Zheng Qu
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Where did you grow up? At what age did you start thinking about pursuing an artistic career?
I was born in northern China and moved to Auckland at age ten. Since then I’ve also lived in Sydney and now Berlin. I’m one of those artists that was born with a pencil in hand, so to speak. At the back of my mind I think I always wanted to work as an artist - growing up I always drew fanart of anime and video games I enjoyed, but an actual career I always thought of as a bit of a pipedream, probably up until the very moment I was hired for my first job. When I was in art school, the local industry for animation and gaming was tiny and there weren't many big-name projects going on. (It’s better today, but still relatively small), Even though my art was starting to gain a bit of traction online and I received the occasional commission requests ,I couldn’t see myself building up enough of a clientele to make a living wage, at least for another few years. Fortunately a local animation studio landed a major US show around the time I graduated. There was a big hiring boom and I got in, ended up learning a ton and it really fast tracked my career.
Did you go to an art school or are you self taught? How did you develop your skills?
I studied an animation degree at art school, but ended up having to teach myself . Our school only gave us very basic training in art fundamentals and lacked a strong network to the industry. I think unless you’re attending one of those few established institutions (Art center, RISD, Gobelins etc) with deep roots in the industry, you really need to be prepared to rely on yourself to learn and practice the necessary skills and build a professional network. We don’t really have that in Australia and I mainly used books and online resources to further develop my skills and kept up consistently with social media to gain exposure and network.
That being said, I think going to Art School was still a good experience, at least It gave me a regular place and time to apply the craft, and just be in that environment with like-minded aspiring artists. If i studied an unrelated degree or tried to teach myself fully from home, I don’t think I would’ve had the energy and discipline to do well at all.
Have you always been supported in your artistic path or has it been challenging to let your family and friends understand your choice?
My family has always encouraged me doing art as a hobby. No one in my family had an artistic background, so they were understandably worried it might not be a viable career choice. But after doing research and explaining to them that it could be( I was also bluffing a bit, as I knew it was super competitive and had no idea if I could actually do it. ) they were quite supportive. I’m glad they had confidence in me and things have worked out so far.
What was the strongest influence you had when you were growing up ( artists, movies, cartoons, comics etc.. ) ?
My inspirations’ been varied over the years. If I was to name anything in particular when I was in primary & middle school - classic Shonen like Dragon ball Z, Yu Gi Oh, and Naruto really hooked me. These days I take inspiration more from western artists, especially in animation, but I’ve still got a soft spot for the 90s stuff from Japan.
Did you have a favourite subject to draw when you were a child and do you still have one today? If you do, what makes it so special?
During high school I was super into Warhammer and World of Warcraft. For a couple of years I would only draw ridiculously huge warriors with oversized shoulder plates. To be honest I still have a tiny bit of that left in me - now I really enjoy drawing armored ladies for some reason - something about the combination of the feminine gestural curves, with the masculine silhouette and sharp angles in armor that just seems cool to me.
From the initial client idea to the final work: What goes through your mind and what is the method, you use when starting a project? Could you describe it?
Preparation is super important for me - First putting yourself in the shoes of the client or your art director, trying to visualize as clearly as possible the expectations and limitations of the brief, while finding the right ways you can flex your own artistic muscles in adding your unique flavor that they sought you out for for the first place (although this varies by project and task, how strictly you need to adhere to an existing style, etc. ). Also, take your time in finding the right references and inspirations before you rush in and start sketching. Even the most fantastical characters in the strangest fictional worlds draw inspiration from real life, so I like to have a mix of photographed and drawn references, Pinterest is really my best friend here. Sometimes I like to have a couple pieces of my own previous work in the reference board so I don’t stray too far from my own style and get carried away with exploration.
What is your process in creating your art and what are your favourite tools?
I love sketching on my iPad pro. For personal work I try to do as much of the drawing as possible on Procreate because the drawing experience and interface feels so natural to me, and it really helps with being gestural and free flowing with my linework. Then I usually export it to Photoshop for coloring and adjustments because it’s more fully featured and has more software tricks you can use to add polish and finish it off.
What part of the creation process is the most fun and easy and what part is the hardest?
During the design process, I really enjoy the part where I’m experimenting with different proportions and shapes, pushing a line further here, exaggerating a curve there to how it changes the feel and personality of the character. The most satisfying feeling is when I reach a sweet spot in the shape language and my eye instantly recognizes it, like “hey this is what I was looking for!”. The hardest part for me is inking over my roughs. Sometimes my hand just can’t seem to reproduce the right curves and shapes that best represents what I love about the original sketch, and sometimes after multiple attempts I still can’t get it just the way I’d like, and get a bit frustrated.
What are some of the things you have learned from other artists who you have worked with or whose work you have seen?
Patience and being organized with your workflow. Before I started working professionally, I used to get frustrated if give up if a design or illustration wasn’t looking great early on, and often tunnel visioned on details I felt was important but really wasn’t thinking about the image slowly coming together. Working in a studio and seeing other people’s workflow, really cleaned up some of my bad art habits and made me think more about efficiency.
What projects have you worked on in the past and what are you working on at the moment (if you can tell us)?
I’ve only been working for two and a half years so I don’t have a lot of projects under my belt yet. So far I’ve worked on Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninija Turtles animated series, and Legends of Runeterra video game. I’m now contributing to another exciting next-gen gaming project but I have to keep it hush for now :)
Do you have a long term career goal? What would your dream project be?
As a short-medium term goal, I would love to work on animated features. Long term, I’d love to generate a good level of income just from personal work so I don’t need a studio day job, or having companies approach me to work purely in my own style. Creating a big personal project is also a goal of mine, but I tend to be overcritical of my own ideas so I don’t have anything solid right now.
Working in-house for a company or freelancing: what suits you best? And why?
I know this is cheating but I’ve really come to enjoy both. I used to strongly prefer the social aspect of working in-house, as well as it making it easier to focus. I used to really lack discipline and was easily distracted when I work from home, but I’ve gotten better at it over the last few months, especially during Covid-19 quarantine and I’m actually enjoying the coziness and flexibility. I also share a place with a couple of good friends so I don’t feel like a total hermit. To be honest I’m always swaying between what I prefer haha. The grass always looks greener on the other side!
What advice would you give to an artist who is dealing with an artist's block? How do you boost your imagination and keep yourself creative?
Don’t be too hard on yourself. I know I get easily frustrated at myself for being stuck at work, not having the energy or inspiration to do personal art, or just not improving as fast as I should be. Getting frustrated at yourself really doesn’t help and I try not to fight it and treat it as a signal to take some time off art. It’s harder said than done, especially if you’re in a difficult position at work, but I really do believe in work-life balance. Personally I find it impossible to force myself to do personal work when I don’t have the energy or drive, and I often have long hiatuses from social media. Eventually my energy and drive always came back though.
Concept art, animation, illustration, comics, you name it. There are so many careers and when you are very young, sometimes you know only one thing: you simply love to draw. In your opinion, what should a young person take into consideration to make the right decision when choosing an artistic path?
I would say don’t worry too much about which is the most ‘viable’ option when you are in school. Just focus on improving your art fundamentals and try to find what you really enjoy. If you enjoy something immensely it’s just that much easier to find the drive to improve. When you’re really skilled you can always find a way of making it work no matter the field, especially with how global and accessible freelance work is these days!
In your own experience, what would you suggest to someone who is inspired by your work and wants to follow your footsteps: should they work in one consistent style, or work on many different ones?
I can only speak for myself, but developing a personal style has really helped me gain exposure and get work offers. However if you try to focus on it too early, before you have a good grasp of the fundamentals, it can really hamper the development of your skills. If you’ve got a few years before you start looking for a full time job, I would focus more on learning and improving as much as you can, and letting your own tendencies and small art habits build your style naturally. It’s definitely possible to be analytical and craft a personal style from difference influences, but I think it requires a high level of knowledge and well-developed taste.
If you had to recommend only one art book (a comic book, graphic novel, children book, ''how to'' book) to a fellow artist, what would it be and why?
I love educational art books and i have so many I would recommend. If I could only choose one though, any of the Etherington Brothers ‘How to Think When You Draw’ books are super. The tutorials just cover such a wide range of subjects and are in super digestible bits that everyone would find something useful.
What’s your point of view about the industry today: what are the expectation for someone who wants to make a living with an artistic career?
It’s really hard to generalize because everyones and circumstances are different. Which country they live in, their financial and family background, all affects how much risk they can take in pursuing an artistic career and with how likely it is to generate a livable income. If you’re at no risk of poverty even if it doesn’t work out, I would say you should go for it! Just be prepared to work super hard. The comforting thing to know is, because the industry is so global and freelancing is so common, if your skills reach a certain level you WILL find work no matter where you live.
Who are the artists who inspire you the most today and what are some of your favourite designs out there?
Ami Thompson, Cory Loftis, Patrick O’keefe, Kevin Roulland, TB Choi, (sorry I don't know her real name :( ) and Jen Zee are some of my favorite designers. I really love artists who excel at shape design and a stylized, gestural way of drawing anatomy.
We have a soft spot for hand-drawn animation, what is your opinion about the future of this art form?
I think a lot of people are recognizing that traditional animation has come back in a big way with streaming services. This is so great for artists outside the US especially, because most of the actual animation from these shows are outsourced to overseas studios, and it gives a lot of us a great chance to enter the industry. Even though the pay is usually lower and pre-production is still mostly done in the US, it’s still a great gateway for artists to enter and be connected to the industry. I hope the trend continues but also hope it leads to more projects actually being developed in other countries and the artists’ pay and work conditions improves.
Social networks, crowdfunding websites, print on demand online services and so on. New media on the Internet are connecting the artists directly with their fans like never before. In your opinion, how is this affecting the industry and what are the pros and cons?
I think they give independent creators and people who live in countries with limited local industry a real lifeline. They let them generate income and find work they wouldn’t have access to otherwise. It definitely takes a ton of work and it can seem impossible to grow a following especially when you first start trying. But if you focus on improving and keep up social media simultaneously, it can really pay off in a big way. In my case this means I didn’t need to apply to a single job or freelance client I’ve worked for since graduating from school and it gives me a sense of security and confidence I wouldn’t have otherwise.
Finally, where can we see your art online and get in touch with you? How can we buy your creations and support your work?
I’m most active on Instagram ( @zqu_art ) and Twitter ( @zqu_art ). Feel free to shoot me a DM although I’m sometimes a bit slow with answering I also have a print shop on Inprint. I need to update it with more recent stuff actually!
Thank you Zheng :)
