Good morning, and Happy Monday! I am excited to introduce to you, a new friend, and a very talented artist and illustrator: minifanfan, whom we first "met" during the launch of Bok Tjuv a few weeks back.
I fell in love with the adorable characters of minifanfan and her quirky, colorful and happy style, and decided that it would be fantastic to be able to do a special feature of her! Minifanfan has been really approachable and easy-going over the whole process, and shared with Page Thirteen many snapshots of her personal stories and background leading up to her becoming a graphic designer and an illustrator, which I find adds great depth and character to her work!
Read on to find out more about minifanfan for yourself, and let us know what you think!
+ Tell us something about yourself and your background...
I have a wonderful Chinese name called "Yī Fán", the eldest of three children. I am born in Malaysia, raised in a small town called Kota Tinggi and live in Kuala Lumpur now. Currently I work as an artist in my small bedroom studio (ya I work and sleep in a same place!). The truth is I am not any art genius, I learned drawing through many mistakes and experiences. Recalling from my childhood events, I could not even fold a paper frog properly despite having the art teacher show me each step closely; nor can I differentiate between watercolor and poster color until I was enrolled into my first art class during secondary school. My first attempt of drawing was inspired by the Japanese manga, Sailor Moon, and I have drawn about hundred pieces of these "modified" Sailor Moon characters. It seemed inconceivable that through my drawing styles, japanese Manga was my first inspiration.
+ How did you get started to becoming an artist/illustrator?
As my previous saying, my first drawing is Sailor Moon! I learned some basic skills in my secondary school's art classes. Graphic design is my main course during college, but I chose illustration as my major for my graduation project. After graduation, I was very lucky to receive an email from a gift products company. Minifanfan founded in 2008, and I started my full time artist career after one and half years working in an office. I have since been consistently creating and illustrating a series of characters and illustration of lovable and whimsical style.
+ How did you get started to becoming an artist/illustrator?
As my previous saying, my first drawing is Sailor Moon! I learned some basic skills in my secondary school's art classes. Graphic design is my main course during college, but I chose illustration as my major for my graduation project. After graduation, I was very lucky to receive an email from a gift products company. Minifanfan founded in 2008, and I started my full time artist career after one and half years working in an office. I have since been consistently creating and illustrating a series of characters and illustration of lovable and whimsical style.
+ How would you describe your working style?
I will be glad if you describe my work as "whimsical"! But many people think that my drawings are "cute". To me, "cute" is too sweet , but "whimsical" is my favorite flavor! I hope people feel happy and cheerful when they look at my creations, that's why I create "Happy drawing for Happy People"!
+ What type of medias do you work with?
Computer drawings, paper and markers. I love handmade too!
+ What inspires you and your work?
Beautiful things, movies, music, people..... always inspire me! Currently I'm reading a book called "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee, and it is inspiring me with some ideas for my next illustration.
+ What do you love about being an artist/illustrator?
Sometimes people ask me what is the benefit of being an artist and working at home. I always tell them the happiest thing is I don't have to get stuck in that super terrible traffic jam! My working time is flexible, usually according to what mood I'm in. I'm glad that we have internet today. I'm able to share my thoughts through my work on different platforms with a few clicks. At the same time, I can easily appreciate other people's works from different countries. I had a silly idea that when I moved to my current location last year, I wrote a blog and invited people to send me their postcards from different countries! It is lovely and that's why I have to be an artist :)
+ Which is your favourite piece of work/ character which you have created?
I am a very self-demanding person. I never feel satisfied with my works when I look back on them. If I really have to choose, Better Together is my favorite project so far. This is my first zine which is dedicated to my grandmother (she is in heaven now) and talk about the reasons I choose to be not alone.
+ What is your dream project?
Oh, I always dream about working together with indie bands! I love to see the album design of indie bands which come from different countries. You can read their thoughts and see their creativity from their album design. I hate commercial albums, because they always like to put the singer's big face on the cover. Please contact me if you are playing in a band and are thinking to of looking for someone to do the album design! Haha!
+ I love... to have tomatoes and potatoes in my every meal!
+ I hate... people keep asking idiotic questions without googling for answers first.
+ What plans do you have for the future? (you mentioned further study in your blog..?)
Indeed, that is one of my plans when I started my artist career. But changes run faster than plans. I admit that my mind has changed since I joined CouchSurfing. My friend and I meet a lot of backpackers from different countries and learn things from their stories. Compare with western countries, eastern people always insist on making the simple life complicated. Too much desire and burden in our lives. I try to let my life be as simple as I can. So I go offline on weekends, if possible, I would like to turn off my handphone too! (So far this is an unsuccessful idea!) I hope I'm able to work with my favorite stuffs till the end of time and have a lot of tomatos and potatoes! Of course I will go for further study if someone somewhere is willing to fund my fees!
{Brooches}
Are you loving minifanfan too? I am happy to meet someone as nice and friendly as her online, and will definitely stay in touch and keep all of you updated with new happenings over at her end. Meanwhile, if you want more, hop over to minifanfan's website to view a gallery of her work, visit her blog for news and updates, and grab some of her prints and other products from her Etsy shop! There are also other shops in various countries carrying minifanfan's products, see the full list here.
Minifanfan and Page Thirteen will also be hosting a give away tomorrow, so make sure you check back for details and stand a chance to win one of minifanfan's great item!
Have a great day!
{All images from minifanfan}
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