Today we’d like to introduce you to Neko Jiang.
Hi Neko, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I still remember a painting of a big cat carrying a small cat. It was a piece I created when I was six years old in an art class. Even now, I remember the excitement I felt when I finished creating and closely examined my own work. In elementary school, I started writing stories with my friends as characters and illustrating them. Gradually, I realized that I enjoyed expressing myself through drawing, and it became a source of light amidst my heavy academic workload. During my undergraduate studies, I chose animation design and began learning how to create animations to convey my stories. It was not until I took an illustration course that I realized illustration could also be a profession. Compared to the intricate process of animation production, illustration became a more direct and versatile means of self-expression for me. Subsequently, I came to New York for a three-year graduate study in illustration. These three years of learning allowed me to explore how to find my own artist voice within the realm of illustration.
After graduating, I have been working as a freelance illustrator in New York. However, at the beginning of this year, I moved to Seattle and currently, I am working on various projects from the US and China.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
To be honest, it hasn’t been particularly smooth.
While studying illustration and exploring my own illustration style, I made numerous attempts. Previously, my animation work leaned towards experimental animation, exploring my own childhood and traumas, using organic mediums such as pencil drawing and cut-paper stop motion. After moving to New York, my illustration style became more digitized, focusing on capturing moments of inspiration and expressing emotional experiences in daily life. During my studies, I discovered Risograph and began experimenting with limited color practice using Risograph printing inks. My art style became flatter, with added texture and exploration of richer color palettes. Gradually, I started to find my comfortable painting style. I also experimented with traditional drawing materials, and my graduation project was a picture book created using acrylic gouache. In my current commercial work, I continue to use iPad Procreate for sketching and Photoshop on the computer for coloring and detailing.
Another point I would like to mention is the struggles of being a foreigner working as a freelance illustrator in the United States.
After graduation, the first challenge was to address the issues of finding work and obtaining a visa. I persisted in sending emails to various industry Art Directors, trying to find opportunities for collaboration. There was a period of time when I received no responses, which was undoubtedly very discouraging and accompanied by self-doubt. However, as time went on, I started to receive some responses and job opportunities. Additionally, winning some illustration competitions and media coverage helped me ultimately obtain an O1B visa, which is the visa for extraordinary artists. However, obtaining the visa is not the end of my professional journey. As a freelancer, my income is highly unstable, and I am still working on finding a balance in this regard.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a freelance illustrator, I work on various projects such as editorial illustrations for magazines, children’s picture books, commercial advertising illustrations, and I also launch my own merchandise featuring my illustrations. What I am most proud of is my unique illustration style, called ‘NEKO’ World. This term was initially used by a friend to describe my artistic style, and I found it very intriguing. It’s like being the creator of a world where I can determine the appearance of the characters, add personality to them, and create stories behind them. However, I see ‘NEKO’ World more like a vast library, where I blend my personal experiences, emotions, insights, and everyday life into my style to create personal artwork. Currently, I am still striving to perfect this world.
When people explore the artworks in ‘NEKO’ World, my hope is that they don’t just understand the visuals and the stories I want to tell, but also resonate with the emotions I aim to express.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
When I was a child, we had a cat named YOHO at home. It brought me companionship and boundless joy during my childhood. I believe that my current fondness for cats is greatly influenced by YOHO. Even now, cats remain my biggest source of inspiration, and they often appear in many of my artworks. I enjoy observing their behavior and speculating about their unpredictable inner world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nekojiang.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nekoojiang/
Image Credits
@Neko Jiang
