I have always been drawn to creating art that uses childhood elements to prompt feelings of nostalgia and slight melancholy. I mainly draw inspiration from anime art, as it was very prevalent in my youth. Although I want my pieces to feel comforting, I try to maintain an uneasiness and soft sense of despair. I do so by using murky colours and providing dimension to what otherwise should remain 2D.
I intend to continue to develop personal projects utilizing these themes, despite what I go on to do as a career. I do, however, hope that I can lean into young adult media as a career, whether it be illustrating books or animation, as I believe that there is a big audience for such things.
Yunjie Gao | Illustration
