Meet Yutong (Susie) Lu | Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yutong (Susie) Lu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yutong (Susie), why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I have loved drawing since I was very young. When I was in elementary school, I especially liked reading comic books, and in junior high school, I saw an illustration book that told the story of the artist and his friend. I liked the book very much, so I I wished I could draw a story about my life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In fact, I think the thing that I am most proud of so far is my luck. I was lucky to have the support of my family and friends, and to have met a very responsible professor. It was not easy for me to get to where I am today. Because I grew up reading Japanese manga, in my narrow-minded perception at that time, I thought being good at drawing was like in those manga, with a nine-headed body beautiful girl. So I once thought my own drawing was very bad, because I could not draw such a picture. But in my later learning and growth I was exposed to a broader knowledge, I found that there are many different styles in the world. It’s not just the Pretty Girl style that is the standard of good. I learned that I need to have my own style. So I kept researching, and looked at the works of many great artists. So my advice and lesson learned is to be confident and to look at the work of other artists, to have a broader perspective in order to create good work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First I will take my friend to downtown, to see the aquarium and some famous attractions. Then I would take them to eat good Asian food. Atlanta really has a lot of good Asian food. Then I would take them to museums for a few days to learn about the local culture.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First of all, I would like to thank my family for their understanding and support, which gave me the opportunity to become an illustrator. Secondly, I would like to thank my friends, who have helped me in many ways. Finally I would like to thank my professor Julie Lieberman, she gave me a lot of advice and help with my works, I am really grateful to her, without her I would not have my great works, I love her so much.

Website: https://susieluuu.myportfolio.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susielu_illustration/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susie-lu-0a61bb222/