Today we’d like to introduce you to Lina Kang.
Lina, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’ve drawn as long as I can remember. My mom always likes to tell me how I would go through stacks of printer paper by drawing all day long. What began my love for storytelling through art was when I first moved abroad to Canada from South Korea. I didn’t have many friends at first because of the language barrier and basically lived in the library so I could improve my English faster. This grew my love for combining drawing with reading. Whenever I read a book, I would try to visualize it as much as I could, making the imaginary world seem as real and tangible as possible in my head. I would pause whenever they introduced a new character or a setting just to take the time to fully organize and plan what they looked like in my head before continuing reading. The books that took me the longest to read were mystery novels because they always had at least twenty characters haha. Afterwards, I would try to draw out everything that I envisioned while reading.
From elementary school to high school graduation, I took as many art classes as I could. Even though I would sometimes go through slumps, I always knew deep down that art was something that would forever be in my life. It was what I had the most fun with and what I always came back to. Currently, I’m pursuing a BFA in Illustration at Rhode Island School of Design.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My illustrations are mostly done in traditional media and my go-to medium of choice are acryla gouache, watercolor and colored pencils. A really important aspect to my work is color and these materials allow me a little wiggle room to experiment and to layer as much as I want until I reach the color that seems just right.
These days, I have been loving creating illustrations based off of music or my dreams. I think the surreality and nonsense that comes into play from dreams and creating a visual aid for something that we can only hear allows the mind to wander into endless possibilities of different stories. My other biggest source of inspiration is definitely my friends who continue to amaze me daily with their work, but inspiration can really come from anywhere! I’m interested in a wide variety of things, including costume design, animation, puppetry, and children’s books, and I’m excited to see where they’ll take me in the future.
As of right now, I hope to convey a sense of surreality, nostalgia, and lightheartedness to others when they see my work. Ideally, I think being able to bring any form of familiarity or warmth to the viewer is what I aspire to achieve.
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
I feel like I’m always in the process of learning, whether it be about myself or about art (they often seem to go hand in hand together). My advice for other artists would be to loosen up and have fun. It sounds simple, but it can be the easiest thing or the hardest thing to achieve. Having fun not only makes the process of creating much more exciting but also allows you the freedom to stay honest and true to yourself and your work. I think it’s important to question what we make and why we make them. Find ideas, stories, and beliefs that are meaningful to you and that get you excited and push forward! With enough time and practice, things will fall into place.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
The best places to see my work are through my social media! I’m active on both Instagram (@rinaahrt) and Tumblr (rinaahrt.tumblr.com). I can also be reached through my email at ykang03@risd.edu for any questions, inquiries or just to chat!
Contact Info:
- Email: ykang03@risd.edu
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rinaahrt
- Other: https://rinaahrt.tumblr.com/
Image Credit:
Lina Kang
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