Artist Proof: Schin Loong aka “Luciole” was raised in Malaysia and at a very young age found herself spending hours sketching fantasy artwork with mainly markers and watercolors. Eventaully her passion evolved into an interest in Japanese manga and anime. She enrolled in art school in Malaysia after deciding to get serious about her passion for art. As she worked through college, she was inspired by the digital arts and began producing art digitally, producing pieces using a tablet, Photoshop & Painter, as well as using a mix of watercolor and other digital elements for her work. In 2007, she moved to the United States to attend the Ringling College of Art and Design, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree with high honors. Schin now works out of Nevada and coninues to amaze us with her awesome illustrations.
Artsprojekt: Please give us a brief intro about yourself, your art and where you are currently located.
Schin Loong: I grew up in Malaysia and I’m currently residing in Nevada, US. As a kid, I had nothing better to do than scribble pictures of pretty princesses all day.
I’m still at it but my methods have just gotten more sophisticated.
AP: What plays a bigger role in your artwork, where you live now? or where you were raised as a child?
Schin: Where I am located doesn’t really matter to me. It was the Internet and books that influenced me the most, and the artists that I love come from all over the world.
AP: Describe your artistic style in 5 words or less.
Schin: Beauty, light and girls.
AP: What inspires your art?
Schin: I want to paint something beautiful the way I see it, and tell a story without using words.
AP: Do you remember your first experience of making art.
Schin: One of my first drawings was a crude sketch depicting a magical lady standing on some clouds. I guess it was inspired by paintings of Chinese goddesses that I grew up with, and such fantasy elements have stayed with me ever since.
AP: What was your most recent experience of making art.
Schin: I have a desire to paint a personal, carefree painting but life and work keeps getting in the way. So I am afraid that recent experiences of art making consists of deadlines and pressure.
AP: Who’s art are you digging right now? Who do you want to give a shout out to?
Schin: Dan Howard, Annie Stegg, Chen Wei ..just three off the top of my head.
There are so many artists who make my heart skip a beat when I see their work and I can’t name them all.
AP: What are some art related things that you cant live without? Tools of the trade, events etc.
Schin: I have gotten used to Corel Painter and Photoshop in producing my work but I think my favorite media will remain traditional watercolors. There’s nothing like getting your hands good and dirty with watercolors.
AP: What motivates you to get out of bed every day and create art?
Schin: It’s fun to keep telling stories and sharing my imaginations with the world through my artwork.
AP: Do you listen to music when you work? If so, name a few of the tunes you rock out to.
Schin: Movie soundtracks eg, The Fountain create a very inspiring mood for me. Other times, I just listen to familiar pop music or musicals that I can sing along to and keep me awake and motivated. I also like to put on a movie or documentary on Netflix while I work, but sometimes that can get pretty distracting.
AP: When you arent making art, what do you like to do? What are some of your obsessions or hobbies?
Schin: I love fashion dolls and sometimes enjoy customizing them. Recently I have been getting into photography too, but I’m finding it very complicated.
AP: As an artist what are your thoughts on social media and the internet?
Schin: It’s the best thing in the world to be able to connect to artists all over the world and to contact them so easily. Also, all the competition is a stone’s throw away and it’s a great motivator to keep improving and developing.
AP: If you had the ability to time travel, what advice would you have for the artists of the future?
Schin: Digital media may be very convenient, but nothing beats the experience of getting your hands dirty with charcoal and ruining a shirt with oil paints once in a while. I think in the future, it’s important to go back to the basics sometimes.. if the robot overlords will allow it.
AP: Tell us something about yourself that Google doesn’t know about (yet).
Schin: Somewhere here and there on the Internet are some very corny and sappy romantic girly comics I made when I was a pre-teen. They are very embarrassing.
