Spotlight on a Gorgeous Danmei Embroidery Artist: Tien

Welcome to a new edition of Danmei Dreams’s artist spotlight, featuring Tien!  These spotlights highlight some of the incredible, creative, and cool artists making danmei fan art. The artists share some of their favorite work, talk about their process and approach, and you can find out how to follow and support them.  You can read previous editions of artist spotlights here.  Today we’ll be focusing on Tien, who creates absolutely stunning danmei embroidery pieces.

Why I Love Tien’s Art

I mean, first of all have you looked at it?  Who wouldn’t be charmed, delighted, and in awe of Tien’s artistry?  The medium of embroidery naturally brings with it a degree of texture and flirtation with three-dimensional space, and Tien takes advantage of that medium to emphasize these qualities through her craftsmanship.  She masterfully plays with three-dimensional space, sometimes emphasizing a more flat affect to draw the viewer in, while in other pieces delivering a sense of depth that accentuates the drama and grandeur of a scene. Her textures are also incredibly rich–she manipulates the colors and lines in each scene to emphasize movement and change or to reinforce smooth, calm stability.

We all know that social media rewards consistent engagement, which for artists often means posting work quickly and regularly. And sometimes that’s lovely, but it also can exclude artists working more slowly, whether due to the medium or to their own process. I’m so excited today to share this gorgeous art that takes a longer time to create. As you can see, the time spent is very worthwhile. Please enjoy, and support and spread the word!

Meet Tien

Can you introduce yourself and share a little bit about your background as an artist?

Hello, I’m Tien, an embroidery artist from Malaysia. Since I was a child, I was fascinated by pretty threads and how you could make pretty designs that you could touch and feel on fabrics. I didn’t have the means then to learn until 2018, I found an embroidery kit and tried out the most basic of stitches while at the same time I was experimenting with cross-stitching as well.

I didn’t seriously get into embroidery until the end of 2019; and by the time 2020 rolled in, the pandemic started. Everyone was starting a hobby back then. I took the opportunity to buy books, pick up some tutorials, and tips from social media, to learn how to do thread painting, which is the technique of embroidery I mainly use. I would get bored really quickly if I stuck to one subject for too long; so I was trying everything from flowers to animal portraits, anime characters to replicas of famous paintings. It’s been a fun journey; I didn’t really think I would get far with this craft.

What was your introduction to danmei?

I actually have been into BL since the start of 2000s, but was mostly into Japanese ones and wasn’t aware of danmei. Until I was scrolling on Instagram one day in 2023, and there was a reel of amazing cosplay transformations by Chinese cosplayers. One of them happened to be a Hua Cheng cosplayer and my first reaction was “Oooh, hot guy! From where? WHAT. There’s CHINESE BL?! It’s a New York Times Bestseller?!?” Then down the rabbit hole I went. 2 weeks later, I finished the TGCF novels. The conclusion is, I got into danmei because Hua Hua is too hot.

Editor’s Note: I think many of us can relate.

How long have you been creating danmei fan art?

I started the first piece with Hualian in the blood rain in mid-year of 2023, so it’s been a little over 2 years now.

Creative Process & Style

What inspires you to create new works of art?

Usually it’s a scene from a title that gets me thinking, “I could do that and make it fun”. Or the other way around, and I find a new technique or fun tool that I want to incorporate, so I start looking for things I can do.

What is your preferred medium and tools for creating your art, and why?

Nowadays, I mostly use organza in my work; even though I absolutely hate working with it. It’s transparent and does really well to give a sense of depth with a bit of a misty look. I also like playing with LED lights; it’s so fun to do mix media and gives things some extra oomph.

How would you describe your art style? Has it evolved since you started creating danmei fan art?

I think it’s gotten a lot bolder, and more maximalist since I’ve started doing danmei fan art. Which aligns with my personality because I’m very extra. Haha. I love colours, and it’s given me the opportunity to go absolutely bananas with the thread colours.

Are there any particular artists or art movements that influence your work?

I will have to credit Sydney of @syd.stitch on Instagram. She no longer updates her account, but she was making mind-blowing 3D embroidery during the COVID pandemic. She was the one who made me think, “I wanna do that some day!” I miss seeing her art.

Fandom & Community

How has the danmei fandom influenced your art? Do you feel a strong connection with the community?

Before this, I was stitching sceneries, paintings and a couple of quotes; now it’s all gay men. LOL Ah yes, I’ve definitely connected with a lot of people, who like the same stories and appreciate my work, some becoming my wonderful friends. It’s been really great developing friendships within the community.

What is your favorite part about creating art for a danmei fan audience?

I like how through creating danmei art, it has become a very LGBTQIA+ friendly space on my social media account and I love that because there’s no room for hate.

Have you received any particularly memorable feedback or reactions from fans of your art?

“Not your grandmother’s embroidery.”

Future Plans and Advice

What’s next for you as an artist? Do you have any upcoming projects or themes you’re excited to explore?

I’m hoping I’ll find some new fun ways to spice things up; like the Hualian piece with the magnetic butterfly. I might try out more stump work embroidery. Right now, I’m halfway through a simple landscape piece with Cezhou from Qiang Jin Jiu, and hopefully it’ll be done within the year (2025).

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in danmei fan art or art in general?

Do anything, try anything that tickles your fancy. Stop worrying about what others would think. And most importantly, have fun at it! (I say this, but I typically only have fun seeing it finished.)

Fun Questions

What’s your favorite danmei scene and why?

I’d have to say that moment when Hua Cheng walks Xie Lian, both in red like at a traditional Chinese wedding, through the blood rain in a creepy forest with hanging corpses. I had the CHILLS. That was the scene that started this insanity called my art. Ahaha.

Outside of danmei, what other genres or fandoms do you enjoy creating art for?

Embroidery is one of the slowest forms of art; so I don’t really have the leisure of creating that many. Even this year alone, I’ll probably only get two done. If the inspiration strikes, I MIGHT consider some Korean BL novels, although it’s heavily dependent on how I feel then. 

Appreciation

As Tien mentions, embroidery is a slow medium without the quick engagement an artist might get from a sketch on social media.  I hope we can all do our part to celebrate artists whose work takes time to create!  Please follow, share, support, and delight in the creations that Tien shares with us.  Her work is most definitely worth waiting for.