Photos of my past work

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Write a short bio to set the stage. Introduce yourself, your major, where you’re from, and primary art/design interests.

•  My name is Ching Lan and I’m a junior in Illustration. I was born in Taiwan, raised in Malaysia, and currently living in Missouri. What drew me to art in the first place was my mother, because growing up I’d see her learn how to do pottery or draw cute cartoons of us. From a young age I’d always doodle on the side of my homework, but what really sparked my interest to pursue the arts was Spirited Away. I loved Japanese animation and for the longest time my dream was to work for Studio Ghibli when I grew up. Fast forward to the current me; I’ve broadened my interests such as: typography, silkscreening, felting, mold making, etc to name a few.

Describe your work. What do you make? What are the formal qualities?

• I’ve currently immersed myself in the realm of 3D Illustration. My work encompasses making molds of sculptures and producing toys. I make characters that can be brought to life in 3D, and I felt their clothing as well.
• Moldmaking, felting, knitting, hand sewing, soft structures, sketching.

Describe your aesthetic values. In what ways do your projects communicate these?

• I tend to gravitate towards bright colors. Lately I’ve been loving primary colors; I believe I was influenced by Andy Warhol and his Pop art.

How do you create your work? What tools are essential? What are your methods of making?

• I always sketch out my ideas. I prefer to draw and redraw an idea until the page is completely filled. I don’t like seeing empty spaces in my sketchbook. I always need to have a micron pen preferably a size range from .005 to 1. I’m hesitant about using graphite because it smudges the artwork, while obviously pens don’t. However, I’ve been trying to incorporate elements that I use to fear/hate such as color pencil and graphite. I don’t have a routine way of making art; I feel as if my best drawings come from spontaneity and sometimes I have to be in the mood to draw. If I force myself to draw it will come out as subpar. If I’m stuck on something I will look at my favorite illustrators on Instagram and gain inspiration from them. I’m continuously developing my style of drawing.

Why do you make what you make? Why is it important to you? To others?

• In terms of 2D illustration, now it’s more for me and my happiness because I love sketching but haven’t developed a strong skill to share with the world. I pursue 3D illustration is because I want to share my creations with the world. I was inspired by the stop-motion called Kubo and the Two Strings and was taken aback by the craftsmanship from the sets to the characters. I want to bring my illustrations to life through 3D making and share the feeling of joy like I did with Kubo. I also realized even though I loved animation I wasn’t suited for it, but I still wanted to be a part of the world where it provided people with a joy and escape from reality. That’s why I decided to take on 3D because it is a part of the animation world.

How do your research interests inform/intersect with your creative practice?

• I look at other illustrators’ work and see how their style approaches drawing a character or a scene. I’ll also google images that relate to my topic for inspiration. A lot of times if I chose a topic that was serious, then I’d draw from personal experience to come up with inspiration.

Looking forward, where are you going in your art/design profession? What do you hope to achieve? What specific steps will you take to work toward these goals?

• A big goal of mine is to apply for Laika as an intern and see if working with a stop-motion company is what I desire.
• I’m currently taking two 3D courses offered at the school and planning on taking an Independent study with one of my professors so I can learn more advanced mold making techniques.
• I know for my thesis I want to incorporate soft structures such as fabric with mold making processes. I definitely want my thesis to be centered about 3D so I can use it as part of my portfolio for jobs.
• But after college, I’m not sure yet exactly what I’ll do.