ARTIST Eleanor Lim Hooi Ling believes that art connects people and expresses her inner feelings through art and illustration, in the hopes of connecting with people who can relate to the same feelings.
Her emotions and thoughts shared through simple illustrations of cute animals or plants are intended to inspire and uplift the spirits of others.
To help with the visualisation of the message, she adds words of encouragement to remind people about self-care and self-respect.
“Art became my way of expressing my gratitude and affection for others, and so I spent all my free time painting, drawing and creating. I started lettering motivational quotes and posts online to hopefully motivate others as well,” said 24-year-old Lim.
“I use colours and different lettering styles to make them more appealing and to mirror the positivity in the quote,” said the illustrator and calligrapher.
Lim also had a dream-come-true opportunity to work with international cosmetic brands and become a part of the brand’s activation events.
“I am working on setting up my own studio (one day) to produce stationery and art prints that people will enjoy,” said the Design Communication degree holder, who works as a freelance designer.
What inspired you to take up art and illustration?
Growing up, my parents introduced me to drawing and my mom taught me how to make cards for my family and seeing how happy it made them inspired me to continue creating art. I discovered that art has the potential to make others happy and as time went by, I wanted to convey emotions through my illustrations and paintings.
Where do you draw inspiration for your artwork?
I normally draw inspiration directly from my own feelings and experiences. For example, if I am feeling sad, I try to make sense of it, and in the process, I realise there may be at least one other person out there who can relate to how I am feeling. It inspires me to illustrate my feelings so that other people don’t feel alone in what they are going through. Once I decide on a feeling I want the piece to convey, I observe colours, objects and textures around me that catch my eye, and then I combine everything into an illustration.
What is the main subject or focus of your art?
I usually like to make animals and plants my main subjects. I love nature and so I always find myself visualising my work to involve cute animals and plants. When it involves humans, they are usually for commissioned portraits. I love it when people tell me stories about a special someone and have me paint them in my own style.
What do you want to convey through your artwork?
I want to convey self-care values and encouragement. I also like to emphasise meaningful relationships, which is why I do portrait paintings for people as commissioned artwork.
Share with us about your most memorable art?
All of my portrait paintings! I like listening to stories about people, so I have enjoyed all the portrait paintings I have done because I am not just painting a person, I am also including their personality and story with the colours and strokes that I use.
What is the most challenging drawing you made?
It was a mural for a Vietnamese restaurant in Petaling Jaya, on their storefront glass window. I was told they only wanted it in white paint, so I had to illustrate it such that it worked in white and was visible to passersby.
What other creative products do you make?
Aside from portrait illustrations, I offer on-the-spot calligraphy services for brand activation events, and off-site calligraphy for wedding door gifts, personalised products and customisation on almost any material.
What are your future plans?
I plan to own my own studio one day so that I can have my own special place to host private workshops, experiment with different materials, and brainstorm new product ideas in a space that I can be 100% comfortable in.
