Loading...
Title : Meet the Illustrator: Clare Yang
link : Meet the Illustrator: Clare Yang
Meet the Illustrator: Clare Yang
Clare Yang, Picture Book Illustrator, Sydney, Australia
Describe your illustration style in ten words or fewer.
Warm, observant, playful, nature-filled stories with gentle humour.
What items are an essential part of your creative space?
An iPad, sketchbooks, traditional art materials and a growing wall of picture books are always within reach.
However, the real heroes are my ergonomic chair and iPad stand. I spent the last three months illustrating my second picture book almost entirely in Procreate, and honestly, I don't think my shoulders or back would have survived without them.
I also rely on a simple cube timer for the Pomodoro technique. Every 25 minutes it reminds me to stand up, stretch, look into the distance and reset before diving back in. A good playlist is equally important—music with a little momentum helps keep my energy flowing throughout a long drawing day.
Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
I enjoy moving between different mediums because each one encourages a different way of thinking. Sketching is where I discover ideas and digital painting is where those ideas come to life.
Having grown up in China, I also have a deep affection for ink. Traditional Chinese ink painting has always fascinated me with its sense of atmosphere, simplicity and suggestion. Watercolour is probably the closest medium I use today, but I'd love to explore ink more deeply in the future.
Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Lisk Feng, Sidney Smith, Felicita Sala.
Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
I'd love to visit the twentieth century, from the rise of Modernism through to the late twentieth century. It was an extraordinary period when advances in science, technology and society reshaped the way people thought about the world, and artists responded with incredible freedom and experimentation.
That spirit of curiosity and experimentation continues to influence how I approach picture books today.
Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
I didn't grow up reading picture books. In fact, I was already fourteen when my father brought home a second-hand Japanese picture book translated into Chinese. It told the story of a boy whose classmate disappeared from school every term to embark on extraordinary adventures. In one story, he was swallowed by a whale while sailing across the sea. I was completely captivated, and I've never forgotten that book.
Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
I enjoy moving between different mediums because each one encourages a different way of thinking. Sketching is where I discover ideas and digital painting is where those ideas come to life.
Having grown up in China, I also have a deep affection for ink. Traditional Chinese ink painting has always fascinated me with its sense of atmosphere, simplicity and suggestion. Watercolour is probably the closest medium I use today, but I'd love to explore ink more deeply in the future.
Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Lisk Feng, Sidney Smith, Felicita Sala.
Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
I'd love to visit the twentieth century, from the rise of Modernism through to the late twentieth century. It was an extraordinary period when advances in science, technology and society reshaped the way people thought about the world, and artists responded with incredible freedom and experimentation.
Cubism, Surrealism, Expressionism, abstraction and countless other movements challenged centuries of artistic conventions. New ideas seemed to appear everywhere, often crossing boundaries between art, design, architecture and literature. I would have loved to witness that creative energy firsthand—to see artists constantly questioning, reinventing and expanding what art could be.
That spirit of curiosity and experimentation continues to influence how I approach picture books today.
Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
I didn't grow up reading picture books. In fact, I was already fourteen when my father brought home a second-hand Japanese picture book translated into Chinese. It told the story of a boy whose classmate disappeared from school every term to embark on extraordinary adventures. In one story, he was swallowed by a whale while sailing across the sea. I was completely captivated, and I've never forgotten that book.
As a child, I mostly read lianhuanhua—traditional Chinese illustrated storybooks—which offered a very different reading experience. Years later, after I became a mother, a colleague generously passed on a collection of classic picture books from the United States after her own children had outgrown them. Reading them together with my son opened up a completely new world for me. I was fascinated by how picture books could communicate emotion, humour and visual storytelling with such elegance.
When I later decided to become an illustrator, I began studying picture books from around the world in earnest. The more I read, the more convinced I became that this was the kind of storytelling I wanted to create—books that speak to children while also resonating with the adult who is reading beside them.
Share a photo of your creative workspace or part of the area where you work most often. Talk us through it.
When I later decided to become an illustrator, I began studying picture books from around the world in earnest. The more I read, the more convinced I became that this was the kind of storytelling I wanted to create—books that speak to children while also resonating with the adult who is reading beside them.
Share a photo of your creative workspace or part of the area where you work most often. Talk us through it.
This photo shows my desk on one of its rare tidy days! In reality, it's usually covered with sketches, books and far too many pencils.
The desk itself is special to me because my husband, my son and I built it together. We bought the timber and hardware from Bunnings, cut the pieces, painted them and assembled everything ourselves. Knowing it was made by our own hands gives the space a warmth that a shop-bought desk never could.
I don't actually have one fixed place where I create. If I'm working digitally, especially during the three months I recently spent illustrating my second picture book in Procreate, I need my ergonomic chair and iPad stand to protect my neck and shoulders during long drawing sessions.
The desk itself is special to me because my husband, my son and I built it together. We bought the timber and hardware from Bunnings, cut the pieces, painted them and assembled everything ourselves. Knowing it was made by our own hands gives the space a warmth that a shop-bought desk never could.
I don't actually have one fixed place where I create. If I'm working digitally, especially during the three months I recently spent illustrating my second picture book in Procreate, I need my ergonomic chair and iPad stand to protect my neck and shoulders during long drawing sessions.
But some of my favourite drawing happens away from the desk altogether. I love taking a sketchbook outdoors, drawing from life and observing nature. Those sketches often become the starting point for my illustrations back in the studio.
What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
The early exploration stage. I enjoy filling pages with tiny sketches, experimenting with compositions and discovering unexpected visual ideas before settling on the final image. It feels like solving a puzzle through drawing.
What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
I'm still an aspiring illustrator myself, so rather than giving advice, I'll simply share what keeps me going.
What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
The early exploration stage. I enjoy filling pages with tiny sketches, experimenting with compositions and discovering unexpected visual ideas before settling on the final image. It feels like solving a puzzle through drawing.
What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
I'm still an aspiring illustrator myself, so rather than giving advice, I'll simply share what keeps me going.
Focus on the things you can control: keep drawing, keep improving and keep putting your work out into the world. The rest—whether the right person sees it at the right time—isn't entirely up to you.
Most importantly, don't wait for big milestones to feel encouraged. Learn to celebrate the small ones: a kind comment, a portfolio review, an encouraging email, or one piece that turns out a little better than the last. Those small moments of positive feedback, together with consistent effort, gradually build the confidence to keep going.
Try not to lose sight of why you started drawing in the first place. If your love for making art stays stronger than your desire for recognition, you'll be able to enjoy the journey, whatever pace it unfolds at.
Clare Yang is a self-taught picture book illustrator based in Sydney, Australia. Originally from China, she moved to Australia in 2015. She enjoys creating stories filled with warmth, humour and carefully observed everyday moments. Her debut picture book, Snow Day in Australia (written by Sharon Baldwin) will be released in July 2026. She is currently developing her own stories as she works towards becoming an author-illustrator.
Clare Yang is a self-taught picture book illustrator based in Sydney, Australia. Originally from China, she moved to Australia in 2015. She enjoys creating stories filled with warmth, humour and carefully observed everyday moments. Her debut picture book, Snow Day in Australia (written by Sharon Baldwin) will be released in July 2026. She is currently developing her own stories as she works towards becoming an author-illustrator.
You can be inspired by Clare's journey as an up-and-coming illustrator on her Instagram page, or learn more about Clare and her gorgeous work, and get in touch through her website.
thus Article Meet the Illustrator: Clare Yang
that is all articles Meet the Illustrator: Clare Yang This time, hopefully can provide benefits to all of you. Okay, see you in another article posting.
You now read the article Meet the Illustrator: Clare Yang with the link address https://onechildsmart.blogspot.com/2026/07/meet-illustrator-clare-yang.html
0 Response to "Meet the Illustrator: Clare Yang"
Post a Comment