AN increasing number of artists have been using social media to showcase their work. Among the young artists to watch out for on Instagram are 17-year-old Malaysian twins Cait and Sam Tan, who have amassed close to 100,000 followers across their respective accounts.
Cait (@lapstle) and Sam (@dewfroq) are known for their deliciously whimsical and colourful art with characters based in fantasy and sci-fi worlds, thanks in part to the encouragement of their film producer father Leon, whose works include the 2012 animated feature War of the Worlds: Goliath.
Here, Cait and Sam share what first drew them to art, what influences them, and where they see themselves in the future.
What inspired you to begin drawing?
Cait: “One of my biggest inspirations when I was little was my father. I would frequently ask him to draw something cool for me to colour, while my sister [would] create stories and small comics in every [exercise] book. It was not until I turned 11-12 that I wanted to study anatomy and the fundamentals seriously whilst being inspired by other amazing artists in the animation industry, deviantArt, Artstation, Instagram, and other platforms.”
Sam: “Like Cait, my father was a big inspiration to me. He was our first source of knowledge for movies and comics. My dad would draw cool animalistic creatures for us and we’d reference right off or colour over it. In addition to that, I was incredibly inspired by Disney’s The Lion King and Bolt, which kindled my obsession for drawing animal characters as a kid.”
Describe your art style.
Cait: “I would say that my art style is a hybrid of an Eastern and Western style with a soft painterly look, at least that’s what I hope to achieve! My usage of colours also tends to steer towards vibrant, saturated schemes. In the beginning I used to draw animals, but now I’ve been exploring humans and character art.”
Sam: “My art style is influenced by a mix of Eastern and Western media I’ve come to love! But I especially take inspiration from the use of heavy, tapered lineweight from Marvel comics, shounen manga, and artists of the furry subculture. I strive to achieve the depth and impact the lines give off, but I also hope to improve my colouring skills to make my work more rendered. In the past, I was convinced I’d only draw animals, but I’ve learned to feel more comfortable drawing human characters.”
What software or tools do you use?
Cait: “Since I mainly focus on digital art, I use a free software called Medibang Paint Pro with a wacom intuos CTH-690 hooked up to my Acer Swift 3 laptop.”
Sam: “I mainly draw on a digital medium, using the software Photoshop CC with a wacom one CTL-472 attached to a laptop. For sketching, I’d use brush and ink pens.”
Where do you draw your ideas from?
Cait: “My many sources of inspiration come from the creations other artists produce through illustrations, comics, or video games. Other times it could be something naturally occurring in my daily environment, or from a video [made] by my favourite content creators on Youtube or Twitch.”
Sam: “Inspiration could come from almost anywhere and hit me out of the blue, whether from animation, illustrations and video games, and artists on Instagram that I look up to. Most of the time, ideas derive from observations I make of people and my surroundings, such as my school life or conversations I’d have with my friends online.”
Do you have plans for a career in animation?
Cait: “I do hope to! I’m not sure if animation is for me, but perhaps working on illustrations, concept art, or character design in the film and gaming industry.
Sam: “I have a long way to go, but I’ve always dreamed of doing character design [and] concept art for the animation industry.”
An increasing number of artists have been using social media to showcase their work. Among the young artists to watch out for on Instagram are 17-year-old Malaysian twins Cait and Sam Tan, who have amassed close to 100,000 followers across their respective accounts.
Cait (@lapstle) and Sam (@dewfroq) are known for their deliciously whimsical and colourful art with characters based in fantasy and sci-fi worlds, thanks in part to the encouragement of their film producer father Leon, whose works include the 2012 animated feature War of the Worlds: Goliath.
Here, Cait and Sam share what first drew them to art, what influences them, and where they see themselves in the future.
What inspired you to begin drawing?
Cait: “One of my biggest inspirations when I was little was my father. I would frequently ask him to draw something cool for me to colour, while my sister [would] create stories and small comics in every [exercise] book. It was not until I turned 11-12 that I wanted to study anatomy and the fundamentals seriously whilst being inspired by other amazing artists in the animation industry, deviantArt, Artstation, Instagram, and other platforms.”
Sam: “Like Cait, my father was a big inspiration to me. He was our first source of knowledge for movies and comics. My dad would draw cool animalistic creatures for us and we’d reference right off or colour over it. In addition to that, I was incredibly inspired by Disney’s The Lion King and Bolt, which kindled my obsession for drawing animal characters as a kid.”
Describe your art style.
Cait: “I would say that my art style is a hybrid of an Eastern and Western style with a soft painterly look, at least that’s what I hope to achieve! My usage of colours also tends to steer towards vibrant, saturated schemes. In the beginning I used to draw animals, but now I’ve been exploring humans and character art.”
Sam: “My art style is influenced by a mix of Eastern and Western media I’ve come to love! But I especially take inspiration from the use of heavy, tapered lineweight from Marvel comics, shounen manga, and artists of the furry subculture. I strive to achieve the depth and impact the lines give off, but I also hope to improve my colouring skills to make my work more rendered. In the past, I was convinced I’d only draw animals, but I’ve learned to feel more comfortable drawing human characters.”
What software or tools do you use?
Cait: “Since I mainly focus on digital art, I use a free software called Medibang Paint Pro with a wacom intuos CTH-690 hooked up to my Acer Swift 3 laptop.”
Sam: “I mainly draw on a digital medium, using the software Photoshop CC with a wacom one CTL-472 attached to a laptop. For sketching, I’d use brush and ink pens.”
Where do you draw your ideas from?
Cait: “My many sources of inspiration come from the creations other artists produce through illustrations, comics, or video games. Other times it could be something naturally occurring in my daily environment, or from a video [made] by my favourite content creators on Youtube or Twitch.”
Sam: “Inspiration could come from almost anywhere and hit me out of the blue, whether from animation, illustrations and video games, and artists on Instagram that I look up to. Most of the time, ideas derive from observations I make of people and my surroundings, such as my school life or conversations I’d have with my friends online.”
Do you have plans for a career in animation?
Cait: “I do hope to! I’m not sure if animation is for me, but perhaps working on illustrations, concept art, or character design in the film and gaming industry.
Sam: “I have a long way to go, but I’ve always dreamed of doing character design [and] concept art for the animation industry.”
TRIVIA
Favourite artist
Cait: “If I had to pick one it would be Sachin Teng.”
Sam:“I seriously can’t choose – but it would be @synesthesia.fear on Instagram.”
Favourite animation
Cait: “Avatar: the Last Airbender.”
Sam:“Zootopia.”
Favourite hobby
Cait: “Playing video games like Genshin Impact and watching Youtube.”
Sam:“Playing Minecraft and Roblox unironically, and watching Youtube and anime.”
