‘Storytelling and emotional connection matter more than aesthetics,’ says illustrator Fangfang Han [Video]

The pandemic was awful, let’s make no bones about it, but just how many talented creatives discovered their true calling during lockdown? Count Fangfang Han among them. In 2020, she was a fashion buyer working in a busy industry where there just wasn’t time to explore other creative avenues. Fast forward to 2024, and she’s recently won a World Illustration Award for New Talent in Animation.

Plenty of learning, exploring new mediums and conceptualisation has gone on between then and now. “My style has been shaped through years of experimentation – printmaking, collage, hand-drawing, stop-motion, digital painting – I’ve tried it all. While most of my work is now digital, my style is still evolving. To me, storytelling and emotional connection matter more than just aesthetics. It’s about the message I’m conveying and how it makes people feel,” says Fangfang.

Originally from Hefei in eastern China, Fangfang relocated to London, studied illustration at the Kingston College of Art, …