Check Out Christina Zhang’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Zhang.

Hi Christina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Well, I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. I was already scribbling away with crayons in preschool but didn’t really get serious about art until around middle school (I was very much inspired by the fan animations circulating on Youtube at the time for the book series Warrior Cats). Even then, I committed really early; a lot of my art friends didn’t switch to art career-wise until the waning years of high school. I have to thank my parents for being supportive right from the beginning because I don’t think I would have been at my current skill level otherwise—who knows, I might not have even pursued a career in art until after I graduated college! But thankfully, my parents never doubted me, and so I was able to do lots of art things, like taking art classes and going to events like National Portfolio Day or camps like the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA for short!).

I feel like the most significant turning point in my artist’s journey was attending CSSSA; the experience itself was a bit surreal, as I had some culture shock from suddenly being around many fellow animation artists as a kid who was mainly friends with non-artists, but the camp introduced me into the animation community and really helped my technical and personal growth as an artist. I started posting my art online more often and more and more people started noticing! Between then and now, I’ve made countless friends whom I love very dearly and have learned so much from them; I would hardly be half the artist I am today without them. The attention I was receiving online also connected me with professionals in the industry, which is how I’ve gotten every job offer I’ve taken so far! It’s definitely not been an easy journey, but I’m glad to be where I am right now.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
As an artist, you’re always struggling with yourself. Even if you had no external problems, your own mind would be torture enough, haha! You always feel as if your art isn’t good enough: that your progress is stagnating, that you’re disappointing someone, that you’re never going to make it. I have these thoughts on a daily basis and have had them on a daily basis since I passed the age of carefree scribbling. On one hand, it pushes me to improve; on the other, it holds me back from achieving the same kind of creative freedom I experienced as a child.

There have been multiple times during which I contemplated abandoning art altogether due to the anxiety it brings me. CSSSA, while an insanely important experience, made me lose track of the future for a time; I struggled to keep up with the enthusiasm of my classmates and thought this meant I wasn’t passionate enough to pursue art. I felt something similar when I got rejected from my dream school; I felt that I had put my all into my college portfolio and to see it still fall short was very disheartening for a long time. Doubt is still a constant, but it’s something I’m learning to deal with. I’m thankful I didn’t quit all the times I wanted to and I’ll continue as long as I can.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a character designer and visual development artist! This basically means that I design the elements of the story before it gets animated: the people, animals, backgrounds, etc. Although I dabble in a lot of specializations—animation, comics, illustration—I’d say I specialize in the two areas specified above, and if I had to choose between them, I’d pick character design! Something about being able to bring people to life is just so satisfying, and from what I know my character art is also what I’m known for.

I’m most proud of the character art I do, as well as some of the more challenging background paintings I’ve done—color has never been my strong suit, so I get excited when things go well! According to my personal and professional friends, what stands out the most about my art is my understanding of color and form. To them, the characters I draw often feel alive, and the colors of my paintings are usually satisfying to observe. I hope that their words ring true and that I’m not just deluding myself!

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Art, to me, is all about innovation: new techniques, new mediums, and new subjects. Unfortunately for me, risk-taking is not something that comes naturally to my family. Nevertheless, I’m always trying to stretch my comfort zone so that I can grow as an artist and individual. There have been times where the risks have paid off! I’ve reached out to professionals and ended up personally meeting them, submitted questionable pieces to competitions and ended up making the podium, tried new techniques and ended up painting my best pieces. Risk-taking has largely yielded good results for me, and so if anything it should be something I’m doing more!

Contact Info:

• Website: christinaazhang.weebly.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cronchy_baguette/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cronchybaguette