Alex Cheng

1. How long did it take for you to fully develop your style? How did it start? What major changes have you made?

As an illustrator, it’s taken me my entire life just to develop a “sense” of style and I still can’t tell how definitive it is. I’m entirely self-taught, and started drawing when I discovered comic books as a child. So, for years, my art unfortunately resembled early 90s Image comics, with giant muscles/breasts and EXTREME ACTION. I continually simplified it though and became attracted to work that featured clean, bold lines and block-coloring, like animation. I’m at a point now where I feel comfortable but I’m continually trying to simplify and embolden my work.

2. Do you work professionally?

I do – as the Senior Editor and Storyboard Artist for Concentrated, in Chicago. 3. Do you practice other art forms or only animation? Any particular reason why?   My main creative outlet is filmmaking actually, simply because you can create immersive sensory experiences.

4. Who/what are you most inspired by?

  In terms of artists, I idolize Osamu Tezuka and Joe Kubert the most. Though stylistically opposite, their art is so elegant and simple; conveying so much information and character in the barest of lines or strokes. They’re both masters of page economy and are so immediately readable. Tezuka’s work, especially, has an instant iconic recognizability. I also love how he draws huge forearms and meat-fists on all his characters.

5. How do your fans receive your work? Are you illustrations easily understood by most viewers or do you have a specific niche of fans?

Usually I get my work out to people by passing out links to my films through vimeo ( tinyurl.com/alexcheng ) or through festival attendance. In terms of illustration, it’s almost always through promo materials for the films.  

6. How often do you work on your craft?

For illustration, rarely as of late. I recently finished a poster for a film of mine, and it was probably the first time I’ve drawn in 6 months. But it’s started to snowball and I’ve been drawing often again. Ideally I’d be producing in a constant uninterrupted pace.

7. What would you imagine yourself doing if you didn’t draw?

I suppose relying entirely on filmmaking, though it’s hard to imagine that. They’ve really always gone side-by-side for me, as I get creative tunnel-vision and draw based on film ideas and vice-versa.

8. What do you hope to accomplish in the future. Is there a greater purpose/goal to your current work?

I have personal, cultural goals behind most of my work, but the only real purpose behind it is to create something that will hopefully entertain and inspire others.

9. Describe what it was like to integrate your style with Little Brass Bird in episode 2.

Alternately upsetting and awesome, actually! But only because I was approached to do it months and months earlier and couldn’t hold to any kind of schedule. I was drawing storyboards freelance, at the time, and my workload was brutal enough that I was icing my drawing hand every few hours and applying ancient Chinese medicines to keep it from exploding. Before I knew it, it was the night before the deadline and I burst through them in an overnight flurry of illustration. It was refreshing though — the first personal work I had done in months and I loved the material. I was also laughing to myself when drawing the instrument reveal panel.  

10. Are you still writing and acting?

I write constantly and I act through performing voiceovers, so yes.

11. Anything new coming up?

I’m working with my close friend Andy Mason on a comic right now – an abstraction of the standard mouse fantasy (is that even a genre?) like Redwall, Mouse Guard and Mice Templar. I don’t want to say too much right now, but we’re playing around with some very exciting twists and ideas. I’m mainly writing but we’re collaborating on layouts and I’ll end up doing some covers and possibly some color and ink work.

12. Anything else?

  I have a Kickstarter up for my latest film, Rampage In Heaven — a identity piece that transplants the 16th century Chinese novel, Journey To The West, into a mutated, apocalyptic world. You should check it out at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alexcheng/rampage-in-heaven-a-post-apocalyptic-short-film

 LBB NOTE: Hey folks, we highly recommend you visit Alex’s Kickstarter site and check out his epic Monkey King project!! We’re pledging, you should too!!

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