5 for 5, in 5 – Lip Wei
Welcome welcome welcome, YSC crew! We are back for another installment of our ongoing 555 interview series! If you don’t know what that is, firstly, where have you been? Secondly, it’s where we sit down with artists and creators and ask them 5 questions, in exchange for 5 photos, all in the space of 5 minutes.
This time we talk to “The Malaysian Sensation”, Mr Chang Lip Wei!!! A relative newcomer as a cover artist, Lip Wei has been quietly honing his craft in Malaysia and us here at Yellow Snow Comics could not be prouder to have unleashed his genius onto the world! (For comic covers anyway. He’s been killing it as an artist for years). That is enough out of me, let’s get into it!!
Please introduce yourself!
Hi, my name is Lip Wei, Chang Lip Wei. I like my iced tea shaken, not stirred. I'm an illustrator based at Penang, Malaysia and am honored to be a part of the Yellow Snow Comics family. Thank you for having me!
1-What got you into art, or earliest memory of art/drawing?
My earliest memory is probably around 4 or 5 years old. My older brother brought home a copy of Akira Toriyama's Dragonball. I started imitating the art and style and drawing with pencil on calendar paper. I'd also signed up to art classes to learn other mediums such as crayon, watercolor, sketching etc. Here are some of my old artworks from my younger days (you guys are welcome to use them on any suitable covers). I guess it never stopped from then onwards!
2-You have very diverse roles within the artistic community. Besides being a burgeoning cover artist, you also do concept design and storyboards, as well as practicing more traditional mediums such as painting and illustration. My understanding is that you also work in arts education. Tell us a bit about that experience, and do the interactions with your students help you with your own artistic endeavors?
Definitely! I found out about Chainsaw Man through a student's presentation. I see it as a mutually beneficial relationship; getting inspired by their work and if they make mistakes, it's a reminder for me to avoid them. I still teach 1 day per week, and we are all still learning and discovering!
3-What are your artistic influences (comics and/or general artistic inspiration such as visual artists as an example)?
To name my top three would be: Katsuhiro Otomo, Naoki Urasawa (and NO, I do not have a book of prophecy for world domination, in case you're wondering), and Akira Toriyama. Other inspirations include Jorge Jimenez, Jim Lee, Kim Jung-gi, Juanjo Guarnido, Marcos Mateu-Mestre and many Malaysian artists such as Redcode, Kael Ngu, Alan Quah, Zeen Chin etc. Sometimes I take inspiration from concept artists for mood and layout angles also.
4-I noticed recently that you created and minted your first NFT (I have been dabbling with the recent Marvel NFT comics on VeVe.). Are you doing this for just a bit of fun and see where it goes, or are you all in and can see NFT’s becoming the next step in fine art collecting?
It is part of my ever-evolving process - venturing into the unknown and acquiring new skills. But, yes, I have in fact minted my first NFT to learn about the processes. Personally, I feel that NFT is a good platform to showcase your personal IP and another income stream for artists. I cannot predict the future, but there will be an evolved version of NFTs, and I wouldn't want to miss out. I will continue to test out the NFT market; as soon as I'm done with everything on my schedule. Oh, the NFT is still available for anyone interested (ahem, sales pitch!) here LipWei RidiculArt Series
5-Do you have a favourite aspect to comics you like to work on?
My biggest dream would be working on interior pages as I enjoy the storytelling element and turning scripts into panels. I try my best to bring the story elements to commissions or cover art that I have done or will be doing. I have no preference to be honest on characters; I will draw anything requested and see it as a challenge to bring out the best that I have to offer.
Bonus Question: Why do you think that you keep getting exclusives for books with long ass titles? (The Me you Love in the Dark and What's the Furthest Place from Here?)
LOL, I don't know but I thank YSC for the opportunities for these books. Can't wait for the next new project I'll be working on!
Bonus Question 2: I have heard through the grapevine that we share a love of “Synthwave” and “Japanese City Pop”. What are the 5 best epic tracks to get your draw on?
My pick, or at least on my current playlist:
GRAVITY - A Synthwave Retrowave Special Compilation
Timecop1983 - Night Drive [Full album]
The Matrix - Epic Medley [Rob Dougan, Juno Reactor & Don Davis {Mixed By Tie}
John Wick - Workout Mix (feat. Le Castle Vania, Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard)
Any parting words? People you’d like to thank, tell them what you really think of them, or just any sage advice
Thank you everyone for your support and a special shoutout to Yellow Snow Comics for putting trust in me for my breakout work! I will continue to draw for as long as you guys will have me! Also, be good, stay safe and take care!
That is, it! We are done and dusted with another 555 for now crew. We want to extend our sincerest thanks and gratitude to Lipwei for not just the interview, but for allowing us to be the first shop that had the chance to share him with the wider world. He is a remarkable talent, and we know there’ll be great thing from him in the future.
So, for now check out his socials and give him a like and/or a follow, and remember we have some amazing exclusives from him on our shop!!
What’s The Furthest Place From Here? Lipwei Exclusive
The Me You Love In The Dark Lipwei Exclusive
Thanks to Lipwei again, and until next time!
Micheal
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