Today we’d like to introduce you to Grey Li.
Grey, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in a small city in southern China and loved drawing since childhood. Back in elementary school, I used to sneak a stack of A4 paper from our home printer and tear it in half by hand, mostly because I didn’t have the patience to cut each sheet properly and I didn’t want to spend my snack money on an actual sketchbook. I’d punch four holes along the edge and bind the pages together with a piece of wire. Just like that, a scrappy, homemade sketchbook was done. I filled book after book with my doodled comics, recording goofy stories and jokes I came up with, and my classmates loved them. they’d pass them around at a laugh while reading them, and that made me feel proud and accomplished. (There was a childhood friend who used to make those comics with me. I hope she’s doing well now.)
This experience naturally led me onto the path of art.
(I don’t really draw comics anymore, right now I’m more focused on illustration and animation.)
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This path hasn’t been the smoothest, mainly because I used to be a “not very good” kid. Growing up in Asia, being anything less than excellent — whether it be in academics, music, or sports — was something not tolerated in the environment around me. So, before high school (when I started art), life felt like hell. Looking back, I’ve realized that if someone grows up in an environment where education is tied to violence and humiliation, it’s hard for them to grow up healthy, mentally or emotionally. Living under constant anxiety and fear held me back in a lot of ways. But thankfully, I got into an art program in high school, and later, arrived in the U.S. for college to become an art student, just like I had hoped.
Looking ahead, I plan to keep pouring my love and patience into drawing, animation, pixel games, video games, bubble, birds, my dog, my family and friends, and my…Well, let’s just say the past is the past.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work mainly focuses on book illustration, game art, and 2D animated assets. I mainly use Photoshop, Procreate, Adobe After Effects, and Aseprite. My styles include line work, gouache-style painting, and pixel art. I can also work with traditional media, such as Micron pens, pencils, oil paint, and gouache.
What I am best at and most proud of is the 2D animation I taught myself over the past two years. This skill has become a very powerful tool in both digital illustration and pixel art, especially when I need to create assets that match the needs of the market.
Moving forward, I plan to continue refining my current skill set while also exploring new tools and media to meet the needs of today’s creative market.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Savannah’s chilling town view is really unique, but what I loved most were the trees draped in Spanish moss. It was my first time seeing trees that are wearing veils. Beyond that, being able to see the city’s preserved ruins and historical traces felt like a truly special experience. Walking through Savannah, I don’t need to seek out tourist spots on purpose—the whole city feels like a slowly unfolding album of memories from the past.
That said, my least favorite part is also about walking: this city was clearly designed for walking. Trying to drive here can be frustrating sometimes. Also, when is that Paris Baguette opening? It has been “coming soon” for a year.
Pricing:
- character illustration Headshot: 300$+
- Bust-up: 400$+
- Waist up: 500$+
- Thighs up: 700$+
- Full Body: 900$+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://owlinlantern.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/owlinlantern_/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grey-li
