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.
Digital painting with chalk texture and batik-inspired style and motifs, of the young girl facing the viewer and breathing in the fragrance of herbs she is holding in her hands with her eyes close. The title is written in gold letters above her, and a colorful scent cloud wafts across the page, and there is a garden of plants in the background. A white cat with a red harness pokes its head from behind the scent cloud on the left of the page.
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 cover for a children's book, titled 'The Fox who wanted Nine Golden Tails'. It shows a stylized red fox with its back arched downwards and its nine sparkling golden tails waving above its head and back, shimmering gold, pink, blue, and green. In the background a dark scaly shape with red har looms, and an eye can be seen. The title is written in gold on the cover. The style is textured with streamlined shapes.
Digital painting of a self-caricature with a bunch of my characters surrounding it. Shan Shan and Ms. Water Monitor are lounging at the top right of my head, while Mr. Otter peers out from behind my hair on the right. Little Sister Kitty is riding a blue dragon with flaming yellow hair that is flying out from the back to the front, freaking out two stray cats that are waiting for their meal by a girl who is a cat feeder. Zhen Fang from Whiff is smelling a sprig of curry leaves while a red fox pokes out from behind the head above her. There is a red bayam seedling growing from the the top of my head with roots growing into the hair.
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
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 and poster design for my storytelling sessions at Bedok Library. It shows a caricature of me, hands gesturing as I tell a story to an audeince of children. The speech bubble that comes from my mouth are filled with the colorful characters from my various stories, surrounding the poster title: Storytime with Jun Qi, in English and Mandarin
Digital painting of an orange and white tabby cat with large green eyes peering at the viewer through broadleaf green/blue leaves, in a graphic, textured style.
Digital painting of a bunch of cats in a tropical garden with broadleaf plants, in a textured, graphic style. Some cats are hidden behind foliage or sitting behind metal grills and peering at the viewer, others have their backs facing the viewer looking into the garden. There are some pots of herbs in the foreground on the right.
Digital illustration showing a little girl with a straight fringe and short pigtails, Shan Shan, taking in the fragrance of chrysanthemums in bloom for the new year, together with Little Sister Kitty. Big Brother Myna is perched on a sakura branch above, against a red sun/moon. The color scheme is red/burgundy and navy blue on white with subtle texture on the color flats.
Digital painting in a fuschia and dark blue theme, showing Shan Shan, Mr. Otter and Ms. Water Monitor admiring a cluster of blooming orchids. The style is slightly graphic, playing with outlines and positive/negative space.
Digital illustration showing a young girl with pigtails, Shan Shan, emerging from a few chrysanthemum blooms, with an auspicious chinese phrase above her. The color scheme is red/burgundy and navy blue on white with subtle texture on the color flats.
Digital painting of Shan Shan emerging from a cluster or orchid blooms, again in a fuschia and dark blue theme. The auspicious Chinese phrase: A hundred flowers blooming in unison frames the top of the design.
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 decided to dive into the pursuit of my creative work, which currently spans illustration and storytelling, and will hopefully continue to grow and meander around the confluence and boundaries of both.

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!

Redbubble Shop

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Latest Works

Illustration of a white siamese kitten with a disapproving look on his face and a scrawny-looking mother cat holding a sparrow in her mouth, with the title 'The Spoilt Little Kitten'

The Spoilt Little Kitten

Cover art for The Spoilt Little Kitten, the first episode of my storytelling podcast, Storytime with Jun Qi. Painted in Krita.

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Illustration with a caricature of Jun Qi telling a story and characters from the story filling a speech bubble over her head

Storytime with Jun Qi

Cover art for my storytelling podcast, Storytime with Jun Qi. Painted in Krita.

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Digitally painted floral design of overlapping pink and orange peonies, done in a slightly graphic and textured style inspired by batik and Chinese papercuts. The peonies are different hues of pink and orange, while the outlines are golden, and their overlapping parts are light blue and turquoise, against a golden background with a red pattern.

Pink Peonies

A decorative floral pattern of pink and orange peonies in a textured, graphic style with teal accents against a golden background. You can view all products available with these designs on my Redbubble shop. Painted in Krita.

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Digitally painted floral design of overlapping red hibiscuses, done in a slightly graphic and textured style inspired by batik and Chinese papercuts. The hibiscus are different hues of red and magenta, while the outlines are golden, and their overlapping parts are blue, against a background with a light pink pattern.

Red Hibiscus

A decorative floral pattern of red hibiscuses in a textured, graphic style with blue accents and beautiful golden outlines. You can view all products available with these design on my Redbubble shop. Painted in Krita.

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Digital painting of a cover for a children's book, titled 'The Fox who wanted Nine Golden Tails'. It shows a stylized red fox with its back arched downwards and its nine sparkling golden tails waving above its head and back, shimmering gold, pink, blue, and green. In the background a dark scaly shape with red har looms, and an eye can be seen. The title is written in gold on the cover. The style is textured with streamlined shapes.

The Fox Who Wanted Nine Golden Tails - Book Cover

Book cover design for The Fox who wanted Nine Golden Tails Painted in Krita.

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Latest Projects

Digital painting of a bunch of cats in the garden. The style is textured and shapes are very stylized, while the overlaps between the cats and the background are coloured so that there is an almost ghostly effect. The main colors are teals and pinks.
Ongoing

Feeding Time - Picture Book

A picture book project that I am in the process of conceptualizing, about people who feed the neighbourhood strays.

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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.
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 of a cover for a children's book, titled 'The Fox who wanted Nine Golden Tails'. It shows a stylized red fox with its back arched downwards and its nine sparkling golden tails waving above its head and back, shimmering gold, pink, blue, and green. In the background a dark scaly shape with red har looms, and an eye can be seen. The title is written in gold on the cover. The style is textured with streamlined shapes.
Ongoing

The Fox who wanted Nine Golden Tails - Storytelling Performance and Picture Book

This is a story I adapted into a version for Mandarin storytelling based off an early 20th-century American children's novel of almost the same name. The novel is loosely based on Japanese mythology and is already in the public domain. I initially wrote and performed the Mandarin…

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Digital painting with chalk texture and batik-inspired style and motifs, of the young girl facing the viewer and breathing in the fragrance of herbs she is holding in her hands with her eyes close. The title is written in gold letters above her, and a colorful scent cloud wafts across the page, and there is a garden of plants in the background. A white cat with a red harness pokes its head from behind the scent cloud on the left of the page.
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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