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Sher Rill Ng nerdybio: The Nerd Community

Sher Rill Ng

Interviewed on
July 18, 2022 in Illustrator Mac

Who are you, and what do you do?

My name is Sher Rill Ng, and I am a digital illustrator based in Woirurrung-Melbourne. I started out as a web designer and slowly but surely became a freelance illustrator where I've been lucky enough to work with some lovely people, including those at [BugHerd][] and [Buildkite][].

I am also a picture book illustrator! My first author-illustrated book Our Little Inventor was released in 2019 and I am currently working on a new picture book written by Alice Pung, which is due to be released in 2022.

What hardware(tools) and software do you use?

My trusty [MacBook Pro][macbook-pro] 13" and [Wacom Cintiq 24HD][cintiq]. I've been working with this setup for the last 7+ years (already?!) and it's still going strong. When I find myself working remotely (which is surprisingly often), my alternative digital drawing tools are my [iPad Pro][ipad-pro] and [Apple Pencil 2][apple-pencil], or my [Wacom Intuos Pro][intuos-pro] (medium).

And on the rare occasions that I'm able to work traditionally, I have a small collection of half-used sketch books (usually an impulse buy), a stack of A4 printing paper for roughs, a newly acquired Holbein gouache set and probably more pencils than I need. I don't have a particular favourite, but anything softer than 2B is excellent.

Up until recently, [Photoshop][] was my one and only illustration software, and I have been using it since university. The Photography Bundle is the way to go, if you're on a budget, and you can even set up a [portfolio][] that's linked to your [Behance][] account. I've been on the look out for some alternatives as well, so now I can add [Procreate][procreate-ios] (on iPad) and [Clip Studio Paint EX][clip-studio-paint] to my list.

Procreate has been wonderful for drawing up ideas and concepts, as well as working remotely. Clip Studio Paint has been around for ages, and I'm just sorry I hadn't tried it sooner. As a digital painter it was quite a change from PS but I'm learning to love it just as much.

Oh and [Blender][] recently came in handy for a complicated background. Very handy for getting perspective right. So there's that too.

What would be your dream/dream setup?

I haven't felt the urge to upgrade my tech gear, so maybe I'm already working with my dream setup? Although a dedicated art studio with more desk space and lots of shelves would be nice! A separate space for work with traditional mediums and one for the tech. Right now, everything is tucked into a corner of my living room. Which, if you're looking on the bright side, is one of the nice things about working digitally though, as one doesn't need to take up a whole lot of room to make art.

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