite medium is Procreate on iPad Pro. I love how convenient it is to be able to work on the go, and that Procreate has a wide variety of brushes to create almost any texture or effect I desire.

Do you offer more than one style, if so – talk us through the different approaches and the audience you are targeting for each.

Unlike some illustrator who has a highly distinctive style, my art style is more versatile and varies slightly depending on the project's needs. It's quite enjoyable to switch and try out different styles!

My main style is mostly for children's book illustrations. It's lively and filled with vibrant colors and texture. This is also my favorite style when creating personal art.

Sometimes I would draw in a more detailed, precise and decorative style. That is mainly for packaging and larger scale installations.

My other body of work is comics - which is in a completely different style! My comics are mostly enjoyed by teens and young adults.

Outline your dream project.

There are two things I love: mundane happiness and the earth. I'd love to create a series of illustrations or even short stories about all the little moments in our everyday life, and things that we can do to make the earth a better place. I'd also love to draw all the beautiful creatures that exist on this planet.

Are you an author/illustrator?

I would say so! I love creating stories and have been writing my comic stories for a few years. Earlier this year I have written and illustrated my own children's book and it was a wonderful experience.

What’s the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?

"Try and fail, but don't fail to try."

I used to be an indecisive introvert who was always afraid to try new things. This quote helped me to break out of my comfort zones, attend art school, find internship at an animation studio, won a webcomic contest, kick start my career as an illustrator... and the rest is history! I still keep this quote as my motto, because I'll never know if something awesome is coming along.

What are some of your favourite subjects to draw?

I love drawing nature related things, especially animals. Dogs, horses and dinosaurs are most often seen in my illustrations.

Animals feature heavily in children’s books – do you have a pet?

Yes! I have a white Pomeranian called Milky, he's our family dog and often appears in my comics.