BenZhen Sung is a Chinese-American illustrator from Los Angeles

BenZhen Sung is a Chinese-American illustrator from Los Angeles, California. After studying concept art at the Feng Zhu School of Design in Singapore, she pivoted to illustration and character design for children’s books and animation. She loves drawing people and is constantly inspired by the lived experiences of those she encounters – in books, in the news, in real life. 

We asked BenZhen a few questions to learn more about her, so read on…

What would you say is your best piece of work / collaboration to date, and why? 

I once had the privilege of collaborating with a small team from a school in Bangladesh, creating illustrations for a sign language text for elementary school students. It was a short but tremendously meaningful project for me, as I was able to apply my passion for drawing fun, relatable characters towards a good purpose - helping hard-of-hearing students with sign language acquisition, while also realistically depicting and therefore normalizing/humanizing their experiences. 

Where do you like to go to be inspired, or how do you find your inspiration? 

I love listening to people share stories about themselves, and I am often inspired by these personal stories, whether they are lighthearted and mundane anecdotes about home or school life, or more solemn and tearful recollections about love and loss (and everything in between). I enjoy creating “true-to-life” illustrations that are emotionally authentic, so referencing details from others’ lived experiences - what they noticed, how they felt, how they reacted, what their motivations were, etc - has always been a constant and unending source of inspiration.

Is there anything you'd say you would be a good advocate for? Please elaborate if so. 

I am an advocate for human connection and relationship-building. Is that a thing? I believe that life is beautiful, but also inevitably very difficult, and that we are not meant to go through the up’s and down’s of life alone; we thrive only when we are able to give and receive esteem, consideration, and care to/from one another. Healthy relationships will involve some element of effort as well as luck, but I’ll always believe in and advocate for the life-giving power of family and friends.

What would you say sets you apart from other illustrators?Something you feel is unique to you.

I love drawing people, especially, and imbuing my characters with lifelike body language and facial expressions. It is important to me to create art that is honest and resonates emotionally with my audiences - art in which they recognize themselves or others in a deeper way. Illustration for me is not about aesthetics alone, but aesthetics in tandem with truthful and engaging storytelling. 

If you have done paid commissions prior to joining the agency, what would you say is something that clients repeatedly come to you for (up to now)? 

An observant and charming lifelikeness in my character art and illustrations.

How would you describe your style? 

Playful, detailed, generally realistic in sensibilities but lightly stylized. Grounded in a clear culture, time, and place.

Please give a scenario of a project that would mean the world to you, if you were offered it - something that connects to something meaningful to you.

I am particularly drawn to stories about love, hardship, adventure, bravery, and sacrifice, and would be utterly delighted if I ever had the opportunity to illustrate/make art for a children’s (or middle grade/young adult) project with such themes. Could be a book, but could also be a presentation, poster session, game project…as long as I could use my love of drawing emotional characters and story moments towards illustrating or encouraging such realities, that would mean the world to me.

Are you working on any personal projects you can share with us? 

A couple, but they are in the infancy stage at the moment, so not quite ready to share yet!

Finally, if you were to illustrate a book related to a real life person, who would that be? 

Perhaps  Anne Frank, author of “Diary of a Young Girl,” or C.S. Lewis, author of “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

If you’re interested in working with the talented BenZhen, please contact: [email protected]

At illo agency, we pride ourselves in representing a collation of global illustrators, distinctly diverse in creativity and uniquely celebrated by like-minded clients across a range of commercial markets.