Today we’d like to introduce you to Peggy Shu.
Hi Peggy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a TV background designer/painter and an illustrator. My ultimate career goal is becoming a visual development artist and also publish my own books one day!
I believe it all began in my high school senior year where I accidentally came across these Tumbler pages that featured beautiful Disney Behind-The-Scenes paintings and illustrations. I didn’t know there were jobs for “designing and painting animated shows and movies’!! I was really excited. Luckily, I got into San Jose State University’s Animation & Illustration program afterward. I didn’t know ANYTHING about animation other than the fact that I wanted to somehow work in an animated movie.
The reality hit me hard and cruel when I finally graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts. My artistic skill wasn’t good enough for me to land a job or internship in the animation industry. Fortunately, I landed a part-time job in a video production company through a good friend’s recommendation. I was also able to work for a book illustration deal with a publisher in Taiwan. Eventually, I learned that I need to continue to improve my portfolio otherwise, there’s no way for me to land a gig in animation. Around the same time, many animation schools started hosting online workshops and online classes due to the pandemic. I started taking classes for CGMA, Brainstorm Online, Concept Design Academy, and Warrior Painters, etc.
I removed all of my student works and replaced them with new projects I did in those online classes. I also tried to post more art on social media. Slowly, I started getting emails from recruiters in different studios and that was the moment when I began to work as a background designer/painter. I still have A LOT A LOT to learn, everything is still a Work-In-Progress. But I believe in myself and the Universe. I know I will achieve the goals I set up for myself someday. (hopefully soon)
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would not consider it a smooth road but at the same time, I think I’ve been extremely fortunate. I have very supportive parents, partners, and friends. I was able to fully focus on my craftsmanship without worrying about rent and bills. I also have an amazing art community that has been very kind and wonderful. It did take me almost three years to finally land jobs in TV Animation. However, I know that is just a part of journey that I had to go through in order to enrich my life. I saw this quote on Twitter which concludes the journey of being an artist in 2020s wonderfully, it is from the account @rainylune, where it states: “Being a good artist isn’t about having artistic talent. It’s about practice and having the willpower of a roach that has been smacked 20 times with a rolled-up magazine and yet still refused to die.”
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialized in background design for 2D shows. I love designing anything related to environments especially cities. I love designing and painting backgrounds. My most proud of work (so far) is the personal project “Kung Fu!” I’ve been developing since early 2022. One of my dreams is designing or painting backgrounds for a cyberpunk or steampunk theme animated film.
As for what sets me apart from others…I’m still trying to figure this out. Haha.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://peggyshu.wixsite.com/peggyshu
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peggycpshu/
