Simply stated, Now On View celebrates and showcases the artists of Society6 and their work. Get to know them—and then get lost in their gallery.
Who are you and what do you do? My name is Ariel Sun and I’m a self-taught digital designer and illustrator. I’m inspired by the interplay of light and shade, amazing architecture all over the world, my travels and living a life on three continents. I’m also a proud cat mom to a sweet tabby named Mochi, and a passionate Kombucha brewer. I’m classically trained as a Chinese calligrapher, and I think that’s the reason I’ve been really into letterforms since they started trending on the Internet. I’m hoping to get good at hand-lettering one day!
Current city: I have just returned to NYC, the city I call home, from a 3-month stay in Berlin.
Clients: Art lovers from all over the world. Internet companies such as Wix.com and Help Scout; cultural institutions such as New York University; restaurants and local businesses; fashion labels and small to medium-sized creative brands.
How did you make these? I think I’m more digital of a person than analog. Instead of keeping a sketchbook, I take photos of objects, landscapes, dramatic lighting situations and compositions that inspire me, compile them and conceptualize what illustration or graphics I’d like to make out of them. When beginning an artwork, I use Adobe Illustrator to come up with a basic layout and the base layers before airdropping it into my iPad and sketch out the lighting and shading situations. I then go back to Adobe Illustrator to finish the artwork. Sometimes I use Photoshop to add specific effects or textures.
Why did you make these? Making digital art and illustrations has been a primary creative outlet for me over the past three years. I never went to art school and was never formally trained as an illustrator, so I’d say making the work was completely driven by passion. I would often find travel destinations, architecture and memorable life events so inspiring that I’d illustrate them in my spare time, as passion projects, and publish them online. Over time, my work started to get noticed, and new opportunities began to come my way.
What do people typically say about your work? Vibrant, colorful, clean, dramatic and minimalistic with an emphasis on harsh contrast.
Social: @its_ariels
"Party Is Over"
"The Smell of Summer"
"Breaking Dawn"
"Hello Darkness My Old Friend"
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