The Magic of Whooli Chen!

17 April 2023

Whooli Chen’s magic lies in the foundations of her art, sprinkled with dreamlike landscapes, pastel palettes and nature-adoring depictions. Indulge in her ethereal packaging designs for Land & Flavours of Taiwan, in collaboration with SATUR and the National Palace Museum. Drawing on traditional Chinese art, each custom design denotes a flavour or a collection from the museum such as the centuries-old ceramics, patterned with paintings of auspicious flowers and enamels.

 

Your illustrations are often described as otherworldly, it’s no secret that you and nature are in a love affair! How do you create your signature style permeated in delicate colourings?
 

I normally do pencil drawings with digital colouring and I use the Gradient Tool in Photoshop to create the colours in my work. I love the subtle colour changes in gradients and always choose the combinations with discretion while enjoying the unexpected transitions a simple gradient can create. I find the colours in nature offer the most inspiring and whimsical combinations. 

We love the traditional Taiwanese elements that shine through your work, is this a conscious effort to celebrate your culture? 
 

I’m kind of conscious about putting things that I like into my illustrations, I guess one’s origin and the things surrounding them can be reflected in their creations. I am particularly drawn to traditional Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and Korean paintings, I think apart from my root, in Taiwan, the influence of Asia can also be seen in my work.

 
Your recent partnership with SATUR and the National Palace Museum touches on traditional Chinese art. Tell us more about this commission!
 

It’s a packaging commission for a drip coffee collection, which was a crossover collaboration between SATUR, a coffee company, and the National Palace Museum. My colleague and I agree that the research phase was the most enjoyable part of this commission as we had the opportunity to delve into the National Palace Museum collection database, which was quite a treat.

Indulge in the Whooli Chen magic by visiting her portfolio now... 

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