Wendy Wong is a young London based illustrator. A recent London College of Fashion graduate in fashion textiles, she is trying to work as a freelance illustrator. With a fascination for insects, her projects are often inspired by very personal ideas or memories, as she feels these are very rich subjects to explore, and become relatable to everyone.
KALTBLUT: How did you start drawing?
Wendy: I started drawing in primary school, drawing personalised cartoon figures of my friends. But, I guess I only really seriously started drawing when I was studying my Foundation in Art & Design and since then, especially at university, my styles and technique have changed considerably. My drawing style seems to have split from more figurative (although eyeless) portraits and more surreal pointillist insect illustrations.
KALTBLUT: Where do you get inspiration from?
Wendy: I get inspired by my own personal experiences; normally it’s my childhood or some nostalgic dorky memory which develops into a project.
KALTBLUT: Is there an artist you admire?
Wendy: There are so many, so I’ll just drop three that I really like at the moment. There’s Naoshisa Inoue, he does crazy surrealist landscapes with really vivid colours. Also Naomi Okubo, Junji Ito and Shintaro Kago. The two latter are horror manga artists; their work can be weird and sometimes even disgusting but I like it.
KALTBLUT: What are you working on at the moment?
Wendy: I’m currently working on a tattoo for a friend and will continue to develop with my portraiture series, working to combine my more surrealist pointillist drawings with the figurative.
Interview by Amanda M. Jansson