Jun Qi - Art & Illustration

Jun Qi

storytelling and illustration

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A two-page spread from 'Shan Shan and Ms. Water Monitor', showing Shan Shan and Ms. Water Monitor playing with water at the beach. Shan Shan is splashing water at Ms. Water Monitor with her hands, while Ms. Water Monitor is splashing water at her with her tail
Book cover design (english version) of the first book in the series, Shan Shan and Ms. Water Monitor. It shows Shan Shan and Ms. Water monitor having a splash at the beach, looking happily at the viewer.
A two-page spread from 'Shan Shan and Big Brother Myna' (english version), showing Big Brother Myna trying to encourage Shan Shan to practise singing the song 'Mother Duck and her Ducklings' in the park
Book cover design (english version) of the third book in the series, Shan Shan and Big Brother Myna. It shows Shan Shan happily flapping her arms and singing along with Big Brother Myna amongst a grove of heliconia.
Book cover design (english version) of the second book in the series, Shan Shan and Mr. Otter. It shows Shan Shan and Mr. Otter sitting side-by-side on the front cover, beneath the title. Shan Shan is holding a pair of binoculars in front of her face and looking at Mr. Otter out of the corner of her eye. Mr. Otter is holding a scaly fish in his paws and is looking at Shan Shan out of the corner of his eyes. They are sitting in a park lush with vegetation.
Book cover design (english version) for 'Shan Shan Has no Friends?'. The front cover shows Shan Shan squatting on a grassy patch playing with a twig of wood, looking to the left with a surprised expression. What she sees on the back cover are her animal friends - Little Sister Kitty, Ms. Water Monitor, Mr. Otter and Big Brother Myna - bounding and soaring towards her.
A two-page spread from 'Shan Shan and Mr. Otter' (english version), showing Shan Shan running towards Mr. Otter and greeting him in a park full of lush vegetation. Mr. Otter is holding a fish and squatting next to a river.
Book cover design (english version) for 'Shan Shan Needs a Hug'. The front cover shows Shan Shan looking to the left, standing on tiptoes with her arms outstretched, expecting a hug. On the back cover her mom is walking towards her also with arms outstretched, and Big Brother and Little Sister Kitty are in a warm embrace, as are Mr. Otter and Ms. Water Monitor.
Book cover design (english version) for 'Shan Shan Needs to Poo Poo'. The front cover shows a backview of Shan Shan sitting on the toilet bowl pooping as she looks to the left. On the back cover she sees the backsides of her animal friends, tails lifted and butts raised, all standing ready to poo.
A digital painting of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac racing to the Jade Emperor's palace, with story text woven in explaining how each animal ended up in each position. The animals are drawn with traditional Chinese papercut motifs and rendered in a textured style.
Digital painting of a person in a lilac shirt and khaki cargo pants wearing a beige farmer hat sitting on the ground leaning against a pile of soil/compost. She is holding a small lump of compost in her hands which is teeming with life like earthworms and insects. There chives growing behind her and banana leaves in the background overhead, as well as red bayam growing on the left, interspersed with some kailan seedlings. The roots of the plants can be seen going into the soil/compost which is teeming with biology (though not drawn to scale), and connected to a vast mycorrhizal network that runs throughout. There are earthworms, amoebae, bacteria, nematodes, protozoans, microarthropods, arthropods like springtails centipedes, milipedes, ants, cockroaches, beetles, and higher predators like a Javan myna and a house gecko, as well as some mushrooms sprouting out of the soil
An ink drawing done for an on-the-spot NDP art competition organized by Our Tampines Hub. It features people wearing Singapore flag colours doing various activities at the Hub. In the bottom right corner a grandma and young girl are harvesting some Tuscany kale from the community garden. Behind them to the left are two boys playing soccer, and above them is a girl reading a book in the library. Two kids are participating in the art contest. A girl is drawing with her mother looking over her and a boy is proudly showing off his finished piece to his father. A female jogger is running along the Hub's jogging track lined with Singapore flags.
Digital painting with chalk texture and batik-inspired style and motifs, of the young girl lying back and floating atop a colorful scent cloud, smelling a sprig of curry leaves. The scent cloud encicles the title 'Whiff', written in cursive golden letters
Digital painting with chalk texture and batik-inspired style and motifs, of a close-up scene of a young girl with short curly hair, some tied up in a tuft on her head, rubbing tears off her face as a colorful scent cloud drifts pass her nose.
Digital painting with chalk texture and batik-inspired style and motifs, of a dreamy, whimsical scene where a young girl with short curly hair, some tied in a tuft above her head, in a pale blue dress with a white sailor color, is floating and following a scent cloud that stretches across the page. Below her curry leaves, fruiting and flowering, are swaying, while a pot of curry and curry paste in a mortar and pestle float above the scent cloud, against a dark blue background of circular batik motifs.
Digital painting with chalk texture and batik-inspired style and motifs, of a young girl with short curly hair, some tied up in a tuft on her head, floating behind bushes of blue pea flowers, following a scent cloud originating from the kitchen of her house where her grandma is cooking curry. Her mother, father, and their pet cat are standing at the front porch looking worried.
Digital painting with chalk texture and batik-inspired style and motifs, of a sequence of spot illustrations, against a background of dark blue with wavy textures and white circular batik motifs. In the first illustration a young girl with short, curly hair, some tied in a tuft above her head, is floating, following a cloud of scent, with arms outstretched as a white cat with a brown tail wearing a red harness comes bounding up joyfully towards her. In the second illustration, the girl kneels down in an embrace with the cat, while the scent cloud snakes around them, leading to the third illustration, where her mother and father also join in with the hug. The cat is a bit squeezed and uncomfortable.
Digital painting with chalk texture and batik-inspired style and motifs, of the young girl and her family gathered around a dining table in anticipation of a delicious dinner. The young girl is hugging her grandmother, who is wearing a dark blue cottom dress with white circular batik motifs. Her father has his arms on his hips, head lifted up as he sniffs and avours the delicious scent of food, while her mother is leaning forward on the table, also deeply breathing the scent in. The cat is sitting on the chair on the far left side of the scene, paws on the table and also delighting in the scent of the food. On the wooden dining table there is a pot of curry, a plate of blue-pea-colored agar agar jelly, a plate of pohpiah springrolls, a jug of lemongrass drink, and a stack of bowls and some chopsticks beside them. There are some potted plants (ferns and palms) in the background
Digital painting of a poster for the International Compost Awareness Week 2023 poster design contest. It shows young red bayam plants growing above ground, next to a heap of foodwaste and brown matter in the process of being composted. Beneath the plants and compost heap, taking up most of the poster, is an underground view showcasing the root systems and mycorhizzal networks in the soil teeming with biology and life. The title reads 'For Healthier Soil, Healthier Food...Compost!' The word 'Compost!' in the title is formed using various soil creatures, like earthworms, nematodes, mushrooms and lizards.
Digital painting of a young lady harvesting red bayam (amaranth) in a community garden, against a backdrop of banana trees and beans growing up a trellis
Illustration of girl's head poking out of a bunch of ferns, holding up a stylus pen and painting streaks in the air, with rainbow-colored hair swirling around her head

About

I am an artist in transition. In my past life, I was a senior software developer and tech lead at a multinational software consultancy.

After taking some time off to explore my desultory interests and rediscover my creative spark, I am moving into creative work and illustration full-time.

I am also exploring the art of verbal storytelling in addition to that of visual storytelling, having become a member of the Storytelling Association (Singapore) and taking part in volunteer storytelling activities with the National Library.

Among other things, I enjoy FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software), ethical and alternative tech platforms, composting, growing plants, regenerating the soil, and reading. Thanks for dropping by!

Latest Works

Digital painting of a poster for the International Compost Awareness Week 2023 poster design contest. It shows young red bayam plants growing above ground, next to a heap of foodwaste and brown matter in the process of being composted. Beneath the plants and compost heap, taking up most of the poster, is an underground view showcasing the root systems and mycorhizzal networks in the soil teeming with biology and life. The title reads 'For Healthier Soil, Healthier Food...Compost!' The word 'Compost!' in the title is formed using various soil creatures, like earthworms, nematodes, mushrooms and lizards.

International Compost Awareness Week 2023 Poster Design

A poster design I submitted for the International Compost Awareness Week 2023 Poster Design contest. Much like the Future of Farming piece, I wanted to really foreground the importance of soil life and biodiversity in the piece. This is basically a variation of that piece…

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Digital painting with chalk texture and batik-inspired style and motifs, of the young girl lying back and floating atop a colorful scent cloud, smelling a sprig of curry leaves. The scent cloud encicles the title 'Whiff', written in cursive golden letters

Whiff - Title Page

Title page of Whiff, a wordless picture book that I am working on that celebrates the fragrance and flavour of Southeast Asian cuisine and the herbs and spices used in it, along with the warmth of family evoked through food. The style is a combination of chalk-textured…

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Digital painting with chalk texture and batik-inspired style and motifs, of the young girl and her family gathered around a dining table in anticipation of a delicious dinner. The young girl is hugging her grandmother, who is wearing a dark blue cottom dress with white circular batik motifs. Her father has his arms on his hips, head lifted up as he sniffs and avours the delicious scent of food, while her mother is leaning forward on the table, also deeply breathing the scent in. The cat is sitting on the chair on the far left side of the scene, paws on the table and also delighting in the scent of the food. On the wooden dining table there is a pot of curry, a plate of blue-pea-colored agar agar jelly, a plate of pohpiah springrolls, a jug of lemongrass drink, and a stack of bowls and some chopsticks beside them. There are some potted plants (ferns and palms) in the background

Whiff - Excerpt 5

Fifth excerpt from Whiff, a wordless picture book that I am working on that celebrates the fragrance and flavour of Southeast Asian cuisine and the herbs and spices used in it, along with the warmth of family evoked through food. The style is a combination of chalk-textured…

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Digital painting with chalk texture and batik-inspired style and motifs, of a sequence of spot illustrations, against a background of dark blue with wavy textures and white circular batik motifs. In the first illustration a young girl with short, curly hair, some tied in a tuft above her head, is floating, following a cloud of scent, with arms outstretched as a white cat with a brown tail wearing a red harness comes bounding up joyfully towards her. In the second illustration, the girl kneels down in an embrace with the cat, while the scent cloud snakes around them, leading to the third illustration, where her mother and father also join in with the hug. The cat is a bit squeezed and uncomfortable.

Whiff - Excerpt 4

Fourth excerpt from Whiff, a wordless picture book that I am working on that celebrates the fragrance and flavour of Southeast Asian cuisine and the herbs and spices used in it, along with the warmth of family evoked through food. The style is a combination of chalk-textured…

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Digital painting with chalk texture and batik-inspired style and motifs, of a young girl with short curly hair, some tied up in a tuft on her head, floating behind bushes of blue pea flowers, following a scent cloud originating from the kitchen of her house where her grandma is cooking curry. Her mother, father, and their pet cat are standing at the front porch looking worried.

Whiff - Excerpt 3

Third excerpt from Whiff, a wordless picture book that I am working on that celebrates the fragrance and flavour of Southeast Asian cuisine and the herbs and spices used in it, along with the warmth of family evoked through food. The style is a combination of chalk-textured…

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Latest Projects

Digital painting of a young girl with two short pigtails and a blue headband, wearing denim overalls, a yellow shirt and yellow sandals, waving towards the viewer. She is standing in a park with spider lilies and tall grass in the background, under a beautiful blue sky.
Ongoing

Growing Up With Shan Shan - Children's Book Series

This is a Chinese children's picture book series that I'm working on as both an author and illustrator, one of two that will feature a spirited and nature-loving young girl named Shan Shan along with her animal friends. "Growing Up with Shan Shan" is targeted at children 4 years…

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A two-page spread from 'Shan Shan Has No Friends?' (english version), showing Shan Shan playing with Little Sister Kitty, who is sitting a top her head, and telling mom that Little Sister Kitty is her friend.
Ongoing

Shan Shan and Friends - Children's Book Series

This is a Chinese children's picture book series that I'm working on as both an author and illustrator, one of two that will feature a spirited and nature-loving young girl named Shan Shan along with her animal friends. "Shan Shan and Friends" is targeted at infants and toddlers…

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Digital painting with chalk texture and batik-inspired style and motifs, of the young girl lying back and floating atop a colorful scent cloud, smelling a sprig of curry leaves. The scent cloud encicles the title 'Whiff', written in cursive golden letters
Ongoing

Whiff - Wordless Picture Book

This is a wordless picture book series that I am working on in an experimental style that combines chalk-textured representaional rendering with batik lines and motifs. The story celebrates the fragrance and flavour of Southeast Asian cuisine and the herbs and spices used in it…

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Digital painting of characters from a webcomic about my adventures in Japan, featuring me and my cast of friends, two astonished Japanese salarymen, a senbei-hungry deer, two drunk Osaka dudes (one of whom has transformed into a whaleshark), a cute, fat seal from the aquarium, a shiba inu, a Japanese streetside chef, a sunfish flying through the sky, against a dusky backdrop with a torii gate

I Went to Japan - A Webcomic

I created this semi-autobiographical webcomic about my adventures in Japan after graduating from university. It features my friends and I and a whole cast of quirky characters, as you can see from the cover art. You can read the full webcomic at https://i-went-to-japan.tanjunqi…

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Jun Qi - Storytelling & Illustration ©2022

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