Artist Spotlight: Erica Tan

Meet Erica Tan, an amazing artist based in Singapore/Melbourne

Instagram - @not.ricata for photography @talismanic for art

What inspired you to start creating art? I've always been an artsy, weird, soul HAHA. Ever since I was a kid I've always been constantly bored and itching to do something, and I tried nearly every form of art I could get my hands on, from sketching to music to drama and dance. I also avoided studying like the plague, and any chance procrastinating I goddamn took. My parents were really supportive (If critical of my performances) and would push me to go for contests and classes.

What’s your process like when planning out a piece? I usually get ideas from everywhere, from books to random shower thoughts. I have Aphantasia, which means I don't visualise anything at all (Weird trait for an artist to have, I know haha) So my process starts with me gathering A LOT of reference images. I then do a couple of thumbnail sketches then dive right into drawing the piece. I work digitally most of the time, but I’ve been getting really into lino block printing and inking as well, and I find that my style looks different with every piece.

What or who do you pull inspiration from for your artwork? I'm really easily distracted, so I constantly have multiple influences that shift as easily as the seasons. A couple of mainstays though are mermaids and stars though! Currently I've been following a lot of Chinese photographers and tattoo artists, and I feel my art style veering towards that direction. I have so many heroes, from art giants like Loish and David Ardinaryas Lojaya to small local artists from my hometown of Singapore, like Birdritto (who is a lovely person irl) and Osomatte (my ex classmate!!!!!!!) . I also pull a lot of inspiration from the fantasy genre, and anything delightfully quirky :D i could go on and on about this but i didn't sleep last night and I think I'm rambling.

How do you overcome any challenges you face?

Most of my challenges come from my commitment issues haha. I get really bored really quick and jump from project to project, leaving most of my concepts incomplete in the dust. I really had to hunker down and make a checklist to make sure I finished it all.

Self portrait