Meet Kelly Singpo | Illustrator

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

Hi Kelly, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I owe a lot of my success to the people who believe in me and keep pushing me to work on my art. My friends are a huge part of this—they’re always there to motivate me and push me to draw more. I’ve got this amazing group of art friends where we share our work and help each other out when things get tough.

My husband, Jeremy, is my biggest supporter. He’s so supportive that he even dives into dumpsters to rescue sketches I’ve tossed away, calling them ‘valuable trash’ (even though I’m not always convinced). And a big thanks to my friends Chris Kawagiwa and Ralph Miranda—both featured on this site—who introduced me to Foundry LA, a key art agency. Thanks to them, I landed my first gig as a sketch artist on a film project. It was a big confidence boost, and Foundry liked my work enough to bring me back for another project. None of this would’ve happened without people believing in me and pushing me forward.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I love creating fanart inspired by video games, TV shows, and other popular culture. As a shy and reserved person, I find it much easier to connect with others through shared interests. My fanart plays a key role in this—it often catches people’s attention and sparks conversations about beloved characters and media. It’s incredibly rewarding to meet fellow enthusiasts and artists who share my same passions through art.

I’m still working on building my art career, but the most frustrating part of being an artist is dealing with art block. Sometimes I just stare at a blank canvas and think, “What am I going to draw today?!” I’ve found that the best way to overcome art block is to doodle random things in my sketchbook. I browse Google and Pinterest for cool poses to reference and draw them quickly. Sometimes I turn these poses into my favorite video game or movie characters to make it more fun and interesting. These random doodles can even spark cool ideas to build from. My biggest challenge right now is fighting the urge to make everything perfect and social media-worthy. My friends always remind me, “Done is better than perfect.”

Despite occasional moments of discouragement, I’ve learned a valuable lesson from the artists I admire: they achieved success through hard work and persistence. I’ve also learned that everyone progresses at their own pace, and comparing myself to others is counterproductive. There was a period when I stopped drawing for a few years, only to return and realize my skills hadn’t improved—go figure. Every bit of practice, no matter how small, contributes to improvement over time.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For food, I’d definitely take them to a poke place in Redondo Beach called Jus’ Poke. It’s probably the best poke I’ve ever had and the only place I’ll order poke from. I haven’t been to Hawaii in a long time, so I can’t personally compare, but people say Jus’ Poke is just as good as what you can get in Hawaii.

I love spicy food too, so I’d also take them to some places that serve super spicy dishes like Howlin’ Ray’s (spicy southern-style fried chicken) and Mian (Sichuan-style noodles). Is it bad that I enjoy seeing people suffer when they eat spicy food?

Besides eateries, I enjoy visiting museums, especially the Getty. It has a lot of beautiful Renaissance-style paintings and sculptures. You can even bring a small sketchbook and doodle what you see, which I’ve done a few times.

I also can’t forget the beach. I’ve realized many people don’t get to live within 10 miles of a beach, so I’d definitely take my friend to Redondo Beach or Manhattan Beach. I love biking down the coast on a warm, sunny day and then browsing the various shops and cafes nearby.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my husband, Jeremy. There are moments when I get very frustrated with my art, and he is always there to encourage me to keep drawing. I wish he would stop retrieving my bad sketches from the trash, but I guess I can take it as a compliment.

Besides Chris Kawagiwa and Ralph Miranda, who I also previously mentioned, my friends Jordan Eusebio and Stephanie Han have been a constant source of motivation. As fellow artists, they understand the struggle. Thanks to them for always sending me the “you can do it” Shia LaBeouf meme when times get tough.

I also can’t forget the amazing people at Foundry LA who took a chance on hiring me for a big project despite my limited experience as a sketch artist. Kasey Yee, Dino Espinosa, and Vicky Tunkel are the best bosses I’ve worked with in the industry.

www.foundry.la

Website: https://www.kellysingpo.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellzies

Image Credits
Profile photo by Jeremy Parsons