Illustrations don’t need to explain everything

First up in “Signed,” our new monthly series: Peilin Li, junior designer at BUCK, on what makes her work hers. 

1980s New York, Digital

If your work was in a lineup with no names attached, what would give you away?

Probably the sense of movement and the details. My work is often dense and full of characters, objects, and small moments, but I always try to give that complexity a clear rhythm and hierarchy. I like compositions that feel as if something has just happened or is about to happen, so even a still image feels alive and invites you to keep looking.

Ultraman

Beautiful World

Pick one piece and zoom in on a single decision—why that choice?

Beautiful World recreates a drawing I made as a child, reinterpreted through my visual language today. I used shades of green to build the environment and kept real animals more muted, while reserving saturated pinks, yellows, and oranges for the main character and imaginary creatures. This contrast lets reality and imagination coexist, while keeping the world playful, warm, and slightly mysterious.

Spring

What’s something you’ll always believe about illustration?

I’ll always believe that illustration doesn’t need to explain everything. A single image can suggest what happened before and what might happen next through a gesture, an object, or the space between characters. I like leaving room for viewers to notice details and build their own connections, expand their own imagination. To me, illustration is most powerful when the viewer becomes part of the storytelling.

Chastity&Lust

Winter on the Balcon

Signed,

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