Uses This

1276 interviews since 2009

A picture of Sher Rill Ng

Sher Rill Ng

Illustrator

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 do you use?

My trusty MacBook Pro 13" and Wacom Cintiq 24HD. 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 and Apple Pencil 2, or my Wacom 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.

And what software?

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 (on iPad) and Clip Studio Paint EX 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 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.