Young illustrator re-imagines Chinese poetic prose

Ye Luying's illustration of An Ode to the Goddess of Luo. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"The accessories and clothes are carefully chosen according to the prose and other historical documents. Cao Zhi explains that the goddess wears gold and emerald jewelries with bright pearls to add radiance to her body. I think the most natural matter may as well be the most radiant one. That is why I replaced the jewels with water splashes, which flow and glitter in the sunshine," Ye added.

Almost every supporting figure and every piece of accessory in this illustration series are designed by Ye herself. "For instance, I created the goldfish next to the goddess to serve as an embodiment of her emotions. This is a technique rarely used in traditional Chinese paintings."

Besides artistic design, Ye believes the most significant part of creating illustrations is effective communication.