Yuewei Nino Li

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Character Design

Editorial

Graphic

Boy and witch boating on lake at sunset with blue butterflies

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Japanese woman with sushi and seafood kimono design

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Poster for band I DON'T LIKE MONDAYS' first New York City live show

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Woman surrounded by hands holding drinks symbolizing workplace drinking pressure

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Photographed, composed, digitally illustrated

Big-city glamour and Japanese influences.

Now based in New York City, she goes by the handle Nino and relishes any blank canvas put before her. The bright lights and big city feature in many of Nino’s images, and The Big Apple is one of her biggest inspirations. This is crossed with a lifelong interest in Japanese art and animation. Clients enjoy discussing the various creative possibilities she brings to the table and seeing their ideas brought to life in ways they may not have anticipated. Photography is a key inspiration for Nino and she actively uses it to plan her illustrations, taking numerous pictures to set up the compositions and inform her drawings. She studied animation at the School of Visual Arts in New York, but switched majors to illustration as she discovered her passion for static images.

Approach

Nino paints digitally using Photoshop and Procreate.

Key software

Photoshop, Procreate and Lightroom.

Style

Nino works in three styles. Firstly, decorative illustration inspired by New York and its architecture. Secondly, using simple line work and collage to create portraits. Thirdly, collage illustrations assembled from collected materials.

Languages

English, Chinese and Japanese.

Impressions

Interview

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Interview

What led you to become an illustrator? I’ve been fascinated by observation since I was a child—I loved watching people, plants, and the sky. After spending so much time observing, I started imagining the world inside my head and wanting to create it. Cameras can capture real life, and film can document stories, but only drawing allows me to tell inner stories completely from my own perspective. In elementary school, we used to draw on our desks—characters, scenes, whatever we imagined—and I think that’s where my desire to keep drawing started. It might sound idealistic, but I just want to keep chasing that feeling.Did you study illustration in college? I studied illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York. I actually started in the animation department, but later transferred to illustration. It’s a very open and diverse field. I especially enjoyed participating in the school’s art fairs.Where did you grow up? I mainly grew up in two places: Suzhou, Jiangsu in China, and Tokyo, Japan. I’ve been deeply influenced by both cultures. Suzhou is a humid city that taught me how to draw lush, leafy plants, while Tokyo exposed me to real aesthetics and art in a more international setting.Where do you live now and what drew you there? I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, though I’ll be moving to Tokyo soon. I recently graduated and wanted to leave the noisy atmosphere of Manhattan. Brooklyn is much quieter, with more greenery, parks, and easy access to the seaside. Another reason is that I’m living with former classmates—we draw together and care for our cat. It’s nice to retain some of our student routines.Describe your studio for us My studio is still a work in progress, but it’s comfortable and suits my lifestyle. I don’t have a lot of space, so I’ve packed everything into a small room—books, collectibles, plush toys, cameras. I like having everything close by so I can reach for what I need easily. My desk holds my computer and iPad, and the walls are covered with postcards I love, many of them from friends or artists I admire. Seeing those beautiful things on the wall every day makes me feel happy and grateful.If you could collaborate with another artist or creative of any genre, living or dead, who would it be?If I had to choose, I’d love to collaborate with a playwright or composer—someone like Japanese composer Yuki Kajiura. I’ve always dreamed of creating cover art for her music. Her compositions inspire me deeply; they slip into my mind like poetry and make me want to paint.What’s your favourite way to spend a day off?I love going to the seaside or sitting in a café to enjoy some quiet time and observe the world around me. I’ll often watch what people are wearing and how styles change, and it helps me better understand the current season.Do you collect anything? I love collecting cameras and film! It’s one of my biggest hobbies. I often draw inspiration from my own photographs. Compared to digital, film colors are richer and capture the world in a more emotional way. I hope my illustrations can have the same lasting power, it’s something that transcends time and space.What do you listen to when you work?I usually match my playlist to the mood of the project I’m working on. Personally, I enjoy psychedelic music, shoegaze, and Japanese tracks from the Showa and Heisei eras. I recommend anything by GARNET CROW, Yppah, and Bôa.Who is your art hero? I admire many illustrators and designers, but recently I’ve been particularly drawn to Peregrinations of a Comet by J. J. Grandville. The way he fuses shapes and lines feels both harmonious and precise—it brings a quiet stillness, like the calm of the night sky. The pastel color palette has such a rich texture, yet it blends so seamlessly with the darkness of space. I’m also fascinated by Reciprocal Accords by Wassily Kandinsky—it’s another piece that continues to inspire me.Who is your music hero? I would say the band Bôa. Their lyrics and melodies always bring me a sense of calm. Listening to their songs while wandering through the city feels like walking inside a quiet film—everything becomes softer, more poetic, as if time slows down just enough for me to breathe.What is your favourite book?My favorite book is The Bridge of San Luis Rey. The story itself is quite complex and elusive. I found it during a summer break in high school, at a vintage bookstore in San Francisco. I fell in love with that bookstore, and also with the book’s cover. The illustrations inside are rich in texture and narrative—it really stayed with me.What was the last exhibition you saw and loved?I really loved the Monet exhibition in Tokyo. They did a beautiful job with the promotional materials and created a fresh, natural atmosphere in the interior design. The room where the Water Lilies were displayed was especially memorable—it was a circular space, and it felt serene and immersive.What was the last concert you went to?Strictly speaking, the last concert I attended was a performance by my friend, a cellist, at Parsons School of Design. I also went to a musical adaptation of Attack on Titan, performed by Japanese actors in New York. It was an incredible and unforgettable experience—I’d love to see it again.If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? There are so many places I want to visit! But this question makes me want to choose somewhere unlikely, somewhere I dream of but might never reach. Maybe a remote forest or the summit of a snow-covered mountain. I’ve been to Tibet before, so perhaps it would be the hidden lakes and mountains deep within the region—places that are dangerous but deeply compelling to me. And if I could return to one last place, it would be my childhood home. It’s being sold soon, but I used to love lying on the rooftop at night, staring into the sky.Is there any random thing you consider yourself an expert on/any hidden talents?I think I’m quite good at mimicry—and reading people’s inner emotions. It's my way of connecting with others: I observe, listen, and often grasp what lies beneath their words. This sensitivity helps me shape my work in a way that resonates with other people’s inner worlds.You are stranded on a desert island with no power or running water. What 3 art supplies would you take?A sketchbook—ideally one that’s almost full. A few charcoal pencils. I need that deep black. And probably a sharpener. If I find any plants, no matter how barren, I’ll transform them into new tools. That way, I can fill the last page of my sketchbook with darkness, leaving behind only a few white spaces. If someone finds it one day, they’ll see the world I saw: above this desolate island, the stars would shine, untouched and unpolluted—the most beautiful sky imaginable.Is there a type of job you haven't done yet, but would love to do?Probably something related to crime investigation. As a child, I always dreamed of being a detective, even though that kind of job felt far out of reach. Now, I somehow ended up as an illustrator—still working my way forward. I never expected it, honestly. Can being an illustrator really sustain a life and future? I'm still finding out. But if not, maybe I’ll keep dreaming about becoming a detective after all.If you were not an illustrator, what would you be? I would study psychology. I think illustration and psychology have something in common: both try to express and uncover what’s hidden beneath the surface, either in ourselves or others. But even if I pursued another career or studied a different field, I would still keep drawing. Drawing, to me, is something I simply have to do. It’s what brings me joy—purely and deeply.

Favourites

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