Artist in Residence: Liana Hee

Sense of wonder Keeping a work–life balance to stay inspired in her art is crucial to this US artist

A work–life balance for staying inspired in her art is crucial to this US artist.

When I set out to design my home studio, I wanted to create a charming space that felt magical. The room is small and I wanted to make the most of it. Luckily, I had a great foundation to work with: lovely hardwood floors and large windows that let in lots of natural light.

One of my favourite additions was placing a disco ball on the floor in the sun, allowing sparkles of light to glimmer across the room. Hanging clouds from the ceiling and having a vase of fresh flowers in the room makes me feel like I’m bringing in

When I set out to design my home studio, I wanted to create a charming space that felt magical

My one-of-a-kind Small World clock brings me so much joy! When I put my gallery wall together, I started with the clock and centred all of my art around his happy, smiling face.

When I paint digitally, I like to keep my Cintiq screen as upright as possible because I find that it helps with my posture. I mostly use my imac for watching a show or film while I work.

My cute little disco ball on the floor catches the sun’s rays and casts light sparkles all over the room throughout the day!

I’ve adored my deceivingly comfortable ghost chair for nearly ten years now and it accompanies me to every desk that I’ve worked at!

These floating clouds give the room such an airy, whimsical feel! Sometimes when they catch a draft, they slowly twirl and appear even more magical.

The complex patterns and vibrant colours on my vintage Beni Mguild Moroccan rug is the perfect addition to tie the room together.

I feel very lucky to have these gorgeous windows that let in warm light for most of the day. It’s wonderful to have natural lighting for painting.

My seashell chair is the perfect corner addition, sitting underneath my vintage Peter Pan poster. Also, I’m obsessed with my adorable octopus plushies!

Sometimes I really enjoy just drawing with a good ol’ ballpoint pen. I find that the illustrations end up looking very carefree and organic.

One of my favourite decorations is my Alice in Wonderland doorknob. I’d like to think of it as a quirky invitation to walk into my own little wonderland!

I’m so grateful to have gorgeous artworks on my walls and meaningful trinkets on my table

a bit of the outdoors. I feel most creative when I’m surrounded by things that I love and am so grateful to have gorgeous artworks on my walls and meaningful trinkets on my table. Having these things to admire around me as I work continues to inspire me on a daily basis.

I primarily work with gouache paint on cold press watercolour paper and when I work digitally, I use my 22 HD Cintiq and imac. My computer setup takes up most of the room on my tiny desk, but since I mostly create miniature paintings that are only about two to three inches big, I don’t need too much space!

EARLY RISER

I like to start my workday early. I wasn’t always like this, though. Back when I was in my 20s I couldn’t even wake up before 10am; now I naturally wake up at the crack of dawn. I guess this is a sure sign of getting older. Ha!

Usually, the benefit is enjoying the rising sun streaming through the windows and listening to the sound of early morning birds chirping. Now, despite how I’ve set up my whimsical little office and enjoy the birdies outside, working from home is not exactly a fairy tale.

As a full-time artist, I definitely have my share of challenges. I often struggle with the balance of creating personal and professional art and staying motivated. I find myself swamped with online order fulfilments that happens in my other “office” (otherwise known as the kitchen), and letting my workspace become a

complete disaster zone, becoming so overwhelmed that I don’t tidy the mess for days. I tend to become distracted by juggling too many tasks (including laundry) or zone into something for hours, barely coming up for air!

All of these things contribute to an unhealthy lifestyle for me and so I’ve been very mindful of how I spend the hours in my day. I make sure to get enough sleep at night, take necessary breaks, lunchtime walks and scheduling reasonable goals that I know I can accomplish. This way, I’m able to maintain wellness in all areas and feel good at the end of each day, knowing that I did my best.

Liana is an illustrator and character designer living in Los Angeles, California. She has worked for high-profile clients such as Nickelodeon, Disney and Random House Publishing, among others. You can find more of her work, which includes prints and enamel pins, at www.lianahee.etsy.com.

I feel most creative when I’m surrounded by things that I love

I recently painted Moonlight Flight for the Target House Heartwork Project (shown here on my Wacom Cintiq). Each year, money is raised for art supplies for the art room at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Anything that reminds me of vacation makes me happy so I’m often painting Tiki-inspired pin-up art.

I’ve had these adorable Ariel and Sisters figurines for a long time! They were designed by Chris Schnabel and I love them so much.

Gluing up a frame in the workshop with a view through to the printer workstation. Last year, I finally found the perfect wonderland mirror. It makes the room appear so much larger and I just love the ornate detailing!

I was fortunate enough to pick up this full set of Holbein gouache paint a couple of years ago at Comic-con. Each vibrant colour is truly a gem and these are the primary paints that I use every day!

I’m a huge fan of handwritten letters so I keep my stationery within easy reach. I also love vintage typewriters. This one is an Olivetti Valentine and the rich red hue and script font makes my heart swoon.

Mermaids are my favourite subjects to paint. There’s so much to work with, from the flowing tail to the hair. I painted this one as part of a set and loved her, so I decided to keep the original painting.

I love hearts, and mixing pinks and reds together. This babe was painted for Valentine’s Day.

I’ve spent years collecting vintage posters and original art to put my dream gallery wall together. Most of these pieces were created by friends and artists that I look up to and seeing these beautiful works each day continues to inspire me.

Having lovely collectibles around my desk makes me happy! This ornate jelly belly dispenser is so pretty to look at as well as offering a fun treat now and then.

This lovely, gold-detailed, footed water cup and paint palette set was custommade for me by ceramic artist Kristina Kotlier.

This animation light table was a special gift. I treasure it dearly and still use it to figure out new pieces I’m working on.