Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of the “Hidden Talent”, how you guys all doing ? Today we’re interviewing an amazing talent in Digital Painting, at the age of 15 this amazing artist has come really far, she currently resides in US and she known as …

Enjoy !

What is your name ?
Lily Luo

What is your alias and why you choose it ?
Ugh, this is embarrassing. I don't like my username much; it was a spur of the moment sort of thing. I was annoyed with deviantART ads so I picked two wapanese names and stuck them together. I never thought I'd actually use the account ahaha, but now I'm stuck with it.

Tell us a bit about yourself?
I was born in China and moved over to the US when I was three. I only just recently got my citizenship, so now I can finally say I'm a US citizen. I can speak Chinese fluently, but writing it is harder.
Currently I'm part of my school's Speech and Debate company. Our team is nationally ranked and we constantly get into various Finals in national tournaments (for example, we just got back from Glenbrooks Invitational in Chicago with 3rd place overall). I hope to be one of my school's finalists one day.



Do you get loads of support from family/friends ?
Quite a bit, although my parents want me to focus on studies more. Art is more important to me though, so I don't listen.

Have you done any previous studies before getting yourself into Digital Art ?
I'm mostly self-taught, but I do take still life sketching and oil painting with an art teacher now.

How long does it take you to get into the feel of creating something new and stunning ?
Creating something stunning? Never. But creating something new takes anywhere from a quick 10 minute doodle to 25 hours of work.

Do you plan your images before doing them, or make them up on the spot ?
Both, but even in my planned out images I change things a lot in the middle. I have no set drawing process.



What does your work represent to you?
It represents my passion.

What got you started into Digital Art ? When was this ?
I was almost 14 when I started digital art. During winter break, I downloaded GIMP, taught myself the functions, colored two pictures digitally with my mouse and submitted those. That started my digital art career.
Norli was the person who inspired me enough to try digital work. Thanks Norli!

A lot of your work look like they are more of a anime/manga based character, is it because it's easier or you just prefer to draw them?
I wouldn't say it's easier, because I still find anatomy and proportion issues to be problematic. I've always liked the style though, so I think I'm just used to sketching in that way. To be honest, I prefer realistic paintings more, but the anime/manga style lets me break away from realism.



Who will be your favourite artist at this moment ?
This is a tough one. I have far too many favorite artists to name, but let's start with the DA ones. Adonihs, Rahll, OmeN2501, Blackeri, Enayla, Liiga, Gunnerromantic and Ukitakumuki, are my realism idols. I feel very inspired by their paintings.
Manga style wise, I love Dark134, Zeiva, Cushart, Sandfreak, asuka111, Shilin, Artgerm, and Shirotsuki. They all have a very unique way of painting in a manga style; it makes their artwork instantly recognizable.
Artists who are not on DA include Jo Chen ([link]) and Ruanjianjian ([link])

How do you respond to change in trends in this "digital" world ?
There are trends in the digital world?

So where is your working place, in an office at home ? Once you're finished with your pieces where would you post them ?
I paint in my family room and at my teacher's house when it comes to lessons. I have random oil paintings hung up around my house and I post digital pieces on deviantART.

What software do you use and what is your favourite tool ?
I mainly use Photoshop CS3 and Painter X for big projects, but I adore Paint tool SAI and OpenCanvas for sketching. GIMP also has a special place in my heart. My favorite tool is the pencil.

Is there any tips for other Digital Painter or Illustrator you would like to share ?
Make sure you have a foundation in traditional before you move into digital. There's simply no way that the “computer will do it all for you”, the knowledge has to be in your brain. Remember that your materials are mere extensions of your creativity and knowledge.

Do you work with commission, if so is it enough to make a living out of ?
I've only made a few commissions so far, and only one through the internet ([link]) I definitely don't make enough for a living and I don't want to.



Do you usually have a message to send through your work ?
I usually try to have a theme; emotion and mood is very important to express.

What is your opinion about people thinking a tablet will make their work better?
Those people are rather misguided or misinformed. Tools are mere extensions of who you are and the only way to get better is to better yourself. There are no cheap and easy tricks in life.

What would be your casual routine like ?
Go to school, go to Speech and Debate practice, come home at 6, draw/chat/homework until 12 AM. Go to sleep, rinse and repeat.

What are your other hobbies, when you're not drawing or sketching ?
My other hobbies include writing and reading books. Searching JSTOR for legit articles to use in debate is also a hobby, although I can't say I like it.

What is your ultimate goal in Digital Art ?
Hard to say. I would love to make it big with art someday, but my chances are rather slim. I'll be happy with just sharing my art with people for now.

Where does your Inspiration source come from ?
My inspiration comes from music, the art of other people, and humanity in general. Inspiration can be drawn from just about anything.

What would your top 5 tips be for anyone that is starting to Paint or Illustrate ?
1. Observe your surroundings. There is no better master to learn from than Nature.
2. Practice- put your observations to the test.
3. Try new things. Don't just stick with a comfortable bubble, you will never expand that way.
4. Accept criticism. You need to accept and understand what needs work and what appeals to people.
5. Be dedicated. With passion and dedication, you can achieve anything.

What do you think of today's Digital Arts levels and amount of work ?
The level is incredibly high. The amount of work people do to reach those limits is just staggering.

What type of music do you listen to ?
It depends on my mood. I like most alternative rock and indie, and there are mainstream R&B, hip hop, rap and pop that I like too.



What is your gear like ?
A pencil and paper is usually all I need to start something.

If there was another software you would like to master, which one would it be ?
I'd like to master Flash and some form of computer programming, just because I am intrigued by animation and I'd like to learn more about the advancing technology as much as possible.

Your popularity over DA is ever so increasing, how do you feel ?
I feel rather happy that more and more people seem to enjoy my work, but it also makes it more difficult to respond to everyone.

Did you had to go through some very challenging task in your Digital career ?
For some artworks, I would struggle with the composition, anatomy or most importantly, the emotions- I usually find some way to fix things though.

What are your future plans ? Are you thinking of taking Digital Art into the next level and make it as your main profession ?
Probably not, just because art is my ticket out of life and stress. If I make art part of my business life, then it will also become a source of my stress; I don't want that to happen.


What is your favourite piece, that you ever created ? And why you chose this piece ?
I'd have to say it's “Transcendence”, [link] It just felt like something clicked for me in this piece.

What are your favourite pieces on DA, could you share them ?
Way too many to share. You can take a look at my Favorites though, and that should give you a good idea of what I like.

If you had to sum up all your work into one sentence, what would it be ?
Story of my life.

And to finish it off, What would you like to say to your fans out there ? And what did you think of this Interview ?
I have fans? Hahaha please just call yourself my friend, “fans” seems to insinuate that you are somehow subpar. You guys are my motivation. Thank you very sincerely for your support.



This was a great interview as always. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as =Sangiev's other ones as well.

And that was it for today, hope you discovered someone new ! Be sure to keep in line for the other articles, one coming up soon, and some Interviews coming up aswell !
Hope you enjoyed !

Give her a visit and her work to show your support !

Thank you,

=Sangiev,