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Thanh Phan (from Ha Tinh province) is a young illustrator born in the 1990s, currently working with Lionbooks (a children's cultural book company) in Hanoi. In the past two years, few young illustrators have published 40 books like her. With her "I Love My Vietnam" series, Thanh Phan has created many books about Vietnamese culture, such as: The Great Central Highlands, Grandma's Summer in the Mekong Delta, Flying Amidst the Flowers to Hanoi, Truong Sa! That Sea Belongs to Us…
Illustrator Thanh Phan
Imagination in illustration
Thanh Phan graduated with a degree in Graphic Design from the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts. Initially, she gained experience designing publications and brands before starting with illustration. From the very beginning of this genre, she sought out people in the field and styles to express her desired artistic vision through each drawing.
"Illustrating is different from creating original artwork. It starts with researching what images to include, how to create them, and then sketching and finalizing the design. Therefore, the requirements and subject matter are always at the initial research stage. The specific requirements determine the direction for the artwork. Although I'm not the one creating the content for the work, I need to outline what the author of each book wants," said artist Thanh Phan.
The painting is from the book "Roof on the Plateau".
To create these paintings, Thanh Phan had to research extensively about the Central Highlands, imagining what the air there smelled like.
Illustrations typically use hand-drawn images to construct a story, situation, or specific action, conveying a message or meaning. Illustrations make content more engaging and provide a more enjoyable experience for the reader.
In the book series "Truong Sa! That Sea Belongs to Us," part of the "I Love My Vietnam" series, which celebrates the people and nature of Vietnam, the illustrations are by artist Thanh Phan. Although she has never been to Truong Sa, she has poured a lot of emotion into each drawing. She grasps the essence of the characters and the story very well in her perception and creation. Importantly, young readers not only read the book but also experience life there through the realistic illustrations by artist Thanh Phan.
Artist Thanh Phan (center) at the launch of the book "Truong Sa! That Sea Belongs to Us" at the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street.
Sharing about the biggest challenge in creating the illustrations for this book series, artist Thanh Phan said: “The most difficult thing was researching materials to determine the appropriate drawing style, what the author wanted, and what I wanted. Because I haven't had the opportunity to visit Truong Sa, I could only rely quite closely on the materials and images provided by the author's actual trip. Vietnam has many islands with similar landscapes, but Truong Sa is a very different archipelago among countless other islands, especially tourist islands,” the female artist shared.
According to her, the challenge in illustrating for children is that the drawings need to be eye-catching but not overdone. If the images are too exaggerated, children will not be able to control their imagination.
Thanh Phan explained that illustrating is different from painting. It starts with researching what images to include, how to create the composition, and then progresses to sketching and finally producing a finished version.
These journeys provide deeper insights, observations, and emotions that enrich each story.
Among her many trips, Thanh Phan's solo journey through the Mekong Delta remains a memorable and emotional experience whenever she recounts it. From the moment she received the manuscript, she found it difficult to imagine what the Mekong Delta was like, and she subsequently planned a solo trip to this unfamiliar place.
When composing, Thanh Phan typically uses vibrant, bright colors.
“If I hadn't seen and experienced it firsthand, it would have been very difficult for someone from the North to capture the 'mood' of the Mekong Delta, so I packed my bags and went. I always made sure no one noticed this girl traveling alone. Sometimes, watching my self-recorded videos and photos, and holding the finished artwork in my hands, I know that my decision to go was a wise one. Thanks to the experience of solo travel, I felt things more deeply, observed more carefully, and nurtured my emotions better when I started drawing the comic series. That's also one of the reasons why I'm increasingly happy with my work, being able to travel and draw my own experiences. Holding the book in my hands, I couldn't help but feel emotional. Although it wasn't the first book I drew, the feeling was so unique,” Thanh Phan reminisced.
Thanks to her solo travel experiences in the Mekong Delta, Thanh Phan gained a deeper understanding, observed more closely, and nurtured better emotions when she began drawing the comic series.
According to her, sometimes receiving a manuscript is difficult to visualize and imagine in order to draw, because only through real-life observation can a drawing be soulful and emotional. For example, small details from a trip to the Mekong Delta such as: the everyday clothing of the men, the steps of the houses, the local culture, the daily life of the local people… To create her artwork, Thanh Phan recorded every moment of the trip through sketches, photographs, and videos.
For illustrators, the greatest reward when drawing is the richness of emotion. In particular, it requires the ability to depict the imagination in one's mind, as well as to allow emotions to be more fully expressed. Furthermore, it demands the ability to observe both the external world and one's own inner self to find creative material.
To create the artwork, Thanh Phan captured moments from his travels through sketches, photographs, and videos.
