Tang Yau Hoong is an illustrator and graphic designer living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With a passion for creative thinking, the artist employs negative space to create unique pieces. His artworks are conceptual and fun in a simplistic way. Though his illustrations appear effortless initially, they are actually intricate works of art that grab your attention and make you ponder for a moment.
Tang Yau Hoong has shared with Bored Panda that he loves conceptual and surreal themes as he can let his imagination run wild. "Cityscape, nature, animals and societal values are some of the subject matters that interest me. I love to keep my concepts open-ended so there are always room for viewers to have their own interpretations."
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In addition to his captivating illustrations, Tang Yau Hoong also creates humorous comics that are sure to tickle your funny bone. Some of his comics have been showcased on Bored Panda (you can check them out by clicking here, here and here).
The artist shared that his illustrations are digital with a personal final touch that he created by adding scanned images from brushes, watercolors and inks. "These scanned elements are what I added to create depths and organic vibes to my illustrations that have the vintage silkscreen-ish and painterly look. My comics are drawn in a different style where it is usually doodles with loose lines. I like the hand-drawn feel a lot when it comes to comics."
After being asked where he gets ideas for his illustrations, the artist replied that it could be anywhere from images to movies and songs. "Most of the time I would say it is an evolution of ideas. I would do a lot of random sketches and work on those that speak to me. From there, an idea would evolve to a more refined phase when I rework it again and again. By adding or removing certain elements, and changing the perspective or composition, the idea will slowly come to the final phase which I'm happy with."
To Tang Yau Hoong, the most difficult part of the creative process has always been the brainstorming process where he needs to come up with unique and original ideas. "I'm a firm believer in good storytelling so a good concept is critical in creating a great conceptual illustration. And, I can only have so much brain capacity to work with so it can be frustrating when I can't get what I want. I would take a break and start sketching from scratch again. Oftentimes, I find it works best when my mind is relaxed."
"I think my style is minimalist with a touch of a modern yet retro feel. With the conceptual approach in my illustrations, I find my style has become more refined with the use of surreal elements and negative space. I've also been trying to work on more dynamic perspectives to create even more depth in my illustrations."
Artistic creation can be a fulfilling and rewarding pursuit, but sometimes it can be challenging to stay motivated and inspired to produce new artwork. It's natural to experience moments of self-doubt and creative blocks. Tang Yau Hoong shared that, like many other artists, he gets demotivated from time to time. "I find the best way to stay motivated is to take a break from my usual style and try something random and new, hence I started drawing comics. Then, I would look back at my sketchbooks to get inspired again. Many ideas have been sitting in my sketchbooks for months and even years before I finally pick them up and start working on them."
These, at first sight, seem almost so simple as to be boring. But then, as you keep looking, a little detail jumps out... like the paper airplanes here... that bring action or life or another layer of surrealism to the obvious cleverness of the larger picture. Very nicely done!
We (and apparently our vehicles) are but toys to the gods-- or at least their children!
Note: this post originally had 45 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
