Today we’d like to introduce you to Yutong (Susie) Lu.
Hi Yutong (Susie), thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in a small city in northern China. I grew up with the love of my parents. I loved reading comics and picture books as a child, but it wasn’t until high school that I received a systematic art education. Through my own efforts, I managed to get into college. But I didn’t really know what I wanted to do in college, so I was confused during my college years. However, gradually I started to understand the industry during the process of applying to graduate school. Then I came to SCAD to study illustration systematically and to improve my drawing skills. I think the process of illustration is very healing, and I feel a sense of accomplishment when I finish a pair of illustrations. Especially when I see the process of my own continuous improvement. Drawing is a record of my growth process. I will see my different self in different stages of painting. I will keep drawing, it’s a way for me to record.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think it’s a very smooth path. But I was lucky. I used to work in a bank before coming to SCAD. Because my family thought I would have a stable income working in a bank, they wanted me to have an ordinary and stable life. But I didn’t want to spend my life in a bank, I wanted to do what I wanted. So I insisted on coming to the United States to study illustration. Luckily I came to America before Covid. If it had been a little later, I probably wouldn’t have become an illustrator. So, these are all destiny’s arrangements. It is my destiny that becomes an illustrator.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a freelance illustrator. My style is the flat illustration style. In my work, I like to add textures to my illustrations to increase the overall atmosphere. I also like to use bright colors to create my illustrations, because I think bright colors can bring happiness and joy to people. I believe that painting is a joyful and relaxing process, and I want to show my observation, and the happiness of the creative process to my viewers and share the joy with them. Recently, I’m more interested in the screen printing style and I’m learning how to better integrate screen printing techniques with my illustrations. At the same time, I am also studying motion media design, and I want to better combine these two different ways of artistic communication. Eventually, I believe I could be an illustrator who is capable of mastering these three kinds of techniques.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
When I was in college, I used to be a big fan of cosplay culture, and I often showed up at various Comic-cons. I had a lot of fun when I wear the character’s costumes and felt like I was briefly becoming the character and entering their world. Although I am no longer a cosplayer for various reasons, my experiences in cosplay is an impact on my entry into the illustration world. If I have the chance, I hope to draw this experience as a picture book.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://susieluuu.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susielu_illustration/
Image Credits:
These images are created by Susie Lu.
