Communicating through art

There are an infinite number of ways to show our deepest feelings. Whether it’s through music, drawings, paintings and even poetry, each has its own meaning and can never exactly the same.

For me, drawing is the language I use to express myself.

I’ve always had an interest in art since I was young. When I was 5, I was sent for art classes to learn the basics of drawing. At first, I never felt anything special about drawing.

However, when I turned 11, I became really interested in anime drawing and decided to pick it up on my own. Since then, I’ve constantly researched and practised my drawings based on the latest trends, in order to keep myself on the edge.

Sometimes, I showcased and sold my artworks at booths and during events, such as Funan Anime Matsuri.

On Jan 12, I managed to secure the first place at the LINE’s Search For Singapore’s Next Young Sticker Artist competition.

Here’s how my journey started.

When I first heard about LINE’s Search For Singapore’s Next Young Sticker Artist competition on Facebook, I decided to sign up for it as I strongly believed that I would be exposed to different forms of drawing. It could make me a better artist too.

This competition requires me to design stickers that are unique to Singapore. My main inspiration was the Lilo and Stitch stickers in LINE, which were attractive and expressive.

And so, I decided to apply this knowledge on my own stickers. Because of this, I was able to come up with several different types of stickers.

The name for my sticker set, “Little Yellow”, was inspired by “Xiao Ming”, a popular Chinese name used in essays. The colour yellow was used to symbolise happiness and positivity.

THESE ARE MY STICKER DESIGN SKETCHES!

I faced many problems during the design process, including conceptualising my character designs and managing my time. I was unable to create a suitable character even after designing three characters.

The moment I drew my first sticker, I knew that I have found the perfect character for my sticker set!

Winning first place in the competition is an amazing accomplishment for me. This goes to show that my efforts really paid off, as I sacrificed much of my time for this.

However, throughout the whole time, I knew that I was never alone.

I had friends and family who showed support whenever I had a hard time. Winning wouldn’t be possible if they were never there for me.

All in all, I felt that this competition has allowed young and passionate artists to fulfill their dreams and showcase their skills. I would like to thank LINE for providing this wonderful opportunity and supporting youths in expressing themselves through art!