Spotlight on the Interior Artist for the Polish TGCF: V-0-3!

Welcome to a new edition of Danmei Dreams’s artist spotlight, featuring Vi!  These spotlights highlight some of the incredible, creative, and cool artists making danmei fan art. The artists will 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 Vi, the official interior artist for the Polish edition of Heaven Official’s Blessing and a talented webcomic writer.

Why I Love Vi’s Art

Okay, I’m going to reveal a secret here.  When I first sat down to make a list of artists I wanted to feature on Danmei Dreams, I divided it into two buckets: 1.) incredible, amazing artists; and 2.) incredible amazing artists I was too intimidated to reach out to right away.  Vi was in that latter category, both because she is the official interior artist for the Polish edition of Heaven Official’s Blessing but also because her work is so polished, dynamic, and emotionally touching. I’m glad I finally worked up the courage to approach her though, because Vi couldn’t have been more welcoming or pleasant to work with.

There are so many things Vi does well, but one that stood out to me from the first moment I saw her artwork was the way in which each facet of her work serves to give voice to the characters’ feelings and inner life.  Vi talks about this a bit later in the interview, giving some insight into how she approaches composition based on what she’s trying to convey.  It shows through in the incredible dynamism of her work, whether it’s that close intimacy of a shared moment between characters or epic portraiture of a heroic figure.  Her sense of line is also exquisitely tuned–you’ll see as you browse through her art that she deftly wields hard, angular lines to tell a certain kind of story just as expertly as she introduces curves and organic softness to create shared affection.

I could go on for a while with my appreciation, but I’m sure you want to hear from the artist herself.  Without further ado, let me introduce Vi!

Meet Vi

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

I’m V-0-3 but people call me Vi! I’m a graphic designer from Poland but my main job is writing and drawing my webcomic, occasionally I take various illustration jobs.

What was your introduction to danmei?

I don’t even remember! I believe I kept seeing all the gorgeous fanarts online, especially those from TGCF, and I really wanted to know what it’s all about. I think it was around when Genshin Impact first came around and I was fascinated by Liyue and wanted to get to know Chinese culture and folklore more when I decided to buy my first book.

Official Illustration Experience

Congratulations on your work as an interior artist for the Polish edition of Heaven Official’s Blessing! How did this opportunity come about, and what was your initial reaction?

The publisher wrote to me first asking if I’m available for work! We first talked about making colorful illustrations for endpapers but we landed with black and white inside illustrations. I was really happy about that because I love this type of illustrations: I adore depicting scenes in gray-scale, making the characters interact with each other (thus my manga-inspired comic work 😆). At first I thought it’s a mistake since I hadn’t even heard we would have a polish edition! When it all turned out to be true and definitely real, I was beyond excited.

What kind of brief or direction did you receive for the interior illustrations? Did you have a say in which scenes or moments you would illustrate, or were they assigned to you? Were there specific elements or themes from the series you were asked to incorporate into your illustrations?

I got a list of chosen scenes with short fragments from books and that was basically it, I had full creative control over how I depict the scene and what exactly I’ll decide to show. At the end they tell me what things to change, usually it’s minor things like a different hand placement or change in Chinese characters on objects. I’m really grateful the publisher has such big trust in me and my work that I rarely need any additional instructions or changes.

What were some unique challenges or exciting aspects of creating illustrations that would accompany the text for a new Polish-speaking audience?

The fact that my work will be published and available to see in bookstores in the whole country was definitely the most exciting part! Especially for such beloved series as TGCF, I couldn’t ask for a bigger honor and opportunity. The biggest challenge I guess was to make the illustrations unique to only our polish edition. I didn’t want them to resemble anyone’s style from other editions, I wanted our polish illustrations to be truly our own, that’s why I kind of moved from the “chinese ink style” illustrations I saw in other countries. I absolutely love them, I just wanted something different for us! I made mine to look a bit like traditional pencil sketches and I’m glad people seem to really like them.

When you’re illustrating a specific moment, how do you decide what to show and what to leave to the reader’s imagination?

If the scene is focused more on the vibe or emotions, I like to show more of the background and not much of the character: it’s a very good trick I use in my comic as well, when you want to show the character is deep in thought or is about to do something significant, I like to show them small with a large and detailed background surrounding them in the illustrations. This way I want to show the reader how much weight is on the character’s shoulders, with the literal weight of the background around them in that scene.

When the scene is about characters interacting, I like to focus on the details of their body language, expressions and how their clothes flow, with much less happening in the background. It makes eyes less distracted and moving straight to where I want the reader to look: the characters’ faces.

Did you take references from existing art for the series, or other adaptations? How did you work to make your illustrations your own while staying true to the story?

I didn’t! I try to check other adaptations as little as possible because we’re just humans and, even unwillingly, I could unconsciously take too much inspiration from someone else. For references I checked only the book fragments provided by the publisher and the animation for characters’ looks. As we know there’s very little descriptions of how the characters look so I had to find a very neutral style for references and the official animation felt like a good base. From there I searched for actual photos of historical gowns for inspirations or artworks of chinese artists that didn’t draw anything related to danmei.

What has the reaction been like from the danmei community?

So far very positive! It was very heartwarming to see people so excited to see my art inside their favourite story, not only in Poland but also abroad! Lots of people tell me they ordered it only to have the edition with my illustrations in their collection, since they won’t be able to read it in polish anyway haha On top of that people at cons come to me for autographs in their copies which I didn’t even dream of.

Has working on official interior art influenced your perspective on your fan art in any way?

Fanarts are still looked down upon in professional business but this only proves that it’s a great way to open further opportunities. Thanks to fanarts I currently get to work for a professional publisher and in the past I did small jobs for companies like Marvel and Hoyoverse, just because someone out there liked my fanart. So I will try to make even more fanarts to show my love for a franchise and who knows when it will lead me next.

Do you have a favorite interior illustration or a particular scene you enjoyed bringing to life the most?

For some reason I really like two I did for the second volume: one is Xie Lian kneeling in front of the pickle jar; I find this one really charming in some way and it’s my favourite I’ve done so far. The second is the finding of Ming Yi, I tried to make him look very hot and I believe I succeeded haha

Creative Process & Style

What inspires you to create new works of art?

Good stories! I like to hide easter eggs in my colourful artworks so if the story is good with a great lore, the more elements I’m able to hide in a creative way. Writing my own story also keeps me inspired and motivated to keep drawing new pages.

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

Definitely digital tablet with Photoshop and CSP. It’s easy and convenient as I don’t have to worry about ruining a paper trying to erase a mistake and I can zoom in as much as I want to when I draw the smallest details. When I drew my recent TGCF fanart I literally drew every thread of the embroidered flowers on Xie Lian’s dress and no one stopped me. If I was to paint something like that traditionally, the canvas would have to be enormous.

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

I’d describe it as an in-between of anime/manga and realism. I have parts that I keep simple and easy to read, like in anime, with bold and bright colours and expressive faces, but also things I love to draw more realistic, like clothes and regular objects. Danmei fanarts made me draw more loose clothes and open backgrounds with more nature and I definitely see the influence in my other work now. I draw clothing much more easily now.

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

I absolutely adore Xiao Tong, Airi Pan, Yoneyama Mai and 摸鱼斋 aka washanapple on Twitter. They all have masterful use of colours and composition I aspire to learn one day. On the manga side of my inspirations sits Kamome Shirahama, Yuto Sano and Inio Asano.

Art and Storytelling

How do you choose which danmei scenes or characters to illustrate? Are there specific moments, themes, or characters that inspire you the most?

I like all the scenes when the characters finally touch. I love drawing intimate scenes, when the two of them are finally close, their bodies loosen up, their expressions soften. That’s my thing, to show how much they yearned for each other without even undressing them, to show their love in the movement of their hands. That’s why hands are my favourite thing to draw! They can show just as much emotions as a face.

Danmei stories often have deep emotional connections and character development. How do you convey those emotions through your art?

Love is stored in hands and in eyes! That’s what someone once said about my art and I try to live up to that sentiment.

Do you try to stay true to the canon representations of the characters, or do you incorporate your own interpretations and styles into your art?

I do try to give them my own spin but mostly with side characters. Hua Cheng’ and Xie Lian’ looks are so iconic it’s too risky to try to change them too much 😆

Fandom & Community

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

I don’t think I feel like I’m part of a community as in a larger concept. I only read the books in silence at home and draw things I sometimes post online and some people will buy them, and all the big discussions and fangirling I have with like 3 very close friends in private. They’re my community 🫶

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

When my mom found out I illustrated the book, she got one herself, even though danmei isn’t her cup of tea. The book then got taken by my youngest sister who brought it to school and told everyone around that her sister made the illustrations inside and if they can buy more for the school library haha I listened to it in horror and said “ Mom, this isn’t a book for kids this age!!”

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 definitely trying to finish volume 2 of my comic this year! There are always smaller or bigger projects to do, I’ve worked on an album cover recently and finished a short comic for a contest (that won a mastery award yay!) and I hope to keep working on future TGCF volumes and maybe more danmei in Poland if I get the chance.

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

Stay patient. We live in a fast moving world where everyone seems to make instant progress and 12 years old are better at drawing than you’ll ever be. That’s not true. Art, like it or not, takes time and learning takes time and you may learn slower than someone else but it doesn’t mean you will never learn. Just draw for the fun of it and progress will come to you eventually.

Outside of danmei, what other genres or fandoms do you enjoy creating art for?  Can you tell us a little about your webcomic?

I really like doing fanarts for games with unique character designs. For a while it’s been Genshin Impact, now I’m slowly moving towards Hades 2! The art for this game is absolutely amazing and all the characters seem so fun to draw and I can’t wait to find some free time to draw Heracles, I’m weak for big hairy men hahaha

Tell us more about your webcomic!

About my comic! In very few words, it’s a detective story placed in the near future. Our main character Caleb is a special agent with equally special ability to control time. One of his current cases turns out to be connected to the disappearance of his twin brother and Caleb gets obsessed to find out the truth of his tragic past. By his side there’s Lynn: Caleb’s personal doctor that patches him up after dangerous actions and calms him when things get too heated. They’re both secretly in love but neither of them has the courage to make the first move as it would risk their work performances. Instead, Caleb writes songs for Lynn with his music band, and Lynn patiently applies more stitches whenever Caleb does something stupid to himself in their silent dance around each other. Will Caleb choose to fully absorb himself in the case of his dead brother? Or will he finally admit his feelings to Lynn? Someone keeps following Caleb and it seems they don’t have good intentions…

Appreciation

As you can see by now, Vi is an amazing artist.  Please take some time to show your appreciation by following her on social media, checking out her amazing webcomic, and even consider–especially if you’re as big a fan as I am–buying the Polish edition of Heaven Official’s Blessing to see Vi’s official artwork of some fan favorite characters.