Lime Chang teaches children art, which involves using black markers and waste paper to be creative. It’s simple, yet there are unlimited possibilities. You could recycle that piece of waste paper, or just get rid of it, but how about drawing on it? With just a marker and a piece of waste paper, you could create a new world of your own.
Lime Chang
We asked Lime a few questions about his work...
Could you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into drawing? Is it something you have always done?
Growing up, I actually lacked confidence in my drawings because I couldn’t draw according to the standards everyone has when it comes to ‘realism.’ Nevertheless, I became an ‘art teacher.’ During class, I like to encourage the kids by telling them, “there are no correct answers or mistakes in drawing; drawing is just right!” Then it got me thinking, “I ought to walk the talk!” I was constantly encouraging the kids to draw, yet hardly drew myself! So, I gave myself a challenge: draw every single day, for one hundred days. I’ve stuck to that until this very day.
Your drawings can often be quite abstract - Where do you find inspiration for them? And how do you want the viewer to see each piece or is it open to their own interpretation?
I have many sources of inspiration. Sometimes it’s something interesting that has happened in my life, or an object I spot and really resonate with. Other ideas my imagination seems to just pluck out of thin air! It could also be something intriguing online that I transform into a piece of my own. I also find inspiration in what I studied at university – sociology. Usually, those pieces revolve around sharing a particular concept, such as ‘social stigma,’ ‘power relations,’ ‘gender,’ etc.
For the majority of my work, I hope viewers can appreciate it the moment they lay eyes on it. Perhaps some pieces will strike a chord and resonate with the viewer beyond those first few moments, but there will also be some that don’t, and that’s fine – it’s just the way it goes.
How do you know when a design is finished? Do you ever go back to old drawings and add to them?
The moment I sign the piece, it’s finished, and after a piece is signed, I don’t do anything else to it.
Your drawings have been made into Line stickers, has this helped give exposure to your work?
Just a little.
Your work consists of black lines? Have you always used this style or have you ever used colour in your previous work?
Most of my work revolves around the black lines, because I think when colour is removed, viewers will focus more on my penwork.