Brian Khoo
"Dive"
Q&A with Brian Khoo
When did you start drawing?
Back when I was a kid, my mum would carry a pen and notepad around: Whenever there was nothing to do, at a restaurant or waiting for the doctor, she would hand them to me to draw. The drawing habit stuck. I would draw in class and event on the back of exam booklets.
What do you use to create your works?
Good old mechanical pencil, paper, followed by Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. It's a process influenced by architecture, which I recently completed my Master's in. I used to delve in a mix of media, from watercolours and acrylic paints to gel pens. Now that I have graduated, I'm hoping to find time to go back to physical media again.
What is your creative process like?
When I think of something interesting to draw, I type a short sentence describing the image in my phone, where it gets stored in a digital vault of ideas. When I have time, I do a quick sketch of the scene, maybe running through a few rough sketches, each iteration adding a bit more detail. From there, it goes to Illustrator for line work and base colours, before being run through Photoshop to add textures and details.
What inspires you?
A space, its atmosphere, and the way someone might feel within it. My illustrations often put you in unconventional viewing positions, in order to invoke calm, awe or peace.
Who are your key influences?
Off the top of my head: An illustrator known online as Silence Television - I really love his attention to detail and the way he handles colour; English graphic designer Olly Moss, whom I have admired since secondary school; American realist artist Edward Hopper, and especially his painting Nighthawks.
I also appreciate the work of DKNG Studios, Turnislefthome (Timothy J. Reynolds) and (who makes me want to really learn how to digital paint properly).
What are you working on now?
Right now, I'm working on an illustration for a church booklet. It is actually quite a challenge due to the cliches that Christian illustrations and designs fall into. Aside from that, the next step in the architecture learning journey: getting a job!
When did you start drawing?
Back when I was a kid, my mum would carry a pen and notepad around: Whenever there was nothing to do, at a restaurant or waiting for the doctor, she would hand them to me to draw. The drawing habit stuck. I would draw in class and event on the back of exam booklets.
What do you use to create your works?
Good old mechanical pencil, paper, followed by Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. It's a process influenced by architecture, which I recently completed my Master's in. I used to delve in a mix of media, from watercolours and acrylic paints to gel pens. Now that I have graduated, I'm hoping to find time to go back to physical media again.
What is your creative process like?
When I think of something interesting to draw, I type a short sentence describing the image in my phone, where it gets stored in a digital vault of ideas. When I have time, I do a quick sketch of the scene, maybe running through a few rough sketches, each iteration adding a bit more detail. From there, it goes to Illustrator for line work and base colours, before being run through Photoshop to add textures and details.
What inspires you?
A space, its atmosphere, and the way someone might feel within it. My illustrations often put you in unconventional viewing positions, in order to invoke calm, awe or peace.
Who are your key influences?
Off the top of my head: An illustrator known online as Silence Television - I really love his attention to detail and the way he handles colour; English graphic designer Olly Moss, whom I have admired since secondary school; American realist artist Edward Hopper, and especially his painting Nighthawks.
I also appreciate the work of DKNG Studios, Turnislefthome (Timothy J. Reynolds) and (who makes me want to really learn how to digital paint properly).
What are you working on now?
Right now, I'm working on an illustration for a church booklet. It is actually quite a challenge due to the cliches that Christian illustrations and designs fall into. Aside from that, the next step in the architecture learning journey: getting a job!
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Brian Khoo is an architecture graduate, who also seriously enjoys illustration and graphic design. He used to draw mostly animals, but now can draw buildings too. Instagram: @brnkh |
