Meet Zhanjiang Liu | Graphic designer & illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zhanjiang Liu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zhanjiang, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born in the sparsely populated Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in northern China. When I was a little boy, my parents were quite busy, so I was sent to an artist’s studio to draw and paint, not for professional training but for companionship. This decision had an impact on my life, forming my artistic perspective and enabling me to express myself creatively. When I reached school age, I was sent to a boarding school. I therefore spent very little time with my parents and lived with a variety of people from elementary school until I graduated from art college. This influenced my personality and the subject matter of my artwork. In my life, the majority of reunions with my parents have occurred during celebratory moments. Therefore, it was always natural for me to orient my artwork towards people and families.

Over the years, I have dedicated myself to the design and advertising fields, gaining significant experience. After years of navigating that competitive industry, I found myself stuck in a loop of worrying about creativity and constant anxiety. This unique sensation sparked a new beginning for me. I therefore decided to take a pause and give myself some time to reflect wholeheartedly on my life, which is how I ended up moving to London two years ago to pursue my career in illustration. I must admit that my upbringing and cultural background have granted me a distinctive angle that enables my work to resonate with a worldwide audience.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Drawing is at the centre of my practice and offers constant reflection and understanding of the world. I didn’t know where my work would fit in the world of illustration, but I knew my illustration style didn’t fit into the current market trends. Only a small percentage of people will appreciate it. Due to my background as a designer, using electronic devices almost became a daily routine for me. During those years, I basically drew everything without using my bare hands, paper, or other materials. That physical loss was huge for me, so when I moved to the UK, I set a limit on how often I used electronic devices to create my illustrations. Given the current social trends, this may not have been a wise decision, but over time, I came to enjoy embracing the unpredictability, so my go-to medium became simple pencils and ink. Additionally, I made a tiny request of myself to use a very limited amount of colours to develop my creativity, as I used too many colours to finish my job while I was a designer producing commercial illustrations.

If illustration is to be used as a means of interpreting contents, there isn’t a set “formula” for the imagery. Inspiration often lurks in the shadows, requiring time and effort to uncover. I consistently maintain a level of curiosity about my surroundings, and I am desperately trying to turn everyday moments into illustrations in just a few colours with simple marks and shapes. If I’m lucky, they’re the right strokes in the right places, but in a lot of cases, I’ve completely screwed up a drawing. This chaos translates itself into images that are full of energy and movement. Maybe that’s the beauty of drawing with your bare hands in the electronic age; it serves as a reminder that maybe life doesn’t have to be so much of a rush and perfection. I find satisfaction in the accessibility of the work I made, providing a bit of humour in its flaws and beauty on top of reacting to family, fear, anxiety, confusion, rage, uncertainty, and glimpses of optimism. Drawing is a way to communicate, allowing my emotions to flow and take shape on paper, what’s important is the story, the message, and the feeling. However, when I’m working on a commercial project, I work as a designer. I mean, I have a problem to solve and a target audience to speak with. I therefore convey distinct concepts or feelings in accordance with the project’s objectives.

It has not been an easy path for me to become the illustrator I am today. Developing my own visual grammar required a significant amount of time and determination, and gaining from successes, most of the time failures. I can’t say there is a single piece of work that I am particularly thrilled or proud of. Instead, what gives me the most satisfaction is the simple fact that I have come this far and will keep going. After all, consistency and persistence are stepping stones to success.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As an art enthusiast, London’s art scene is what draws me in. More than 857 art galleries can be found there, and many of them are considered to be among the best in the world. In addition, the city’s buzzing nightlife, expanding foodie scene, West End, and rich, often violent past all contribute to its distinctiveness and vibrancy. If my best friend were in town, we would begin the day with a flavorful brunch at Trade Café in east London, followed by a century-spanning tour of the National Gallery. Remember to take a look at the National Portrait Gallery next door, which was recently reopened after three years of renovations. Experience the portraits from the Tudor dynasty that have preserved their likenesses intact for five centuries. Find out how the definition of “portrait” evolved from the Tudor era to the present. After a day of touring classic art, just a stone’s throw from the gallery, a detectable dinner in Chinatown. A great way to round off the evening would be to take in one of London’s West End daily performances of musicals.

Following a day of studying the art of classical antiquity and the Italian Renaissance, the next would involve a visit to the magnificent Tate Modern, where we can explore contemporary art. Don’t forget to visit Shakespeare’s Globe if we have time in the afternoon. Here, the works of Britain’s most famous playwrights are still performed in their contemporary versions. This evening, we indulge in a delightful dinner at Sky Garden, which provides panoramic views over London for free.

How can you miss out on historical exploration when the art tour is over? We could spend the next few days exploring the largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts, and design in the world—the Victoria and Albert Museum. Since there are a lot of things worth seeing, if you ask me for advice, the jewellery gallery is the best thing not to miss. Regarding the British Museum, I don’t think I need to say anything more. It’s a fantastic collection of world art, and you’ve probably heard too much about it in the news. I mean, about returning other nations’ artefacts. Regardless of the level of controversy, it is an absolute must-see.

Finally, if we want to unwind a little, we can visit parks, like Richmond Park, which is a fairly remote park. Get a feel for what it’s like to experience the African savannah in London and have a picnic with deer in the centre of the park, making for a truly enriching adventure! I almost forgot to mention: don’t miss out on London’s cultural heritage—pubs. In the evening! Have a drink in Covent Garden or SOHO, and then say goodnight.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe a lot of people for shaping who I am today, such as my rather unhappy childhood, which drove me to find a way to express myself, and of course, my parents’ purposeless artistic upbringing, which allowed me to find a direction in my life, or perhaps more accurately, a “career”. The design and advertising industry, where I have worked for over a decade, has given me the groundwork for my new career path by providing me with a variety of opportunities and platforms to practice and showcase my work. More importantly, my courage to abandon everything that I had, which seemed to be a promising and bright career, to join a field where it was difficult to find my place.

Website: https://www.zhanjiangliuart.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liu.zhanjiang/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zhanjiang-liu-565a56240/

Image Credits
All illustrations made by Zhanjiang Liu