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Today WebM.ag is speaking the fantastic illustrator that is Wendy Ding, Wendy does a great deal in the design niche, including some top notch pieces in Web Designer Magazine, Wendy works out of Toronto, Canada.

WebM.ag: So Wendy, Tell our readers a little about yourself and what you do?
WD: I’m an illustrator / designer with an obsession for all things fun, pretty and exciting. I daydream a lot and my inspiration comes from music, fashion, colours and patterns. I’m currently listening to music while I write this!

WebM.ag: What are you working on at the moment, anything exciting?
WD:A few things: I’m working with fellow Toronto illustrator Charlene Chua on some children’s illustration, as well as preparing for an indie zine show in Toronto called Canzine. Otherwise, I try to keep busy updating my blog, news, and working on new art. And when I can’t sit still anymore, I take a dance break in the living room!

WebM.ag: Where do you look when your need a little inspiration?
WD: I listen to music as I sketch and work. It transports me into another world mentally. I like to let the beats and melodies discover imagery by painting my mind with imaginative thoughts. Another favourite is nature because there are endless fascinating colours, shades and textures waiting to be toyed with. Oh yeah.

WebM.ag: What would be your dream project to work on?
WD: Hmm…where to begin. I would love to do illustrations for fashion / apparel, album artwork and advertising campaign. As long as the medium lets illustration do the talking, it’s all dandy!

WebM.ag: Have you achieved all you want to achieve? If not what’s left for you to conquer?
WD: Oh dear, not even close. I haven’t been out of school that long so there’s still much I’d like to achieve. On top of building my career as an illustrator and artist, I want to one day open my own theme park based on all my loves: food, music, fun, good times with friends and of course, the Food Girls (http://www.wendyding.com/projects/food-girls)! It would be like a girly version of Disneyland meets me, with a heart shaped centre-piece landmark, a retro funhouse cafe and ideally, burlesque performers depicting the Food Girls! One day, one day.

WebM.ag: What tips would you give to an aspiring designer?
WD: - Keep on drawing / sketching / designing, even if it’s just for yourself. And don’t be afraid to experiment.
- Make continuous efforts to keep your mind fresh by reading up on design, art, and anything else that interests you.
- Initiate contact with companies and people you see yourself working with. Make time for a phone call, email, or even an in-person visit. This makes your hiring potential real.
- Most importantly, don’t ever give up!

WebM.ag: A typical working day for Wendy Ding is?
WD: Not sure on the order of things because I don’t keep track, but it usually consists of: emails, drawing / sketching / designing, dance break, snacks, meals, reading, surfing the net, client work, walking (time for fresh air!), dance break.

WebM.ag: What are your favourite websites?
WD: icanhascheezburger.com, polyvore.com, myfirstfail.com, drawger.com, vectips.com, sexypeople-blog.com

WebM.ag: You have done a good number of magazine pieces, is it something you enjoy?
WD: Certainly! I love sharing my work process with readers across the globe and hopefully inspiring them along the way.

WebM.ag: Tell us something about you that you haven’t mentioned in an interview before?
WD: I started developing a love for digital art in high school. I was enrolled in a special computer-arts program and will always remember when I picked up my very first Illustrator 8 handbook. (The good ol’ days!) It was a real joy getting to know vectors. I also played with Flash for quite awhile and it wasn’t until college that I got truly comfortable with pixels and Photoshop. I guess you could say I grew up on vector street!

WebM.ag: Did you go to college/university to learn design, or are you self-taught?
WD: I first went to university for a year in New Media but quickly realized what I truly wanted to learn was illustration. So I switched to another school (Sheridan Institute in Canada) and graduated from their BAA Illustration program in 2008.

I’d like to add that no matter what level of education one receives, what they come to master will inevitably depend on self-teaching to some degree as it takes unwavering curiosity and devotion to get really good at a particular field. Even though I had computer classes throughout school, it was ultimately my undying love for vectors and pixels that kept me going.

WebM.ag: So what can we expect from you going into 2010 and beyond?
WD: My on-line store! I’ve not gotten around to it yet (I had an Etsy account briefly) so that’s top of the list for the new year. Otherwise, hopefully more magazine work (I’m gonna submit to Computer Arts, they’re a dream client!), more Food Girls, and more art shows. I’ll make all the updates on my blog so check back to see what I’m up to. Or you can nag me if you catch me not falling through with my goals! (www.artfulwendy.blogspot.com)

Quick Fire!

Music Of Choice? Electronic Dance
What are you reading? Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
IE6, love or hate? Not sure…
PC or MAC? I like both
Facebook or Twitter? I like both

A Big Thank You To Wendy!

We would like to thank Wendy for taking time out to speak to us. If you want to view more of Wendy’s work you can at artfulwendy.blogspot.com and wendyding.com, and remember you can contact Wendy through her sites or through Twitter: @wendyding

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