Cartoonist Pig Peach
Seeing the hope of Chinese comics from student works
The 15th Xiamen International Animation Festival Animation Works Contest Completed the Preliminary Evaluation
Xiamen Evening News (Text/Photo reporter Gong Xiaowan）The 15th Xiamen International Animation Festival “Golden Dolphin Award” animation works competition will conduct preliminary evaluation from April 15th to 17th. Yesterday, one of the judges and well-known cartoonist Zhu Letao accepted an exclusive interview with our reporter.
Feel how hard it is to choose a student’s masterpiece
Talking about the feelings of coming to Xiamen as a judge, Zhu Letao said that the comic works for this competition are diverse, especially the excellent works of students, which made it difficult for her to choose. Some excellent student works are very mature in terms of creativity, picture and narrative, and have a solid foundation. At first glance, they have accumulated a lot of paintings. The style and theme are unique and innovative, and they can even become professional authors. For example, there are sci-fi stories that take place in one room and are full of humor; there are stories about girlfriends between an introverted girl and an extroverted girl; there are fantasy dream stories about a lonely old man, etc. “I see the hope of Chinese comics from the works of these students, and I am looking forward to seeing how they will grow in the future, to see their works published, and to develop into master-level authors.”
Zhu Letao said that she also made her debut as a small author in the competition, and the current entries are completely different from hers in that era, with more vitality and creativity. “When I debuted, Chinese comics had just started, and the creative world was relatively small, but now the creative world of students is very large, no matter what themes are drawn, there will be readers. Back then, comics were considered only for children to read, but now there are comics for children. There are comics for adults, as well as comics with a two-dimensional style, which are widely accepted. With the progress of the times, various works will appear.”
Advice: I can’t come up with good works
As an experienced cartoonist, Zhu Letao also shared his creative experience. She believes that art must come from life. No matter what the theme of comics, even if it is science fiction, the final discussion is still about human nature, the relationship between people and people, and the relationship between people and the world. “If it’s an imaginary work, it’s like a tower without a foundation, and it will collapse when the wind blows.”
Zhu Letao said that her creative inspiration also comes from life. Before she got married and had children, she would tell about her fantasy travel experiences in her works, and after becoming a mother, she would draw some daily life of herself and her children. She believes, “I think China has such a large population base, as long as you create with sincerity and sincerity, your works will definitely be read by readers, and there are quite a few of them.”
“The current commercial works seem to come out of a mold. There is no shortage of good authors in China, but what is lacking is a well-developed and protected original market.” Zhu Letao said that for students who want to engage in comic creation full-time in the future, it is recommended that relevant parties Give them some support and room for development when they start, and provide them with a platform to publish their works and opportunities to publish, instead of just looking at the number of clicks and sales, causing them to be overwhelmed by the torrent of business. In this way, they can express their emotions without any scruples and sincerely, and grow from a small bud state to a big tree.
【Biography】
Zhu Letao: A well-known cartoonist who has won many professional awards for cartoons in China. His works were selected for the 11th National Art Exhibition and invited to participate in the “100 for 100 exhibition” European tour. Representative works: “Marta” series, “Childhood Time Machine” series, “Shi Shuo Xin Yu. Eight Weekly”, parent-child picture book “Baby, let’s travel around the world together!” “, “Listen, Daily Dialogue with Douzi” series, “Spiritual Healing Painting” series.