frankie fellows, you know the drill: brand new issue, brand new extra poster! The sweet bonus poster tucked within your issue 104 delivery is by the talented Melbourne-based artist Candy Ng. We had a chat with Candy about her work, inspiration and how “Better Days Ahead” came to be.

Tell us about your art and creative style. My creative style is often a reflection of my own self-awareness journey – I like to capture my own experiences. My art is cheerful and aims to remind myself that joy can be found in little things in life. My digital illustrations often have textures and small details, inspired by reproduction techniques such as screenprinting and risograph printing.

When and how did you first begin making art of any kind? When I was a kid, I had speech sound disorders and social anxiety – I was extremely shy about speaking, bullied by other kids and I was nervous to make new friends. I guess initially I used drawing as my 'escape route' to deal with my boredom. Eventually my curiosity grew and I was able to overcome my anxieties and step out of my comfort zone. Making art became a gateway for me to express my voice, connect with others and grow as a person.

How did your artwork “Better Days Ahead” (now featured as a frankie poster!) come to be? Like many other people, I was thinking when is this pandemic going to be over?! “Better Days Ahead” began as a message to myself to have something to look forward to, to hope for – it’s what I needed to hear. And I think I was craving a piece of cake at the time! So I combined these two elements together before grabbing something to snack on.

Where do you find inspiration and creative motivation? I always find taking a break away from my phone and my working environment helps. I love to go on road trips or camping to get close to nature – smell the flowers, the forest, see wild animals and birds. Mindful moments like those help me to refresh my mind and feel inspired and motivated again. I am really looking forward to going on a hiking trip once I am allowed to. At the moment I try to go for long walks or go roller skating to clear my head.

What’s next on your ‘to-draw’ list? I have a painting project for RSPCA coming up so stay tuned for that! Otherwise, I’ll probably continue to finish off my personal projects – I have an ongoing drawing series called “Backpacking A-Z” and may have another series coming up related to food and dreams! I also hope to paint more, so a mural and some art pieces are on my radar.

Where can we see more of your work? You can follow my creative journey on my Instagram, @yanyancandyng and see my portfolio at thoughtscometrue.com.