Based in New York, Jun is an illustrator and animator. He currently works as an editorial illustrator, where his works have been shown in publications like the The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post. “Often, a publication will give me a piece of an article as a prompt. It’s my job to translate the idea into visuals. I have a lot of restrictions, which is challenging. But it also stimulates my creativity.”
Sometimes, Jun runs into roadblocks. “Generating ideas can be very hard. I have to have inspiration.” His solution? A sketchbook, where he jots down miscellaneous musings on a daily basis. “When I do commercial work, I just pick out ideas from my sketchbook. Things that I think of in my everyday life.”
Growing up in China, Jun never imagined that he would pursue art professionally. Originally, his plan was to study English. “I always loved making art, but never got the chance to actually study it.” When he made the decision to go to art school, however, he felt like it was the first big decision he’d ever made in his life.
Some of Jun’s inspirations? Among other things, the interconnectivity of life, the color pink, and meditative post-rock. “When people see me work, they think that the music I listen to will make me fall asleep. For me, it doesn’t work that way. That’s just how I work.”
As well as illustrative work, Jun has made cel animations and animated music videos. His most recent piece was a two minute short that took him three months to finish. “I like making animations because it allows me to collaborate with a wide variety of artists.”
To see more of Jun’s work, visit his website! Or shop the collection below.
