Oh_Dingi: Hidden Object Anime Trip
After a deep dive of old to new works, the evolution of Oh_Dingi’s process becomes a little clearer. Learn the rules - skew the rules.
There’s a foundation of traditional work. Understanding anatomy, shapes, form, value and the rest. Beyond traditional, it takes a stylistic turn. By the newest works, it all comes together. Components of anime and textiles and shifting perspectives, rendered with psychedelic grit. The work is engaging - it makes you look for detail - ants on wallpaper, the reflection of a full face in an eyeball, a peach slice.
Oh_Dingi’s state of mind is relatable. It’s a mindset that subdues the isolation of the pandemic - with deep thinking, self-deprecating humour. And like most creatives - the push to create more - whether fuelled by displeasure of the last work, or the excitement of starting anew.
What sparked your creative pursuit?
I always had quite an active imagination, living the day to day inside my own head and I never fully realized that reality until late high school. The constant theme throughout my formative years was being an extremely self-aware person and I guess it's ironic on how long it took me to realize that I systemically would be thinking about 'nonsense' and how vivid it could get.
So, I don't know if I could say when any of that triggered my 'creative pursuit' exactly but I've always been into animated shows, film/media. I don't really consume too much of it though, in a sad way I indulge a lot more in projecting a web of scenes/conversations/theory/ imagery, etc. in my own head.
What does your daily routine/work session look like?
Since Covid I had a good excuse to just stay at home and work a part-time to pay off my debt for community College. At the moment I am regularly at home just drawing on my I pad for hours and/or pacing back and forth contemplating whatever comes to mind. I used to run 2-3 miles periodically but I stopped for no reason whatsoever.
Are you a full-time artist/freelancer?
Hm, I don't know how to answer that question cause if I had to label myself something at the moment it would be a 'shut in'; kidding, kind of. I'm full-time but, I don't really garner an income from it so most of my contemplation from the last question I answered is due to what I'm going through and what to do with my life. Hopefully my art could get me a steady salary soon.
What city are you from, and does it have any influence on your work?
All I'm going to say is I am currently located on the south east section of the U.S. - and not really. I guess the botanical parts of my work reflects where I was brought up but most people like flowers too so.
I saw on your page you've created a comic for a contest - do you have plans to create more comics/graphic novels? Was this your first?
Yeah, it was my first and was it that easy to tell? I honestly hate it but, I'm proud that I committed to doing that comic at the very last minute and stuck through it till the deadline. I would love to create more graphic novels/comics/zines. It would be a cool way to recycle all the junk that spawns from my unnecessarily long sessions of thinking... does that make sense? I do have a few things that are under the works and by under the works I mean I have been thinking of it for a while now.
What artists inspire/influence you?
A huge spectrum and not all are illustrators or visual artists. I'll section off just a few that just come to mind:
Directors: Lee Chang-dong, Bong Joon-ho, Wes Anderson, Masaaki Yuasa
Mangakas/comic creators : Yoshihiro Togashi, Inio Asano, Taiyō Matsumoto, SAKK SAKK (hellper on webtoons)
Visual artists: Xuhxyn (Instagram) , Yoshitaka Amano, Dan voinea.
There's definitely a ton more I'm just not good at conjuring up names.
Was there an artist or person who pushed you to take visual art seriously?
Myself, for many reasons. I definitely had ex-friends that pushed me to do art but I created that goal on pursuing art and especially for an audience whoever that may be. Recently I've been trying on just doing it for myself since it's quite therapeutic. I'm addicted to making work, posting it then hating it and making new work to justify that I could like something I created. I also love reading comments, everyone's surprisingly nice.
How has it been working through the pandemic?
Amazing! I love working on art and using the pandemic as an excuse to stay home and not see anyone. Only down side is money and being isolated from interactions with life other than my family and my significant other. In all seriousness, the beginning of the pandemic was an experience to say the least. I definitely wasted a good portion of this pandemic in terms of creating. Just a few months back I was adrift from relationships, losing even more contacts and leaving my last job. It almost forced me to create more just to keep myself sane. I get a sense of nostalgia when I draw now than ever before especially when there's an unwritten bond between the characters/subject.
What was your first big project?
Haven't had many, only that comes to mind is one that I recently did with my significant other, you can find it on their Instagram: @nihuhow. It was an arts video assignment for their college. The video itself is finished and posted on their account but the artwork is yet to be finished. I will finish it very soon I promise.
What kind of projects/work are you excited about doing in the future? What's your dream project?
I guess all the comic/zines I have in mind, I just have to know when it's time to stop thinking and start doing. I am excited to do a linking series of illustrative pieces. I am also anxious to see how my non digital art-making would look like nowadays.
Do you have any upcoming work/projects that we should look out for? When and where?
Depending on when I finish this big piece, I started for that video project I would like to showcase it somewhere or even sell it. I don't know where and when. I do have a short comic in the works, it's a collaborative project; most likely will be posted on Instagram. I don't want to set a date but hopefully will be finished before August. Also interested in using TikTok and exploring the media I can make using it. I'm just documenting artwork at the moment but with this new 3-minute feature something interesting could be done with it.
Do you come from a traditional art background (i.e College/Uni/Atelier), or did you take the self-taught/workshop/tutorial route?
I haven't gone to an art college, but I've gone to art schools basically since elementary throughout high school. I was lucky to have gone to these unique schools that had art programs that basically mimic traditional art schools. They were fine, definitely better than a regular public school.
What advice would you give your younger self knowing what you know now about the creative world?
Should have started posting earlier or not, I don't know really. I guess I would try to explain what "doing the art you want to do not the art that's expected or you think would look cool to others" means. I still get tied up with that and it's a simple yet hard lesson to comprehend (for me). Probably just for the best if I left them alone to figure that out.
