Hi, welcome to Artist’s Corner, where we’ll be discussing some of the great artists featured in our puzzles.
Today we’ll be talking about fabulous contemporary artist Phuong Ngo. Phuong is based in Australia and provided the illustrations for two of our newest puzzles, ‘Love Thy Plants’ and ‘Water Thy Plants’. These contemporary puzzles are colourful and cute. They make a great gift for a plant lover! We recently had a catch-up chat with Phuong to find out more about her and her artwork...
I've been drawing since the day I learned how to hold onto a pencil. When I was younger I'd draw on everything: my Barbies, on tables, the walls (sorry mum) and sometimes even my own face. It was my favourite thing to do growing up and it's still my favourite thing to this day!
What inspires you when you start a new piece of art?
When starting a new piece, I'm usually influenced by the mood I'm in. If I'm feeling enthusiastic I'd include people, movement and lots of colour; If I'm feeling like I need to wind down, I'd stick to still-life illustrations, plants and less colour.
What's your creative method?
It depends on the type of artwork I'd be making. For illustrations - always pencil to paper first! I like to mix my media, so often I would start with a rough line drawing on paper. Afterwards I'd scan, edit and print the line drawing onto watercolour paper for painting. Then I'd scan it once more for a quick touch up on photoshop. For paper cut outs - I'd simply paint the paper first, cut them out into shapes, arrange then scan!
We love your bold colour scheme! How did you choose those shades and what made you think of limiting your colours in that way?
I think it's something that naturally came with the subject matter, and the feeling I wanted to depict.
Plants are generally different shades of green, and baby pink is endearing and playful (also my favourite colour); so it just made sense to use the two together! I wouldn't say it's a limitation necessarily, it's more of a guide! It helps keep my work looking consistent on IG's grid but also it saves me time trying to figure out what colours to use for each new artwork!
You're clearly a big plant lover like us! What's your favourite houseplant?
Call me basic, but my favourite houseplant is my monstera. It was gifted to me three years ago when it was a small timid little plant, and now it's matured into a boisterous, proud plant with at least 8 BIG fenestrated leaves. It's very dear to me and I cannot wait to see it grow more and more.
What can we expect from you in the future? / What is your dream future project?
One of my dreams is to illustrate my own children's book! I'd love to set up my own creative agency eventually and maybe even open my own pottery painting class/studio (with BYO drinks??) Lots to look forward to :)
You can view more of Phuong’s art on her instagram
'Love Thy Plants’ and ‘Water Thy Plants’ are available now!