YING WANG

Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey as an artist.

My earliest memory of drawing is making marks as a child on an old copy of the Yellow Pages. After that, I started taking art lessons every Friday after school. My teacher emphasised building confidence through linework, which meant permanently inking paper without any preliminary pencil sketches. This devotion to linework comes through strongly in my work now. Everything else builds around this.

How are you celebrating Lunar New Year this year? Do you have a favourite tradition?

Leading up to Lunar New Year, the family home is gradually stickered red with Chinese New Year decorations, and at some point Grandpa unveils a beautiful piece of Chinese calligraphy. On the day, I share a feast with family: Dad goes early to the fish market to buy some lobster, Grandpa prepares his famous salted duck dish and Mum spins up an array of warm and cold plates.

What does your process look like when you’re creating a piece like this?

I work digitally and use an iterative process to gradually build up layers. The first layer is always loose linework that foreshadows the contours of the final illustration. I'll then draw over each layer with more refined linework until I'm pleased with the result. For me, linework is key. It forms the foundational skeleton of my illustration before I even begin to think about colours.

How does the element of metal come out through the piece?

Gold is a precious metal that is easily shaped under pressure. My dragon is comprised of fluid linework and warm hues, referencing the malleable and glistening properties of gold. The dragon's body is coiled tight and gold stripes mark the contours of its body.