Frequently published Taiwanese artist Evan began by training incessantly, producing 5000 works of art while still a student. His hard work paid off as he was hired to publish CG lessons, and eventually began selling his artwork to various publications. He is making waves in the Taiwanese art community with his new book "DayDreams", co-produced with artist Rick. "DayDreams" uses a two-mirror technique to create a 3D image for the viewer allowing Evan to literally draw readers into his magical world.
Q1. When did you start your career as a graphic designer? Who has influenced your artwork?
When I was a student, I focused on western - style painting. I forced myself to complete 10 hand-painted illustrations every semester. And , I put more efforts on the parts which were not satisfactory. I had accumulated almost 5000 works of art before be com ing a freelance artist . During the period after graduation and my military service life, I worked with several publishers, mainly for book cover design s and CG tutorial books. I was only 18 years old at that time.
In fact, I follow my own style --something between realis tic art and manga. So it is hard to tell who influenced me most. But Toriyama Akira ( 鳥山明 ) and Fujiko Fujio ( 藤子不二雄 ) did inspire me to join this business.
Q2.
What was your earliest memory of your affinity for art?
I started pure art design when I was a student. There was no any commercial purpose, just because I like to express my feeling. Later there were also some original creative ideas in my books, but more or less I had to compromise for the needs of the market.
Q3. Please tell us your tools at your production place. What kind of m achine, software and hardware do you mainly use?
I do not use any single material for my artwork; I think that is the greatest advantage of learning Western painting skills. I like to use oil painting, acrylic paint, and watercolor.
Of course I have been using Wacom for CG work since Intuos and now I use the Intuos3. For CG work, I use two computers--one of them is almost 7 years old!
--Video card: Geforce2 Ultra (Though I spent NT$20000 for the video card at that time, now probably no one will buy it even if I ask for just NT$500.)
--1GB RAM
Because I don't need fancy equipment for 2D design, I will keep using these computers for a while.
Currently, the software I use daily are Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop.
Q4. You recently published a 3D art book, "Daydreams". Please tell us about it.
What were the circumstances in which you published the 3D art book? How long was the production period? How is reputation? Did you enjoy the production?
About 3D illustration, I started planning 5 or 6 years ago. 3D illustration has been popular for several decades in other countries, but not popular in Taiwan. But, because 3D image creation has become popular again in the movie business and because I met a local 3D image artist, Rick, I started to work on this dream project.
About "Daydreams", the workflow was quite complicated and the production cost was high; it is the first 3D art book in Taiwan. It took me and Rick one year on the workflow research. We encountered a lot of trouble and difficulties. Once we even wanted to give it up, but finally we made it.
毅峰 x 龔爰 3D 繪本白日夢 CM
After the book was published, I received a lot e-mail from readers. They were impressed by this kind art work; seeing 3D images without wearing any special glasses. All they have to do is follow the instruction, and then enjoy the 3D images. They can have an adventure through viewing, just like the girl in the book.
Also, we made a 20-minute short film about the whole process of making "Daydreams". Here are links for the Daydreams official website, blog and short film.
Q5. Which exhibition was the most impressive among those you have participated in?
In fact, I was impressed by each event, seminar and exhibition where I could meet fans. I enjoy interacting with visitors. I could tell how they felt about the art works.
The expressions of Westerners and Asians were also quite different. Westerners like to touch each other to express their compliments, but Taiwanese are more conservative.
Q6. Who are your favorite artists recently?
Recently I like well-known architects: Norman Foster, Ando Tadao (安藤忠雄), Ito Toyoo (伊東豐雄). These people are so important to me.
Q7. What are your dreams?
I am working on a book related to industrial design, mainly chairs. I may use hundreds of images to show the chairs in different usages, material and styles. Also, I will have detailed descriptions and studio shots for each chair. This project will take me about 1 to 2 years, even longer.
See the last Featured Artist