Today we’d like to introduce you to Justine Lin.
Justine, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was a goofy kid obsessed with fantasy novels, Sailor Moon, and my geriatric Shih Tzu. My first drawings were comics featuring the aforementioned grumpy dog, along with anime fan art, which I colored and inked in Microsoft Paint. I progressed to digital painting with a used Wacom Graphire tablet, and drew all over school notes and tests, much to my teachers’ chagrin. I never thought that something as fun as art could possibly be a career, so I focused on academics and getting a conventional job.
I graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with a degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Japanese and ended up with a job in corporate banking for a Japanese bank. After working there for about four years, I reached the point where I felt that my on-the-job training wasn’t sufficient to continue. I was at a crossroads, and it was a good time to consider going back to school to study finance or a completely different subject. My boyfriend (now husband) Andy and I spent a lot of time musing about the meaning of life, the pursuit of happiness, and how to realize our dreams. Andy had just switched from investment banking to the games industry and believed that if you’re truly passionate and strive to become the best in your field, then you will be successful in any industry. I cast back to my early years of drawing on any scrap of paper I could find, and the simple joy of creating an image from scratch. What if I had pursued what I loved, instead of denying the value of art?
I enrolled in Continuing Education courses at Otis College of Art and Design on the weekends, and it was exhilarating and depressing to see how much I needed to learn. After several courses, I took the plunge and left my job to study art full time at Santa Monica College. From 2D and 3D animation to life drawing, color theory, watercolor, acrylic, and oil painting, I immersed myself in learning different disciplines of art creation from incredible instructors, most of whom are professional artists. I initially imagined that I’d pursue digital art, such as concept design for games and movies, but I found myself drawn to traditional painting, and I’ve been fortunate to show my paintings in local galleries and overseas in Japan.
Today, I find myself coming full circle. I’ve become increasingly drawn back to digital painting and making comics, so I plan to return to studying concept art and design while continuing to paint. I believe that studying multiple art disciplines adds depth and skill to your artwork, so I’m happy to embrace learning art for the rest of my life.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I paint fantasy dog knights and cat sorcerers in acrylic and oil, and autobiographical slice of life comics featuring myself as a dinosaur and my husband as a cat… and I have other comic characters such as a humanoid egg with legs…and I’m starting to dabble in 2D animation…and other kinds of digital illustrations as well. I guess my running theme is whimsy and absurdity, with a dash of seriousness once in a while. To be honest, I’m a little envious of artists that have one clear message or distinct style that they’re developing with each body of work. I’ve struggled with finding that one message or art style that encompasses and condenses everything I want to say. On the other hand, this might be a false constraint, so I’m learning to embrace that my self-expression through art is going to be all over the place. There are many different styles of art that I admire and enjoy, so I will express myself in various art styles, as well.
The world I paint in my dog and cat fantasy paintings comes from my lifelong love of fantasy, magic, and adventure. As far as I’m concerned, dogs and cats possess noble traits that we should all emulate, such as unconditional love, loyalty, and silliness. With my paintings, I’m hoping to give someone out there a chuckle, a sense of peace, or nostalgia for simpler times.
My dinosaur and cat comics are just a self-indulgent joy to make. I initially drew them privately for my husband Andy, and to this day, he bugs me to make them based on inside jokes or other random thoughts that crop up. I think it’s really funny and fitting that so many years later, I’m back to drawing comics and still making art about my dogs and fantasy worlds.
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
Art has always been a powerful medium for sharing important messages. These days, the stark divisions between opposing political views can feel especially bleak. We love to anthropomorphize animals and objects, but we are quick to dehumanize groups of people we don’t understand. It can be hard to see eye to eye with someone on the other side of various issues, but we’re all just trying to protect what we love. Unfortunately, we’ve all witnessed how this can veer into injustice, violence, and inequality when we don’t strive to understand one another. My art is meant to be flippant and lighthearted, but I also hope that my paintings and comics bring people together by reflecting the small mundane similarities that we all share and highlighting both the absurdity and beauty of compassion for your fellow man (or dog, cat, and dinosaur).
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I have shown my paintings at local galleries such as Giant Robot in Sawtelle Japantown and La Luz de Jesus in Hollywood. I post my paintings to my personal Instagram @jtinelin and my comics on Instagram at @dinosaurandcat. Some of my paintings are available as giclee prints at Giant Robot or through my society6 account at https://society6.com/jtinelin.
Find me online at:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtinelin/
https://www.instagram.com/dinosaurandcat/
Prints: https://society6.com/jtinelin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JustineLinArt
Websites: https://justinelin.tumblr.com/
https://dinosaurandcat.tumblr.com/
Contact Info:
- Website: https://society6.com/jtinelin
- Instagram: @jtinelin & @dinosaurandcat
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JustineLinArt
- Other: https://justinelin.tumblr.com/ & https://dinosaurandcat.tumblr.com/
Image Credit:
Justine Lin
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