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Transport yourself to the Land of the Rising Sun with colours, and imagery so vibrant you could almost feel the gravel of Osaka Castle under your feet.
Witness a city, its history, and culture come to life with each stroke of a pen presented in this art kit.
With that said, let's welcome Angela Pan, the fourth artist to join our Art Kit collaboration!
Read on to learn more about Angela, her creative process using paint markers, her experiencing curating this Art Kit, and more—
We’re happy to have you here, Angela! To kickstart this interview, how about telling us a bit about yourself?
I’m Angela, I’m a Chinese Canadian Artist. I started my career in animation after graduating from Sheridan College’s animation program. I worked as a background painter and environment designer on various 2D & 3D animated TV series before leaving the industry. I’m now a self employed artist working on various personal projects and collaboration with brands.
Could you describe your experience curating the Paint Marker Art Kit? What did you enjoy and what were the challenges you faced in the process?
I love this project and I’m so happy with the final results. I love the fact that I get to create artwork in my own style with my favourite art medium. The fact that people who enjoy my work on instagram and have asked me about similar products now get to purchase this product. I enjoyed planning out art supplies, the guidebook pages and art theory pages.
Shizen and the team have always been patient, understanding, helpful and resourceful. I love all the feedback and input from the Mossery end. The only challenge I faced was the time restraint. This is partly due to me underestimating the amount of work involved in creating the guide book and workbook. Luckily the Mossery team was very understanding when I expressed the need to extend the deadline.
While your Practice Workbook and Guidebook have been embedded with experiences you've learned throughout the years, would you say that working on them has made you discover new things about yourself?
I think so. Creating artwork knowing that it’s a product that needs to work for the consumer made me create art in a more conscious way. It’s interesting knowing that these artwork will also be recreated by someone else. It pushed me to reflect on my techniques, my process and become more aware of how I create my work.
What do you hope our customers will feel upon receiving their Paint Marker Art Kit?
I hope they will be excited to try out the markers and work on the workbook. I hope the workbook isn’t too daunting or complicated for them to follow along. I hope the guidebook will be helpful in helping them improve.
What would you say to people who are hesitant to start creating art?
If you love art, or you have always been drawn to art related things in life, then you have the artistic senses in you to become an artist. Drawing, just like any other skill or trade, takes practise and patience. If you are afraid you are not good enough, or you feel like you missed the chance to go to art school; just know that it’s never too late to start. If you just keep drawing, you will improve and become the artist that you are destined to be.
Your illustrations seem to convey a lingering mood from the places they capture. How has painting the outdoors influenced the way you experience the world around you?
I’m glad to hear that, I hope I can capture the beauty I see with my illustrations. Ever since I started drawing from life and the outdoors, I’ve been observing and experiencing the world not just as a passerby but as an artist. I study different lighting and shadows that I walk past, and I try to identify all the colours I see in a way that can be translated into an art piece. I’m more aware of the beauty around me, and I feel at peace when I can successfully capture beauty I’ve once witnessed with my art.
What is a dream that you wish to accomplish with your art in the future?
I hope to tell stories with my art, either in the form of children’s books or graphic novels. It’s been on my goal list for a while and I’ve been somewhat afraid to start. I want to create books without the restraint from a publisher or any expectation from others, so I will have to think of ways of financing it on my own. The other reason for my procrastination is that I’m worried that I’m not good enough yet. This is something I’m sure many artists can relate to. I know I should just go for it and improve whilst doing it. Maybe later this year I will!
Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring artists out there?
If you are just starting out, don’t be scared of failing or not being considered “successful” in other’s eyes. There is always a way to make your dream happen; all it takes is just persistence. Before you know it, your work will gain the recognition it deserves. But don’t let outside expectations or sense of competition get in the way of creating what you truly care about. If you feel lost, try to remember what inspired you to draw in the first place and try to stay true to yourself.
In order to stay true to yourself, you'd have to figure out ways to balance art and business. Spend time on art and projects that are meaningful to you. Nothing will feel more satisfying than working on a project that you love. There is also nothing wrong in staying in a stress-free day job while doing art on the side; business will always be a part of the equation so just pick whatever suits your lifestyle.
Could you share with us your sources of inspiration that might surprise us?
My unsurprising source of inspiration for my art is obviously impressionism and Japanese woodblock prints. I’m thinking really hard...I don’t know if this is surprising but I’m inspired by stories of anyone who’s hard working or has gone through a lot to get to where they are. Whether it’s the biography of a cinematographer, architect, philosopher or Japanese idol group. It reminds me that no path is ever easy and I just need to keep going.
Trivia question! If you could be transported to any place in our world or in the fictional world to paint an unforgettable scenery, where would you want to go and why?
I’d want to be teleported to a time before civilization took form in Vancouver, Canada. Everytime I walked over the bridge and saw the beautiful mountains in the distance being half blocked by the skyscrapers, I alway wished I could travel back in time and paint it without the distraction of man-made structure. Hopefully I won't be attacked by wild animals while painting.
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Angela Pan is Chinese-Canadian illustrator currently based in Canada and you can find her on Instagram here.
Our new Angela Pan Paint Marker Art Kit is now available and shipping worldwide. Shop for yours today and explore the magical cities of Japan in the comfort of your own home!
Sway with the wind, bask in the streetlight and get lost in a wondrous sonder on your way home.
We hope you enjoy this curated art kit as much as we do and we look forward to seeing you all try a hand at recreating these breathtaking sceneries!
Remember to tag us with your unboxing clip @mosseryco on Instagram so we can share it!
