September 2007 - William Chua - Artist Interview

In late September we got onto the Singaporean Illustrator William Chua, who has now been apart of Codrv for four months and contributed twelve Chinese vintage-styled submissions. William has been an important part of Codrv and we felt that it was time for everyone to meet him publicly.

Richard Box:

Hi William, can we start with a few words about who you are and what you do?

William Chua:

I'm an amateur freelance illustrator from Singapore. I believe in creating something out of nothing as an artist. I see myself as a kidult, a dreamseeker, and am known as xiaobaosg to my online friends. I'm an amateur illustrator in every sense of the word, I only started to learn art about two years ago.

Richard Box:

Can you perhaps expand a little on what defines the term 'Kidult'?

William Chua:

Definition for Kidult: an adult with child-like taste in entertainment or one who participates in youthful culture. I still read a lot of comics, watch anime and collect toys.

Richard Box:

Do you feel this gives you a different perspective on Illustration?

William Chua:

Yes, I would say that my illustrations are inspired by comics and animation. I think it is a good way to get inspired if you have artist's block. [Laughs]

Richard Box:

As a Singaporean freelancer what do you feel about the freelance industry over there and how do you feel it can be improved?

William Chua:

There's too many freelancers in Singapore, and there's only a few jobs for all. By the way, most of the freelance work that I do is from the USA. You need to be unique and versatile.

Richard Box:

So with most of your work coming out of the USA, have you ever thought about a seachange, perhaps moving over there?

William Chua:

Not at this point in time. I think I need to brush up on my English before I consider doing that.

Richard Box:

Can you please explain briefly your illustration process?

William Chua:

Normally I will sketch on my sketchbook first, either from references or from my imagination, scan it in and retrace it again with Macromedia Flash. I use Flash because I think it produces nice, neat outlines. Then I will output the line art into JPEG and add colour to it in Photoshop, because Photoshop has more filter and texture options.

Richard Box:

A lot of your work has a very vintage asian feel to it. How did you come up with your style and what are it's main features?

William Chua:

I am a lover of vintage style and I am also influenced by Japanese and Chinese culture. Naturally, vintage or retro design became one of my favourite topics for my work. I tried to follow, explore and catch the raw and old-style feel of old posters using their colour palettes and textures.

Richard Box:

Who is your favourite artist and why?

William Chua:

Simone Legno - I love his unique Japanese style. It looks simple, but it looks good, and it really tells people a lot about Japanese culture.

Richard Box:

You have an ongoing project called 'Mosiac Monkey'. Can you just explain what that is and what we can expect in the future?

William Chua:

It is derived from the most popular Chinese myth; 'Journey to the west'. It experiments with different styles to illustrate the scenes. I tried to re-tell or recreate the story and characters in a modern way. I also tried to portray them in funnier ways since much of the illustration was actually a spoof from a certain movie, poster or scene. Actually Mosiac monkey is also inspired by Kamen Rider (Masked Rider). I'm a die-hard fan of Kamen Rider, that's why you can easily spot Mosiac Monkey by the scarf and belt he wears, which is also a significant symbol of Kamen Rider. It's a personal project, and as such, I don't know if you can expect anything in the future. Maybe products like posters, stickers or an illustration book. I'm not sure if anyone is interested in this monkey. [Laughs]

Richard Box:

Do you have any other upcoming projects that we should know about?

William Chua:

Actually, there's two going on, but they are on the low down at the moment.

Richard Box:

Ok. Thanks very much for talking to me today, do you have any comments or shout-outs to make?

William Chua:

[Laughs] Live your dream!