Written by Tong SuMaryland Institute College of ArtMFA in Illustration Practice

The Research & Design of

This book records the making of the project “Pretty

Little Secrets” and the additional research that came

along during the process between 2011 and 2013. It

is dedicated to the people who helped me bring my

idea to life.Thank you for making it look good.

Contents

Hello, world

Introduction

Where the story begins

Jewelry & Illustration

Rubylith

Wheel of fortune

Between Jewelry and Body

2D to 3D

A new millionnum

Folding

#1 Form & Geometry

#2 Form & Geometry

#3 Form & Geometry

An illustrated world

Chinese Landscapes

Pattern Designs

Watercolor and Screenprint

Future plans

Acknowledgement

5

6

8

14

20

52

64

66

5H E L L O , W O R L D

Hello, world

I am a Chinese artist presently resides in the US. I have traveled to many different countries and cit-

ies throughout my life. The new and alienated experiences enable me to see the transcendent nature of

Chinese culture and express my unique experiece as something universal. The feeling of instability and

constant questioning of self motivate my artistic practice. My work usually reflects upon Asian language,

philosophical thinking and social customs. I mainly work on illustration and believe that illustration is an

essential part of the visual culture. I create works in animation, metalsmithing and paper sculpting but

aways strive to incorporate the merits of illustration into my work. Illustration has an innate storytelling

appeal; hence I am fascinated by the inherent qualities, or tableau, of an object, vis-à-vis the framework

of a tale. I continually explore new vistas in relation to the object as a way to broaden its dimensions and

its appeal.

6 I N T R O D U C T I O N

Introduction

“Pretty Little Secrets” is a project about two years in the making. It is a thorough documentation of my

tremendous changes, not only on my illustration, but also on my perception of art in general during my

time at Maryland Institute College of Art. It is timeless project circling around the idea of celebrating the

beauty of femininity, which includes different phases along the journey to unwrap its secrets. I named

them as “Symphony No.1: Beauty is a fragile gift” and “Symphony No.2: Morphing” as a way to docu-

ment my changing methods yet coherent spirit.

This project started from a series of jewelry design using my paper cut skills. The method of folding

comes along the way as I was exploring the relationship between jewelry and human body. Afterwards, I

stepped into an unknow world of paper folding and strived to seek a practical utilization of it. Because of

the organic nature of paper fold — being able to connect with the body coherently — I gradually shifted

my attention from a small part of the body to its full scale and started to design garments with the meth-

odology of paper folding. Surprisingly, the outcome allows different ways of reading: it is a dress when

worn on a body, a structure when placed on a pedestal; a movable piece of fabric when manipulated. I

also created different patterns for each individual piece of work and perceived them as the “identity” of

7I N T R O D U C T I O N

the object. These patterns are inspired by and represent Chinese landscapes. The whole process hides and

reveals, expressing the personal and the universal.

From a theoretical perspective, this project looks to the interdisciplinary nature of illustration. It explores

illustration not only on a two-dimensional platform, but also in a three-dimensional environment and

utilizes folding as the methodology to achieve this transformation. This project tries to break through to

a different realm in order to seek new possibilities for illustration.

9W H E R E T H E S T O R Y B E G I N S

Where the story begins

Pretty Little Secrets Symphony No. 1: Beauty is a fragile gift.

“Pretty Little Secrets” was initially planned as a project celebrating the beauty of femininity. It started

with a series of earring designs, using cut paper illustration. Each pair of earrings depicts a girl’s portrait

as a chrysanthumum, a rose, a lily and a lotus respectively. These whimsical portraits inspired me to

come up with a set of illustrations which sprouted from the same concept. In each of the illustrations, a

girl is engaging in a meditative state and falling into her dream of a whimsical wonderland. She closes

her eyes, avoiding eye-contact with the viewers, and her inner world starts to grow into a realm full of

plants and wild creatures. From my perspective, it is a feminine power to invent a utopia where purety,

peace and innocence are contained. It is this ability to dream a dream that doesn’t exist in the real world

which makes it miraculous; it is the imagination that works as an engine which propels the real world

forward. I equate the unrestrained imagination to creativity and celebrate them as the nature of feminin-

ity.

10 J E W E L R Y A N D I L L U S T R A T I O N

Jewelry and illustration

I used laser cutter to produce 25 pairs of earrings. They were cut from archival paper on which I applied

metal powder, metal leaf or metallic paint for different colors; and sealer or overprint varnish for differ-

ent surface quality.

LEFTChrysanthumum, Rose,

Lily, Lotus

RIGHTDream of a strawberry

LEFTDream of a rainfall

13R U G Y L I T H

Rubylith

Each of these illustrations was cut from a piece of rubylith and screenprinted on Lenox 100 paper. The

hand cut process enables me to focus on the movements of each stroke. Because of that, every leaf and

flower has its own personality. This natural liveliness is otherwise impossible to achive using digital me-

dia.

Wheel of fortune

It came to a time when I was thinking of mass-producing my earrings using metal. I have been contacted

with Ponoko, which is a company specializing in 3D printing and lasercutting. However, the answer I

received was a bit disappointing. They were unable to achieve such fine details within the size of a ear-

ring. I could choose other materials like plastic and wood, or simplify my designs. Nevertheless, it doesn’t

make sense any more for the message of “precious“ if material is changed; or for the aura of the persona

considering the huge amount of simplification.

As I was continually searching for production resources, I hand-cutted a bracelet which featured my

other design of a swan. Through a precise cutting-sanding-polishing process, my design is able to be fully

achieved.

14 W H E E L O F F O R T U N E

LEFTfront and side view of my

Swan Dream

15W H E E L O F F O R T U N E

I almost decided to keep doing matalsmithing without a second thought. On the one hand, I totally

believed that life is full of surprises and serendipity; while on the other hand, I worried about myself

dwelling in the world of playing without thinking about the outcome. Especially because of the course

structure at MICA Jewelry Centre — focusing on the technique instead of mass-producing and market-

ing — I found it a bit vague to see the possibilities of production. The thought was shelved for a while as

I was having fun making metal pieces. For a period of time, I even thought of making my illustrations

using metal without noticing how time and effort consuming it is.

RIGHTfront and side view of myFrog Ringbox

Between jewelry and body

Metalsmithing is fun. Designing a piece of work is a very creative process, during which, I found that I

usually perceive my design as an object, which is away from the body. There is no problem of thinking

from the perspective of fine arts, however, I find in myself an eagerness of being practical.

Portrait of Daisy Forest is based on a character in my illustrations, it is my

first attempt to illustrate using metal. Bracelet of a ladder is inspired by

a photo of ivy I have taken in Singapore, I am imitating the dynamic

movement of ivy in this bracelet using copper wire.

16 B E T W E E N J E W E L R Y A N D B O D Y

LEFTPortrait of Daisy Forest

I was trying to diagnose the reason behind my

approach and came to a conclusion that I didn’t

balance well enough the decorative part and func-

tional part of a product.

RIGHTBracelet of a ladder

17B E T W E E N J E W E L R Y A N D B O D Y

A Garden in Your Hand is an idea of planting different kinds of metal

flowers and make them into rings to be wear on one’s hand. Lullaby is a

female portrait on top of a stem-like pipe.

It was noticed that my approach didn’t change too much over the time.

I started to feel the pressure of perfecting my metalsmithing techniques.

This is important if pursuing a career in that, but is

quite apart from my original goal. I didn’t want to be

limited by materials.

LEFTLullaby

RIGHTA Garden in Your Hand

RIGHTProcess of designing illustration into metal piece.

2D to 3D

In order to design a body-related jewelry, I believe that it is a crucial part to make a three-dimensional

form. It was the time when I met Prof. Annet Couwenberg, who introduced me the idea of folding. My

first attemp didn’t really tell me what to expect and where to go. I kept making different structures for a

long period of time.

18 2 D T O 3 D

192 D T O 3 D

When I was making this fold, I suddenly had a sense of what I can do with it. I gradually developed this

methodology of repeating these single units and connect them together to make a larger form.

21A N E W M I L L I O N N I U M

A new millionnum

Pretty Little Secrets Symphony No. 2: Morphing

I finally found a way to survive between the requirements from different classes and sustain my interest

in combining illustraion, object and folding together. Therefore I came into the second phase of Pretty

Little Secrets — Symphony No.2: Morphing. Thanks to Prof. Annet for her powerful theoretical direc-

tion, I also came into a new phase in my life of understanding art with a conciousness of technology and

society.

This chapter documents my process of studying the geometry of various folds and my approaches to

transfer them from theoretical to practical. The plan gradually change from making jewelry to making

clothes because of the coherent nature of paper folding. I chose an interdisciplinary approach initially

because of my eagerness to find a unique expressioin for my jewelry. However, this interdisciplinary

approach is further enhanced by the different expectations from people, dear Prof. Annet from Fiber

Department, dear Whitney and Jaime from my major Illustration Studio. I gradually found this meeting

point between fashion, illustration and sculpture.

23F O L D I N G

Folding

Paper is a two-dimensional medium for illustration. Often times, we have to create a series of illustra-

tions in order to extend this two-dimensional realm in which a character lives. If we add the dimension of

time, we can create an animation. Playing with dimension is an important step for me to take illustration

outside of its two-dimensionality and bring it to life. Based on previous exploration, I started my experi-

ment with paper folding. I began exploring ways to transform a plain sheet of paper to a three-dimen-

sional form. Here I show different kinds of pleated, spiral, cylindrical and repeated forms. Once a piece

of paper is folded into a structure, the paper becomes much more sophisticated, with many facets, some

positive and some negative. It becomes a self-contained unit on which illustrations can be applied.

#1 Form & geometry

From the pool of paper folds, I picked up a fold that is symmetrical and equally dramatic. It was made

with the green crease folded down as a valley and the red crease folded up as a mountain.

In order to enhance its formal quality, I repeated it many times and attached them together.

24 # 1 F O R M & G E O M E T R Y

25# 1 F O R M & G E O M E T R Y

A change in dimension of each row results to a variation of perimeter.

It has been observed that this structure is able to be collapsed in two directions.

LEFT#1 Origami dress

27# 1 F O R M & G E O M E T R Y

It is my methodology to arrange units in a repeated manner. They were individually independent, but

were created in a context within which the relationship between each units is a crucial parametre that

directs the appearance of the object. Therefore my experiment is not fundamentally about designing the

look, but devising the parameters that produce it.

This project can take many sculptural forms, which are shown in the following pages.

#2 Form & geometry

This fold is made from a square piece of paper seperated in even numbers as indicated. It was made with

the green crease folded down as a valley and the red crease folded up as a mountain.

This is the front view and side view of the structure after folding. This folded pattern gives a piece of

paper a coherent spine alongside its diagonal. It also creates a force that drive the four corners to differ-

ent directions.

36 # 2 F O R M & G E O M E T R Y

37# 2 F O R M & G E O M E T R Y

It shows another way of attaching the units. This is the top view of the structure. It is able to grow in two

directions infinitely if units are attached with corners pointing up and down.

This is a star-lookt form if five units are attached with all corners pointing outwards.

This is the side view of the previous structure. It is able to grow in two directions infinitely if units are

attached with corners pointing up and down.

38 # 2 F O R M & G E O M E T R Y

40 # 2 F O R M & G E O M E T R Y

The whole structure was connected freely with the two different manners showing above. I applied a

star-look form on the left shoulder part and made the entire thing an elongated structure. By doing so,

the whole piece generates great tensions like an armor, which signifies the idea of protection.

#3 Form & geometry

One thing that I have been constantly searching for is ways to extend the possibilities of a rigid medium

like paper to its maximum flexibility. I saw great potentials in this folding pattern as it creates a spiral

that can be twisted three-dimensionally. If a force is applied, it can be compressed into a thin and flat

form.

If a piece of paper is long enough, it is able to create a vertically unlimited spiral.

42 # 3 F O R M & G E O M E T R Y

F

F

RIGHT#3 Origami form I

A crucial design philosophy behind my practice of manipulating these folds is to follow and reinforce the

expression that a fold delivers naturally. In other words, I believe that every structure has its own person-

ality. In this case, I see nobility and elegance which reminds me of an evening gown.

Following this instinct, I started developing a solution to transfer this conceptual structure into a prac-

tical garment. It was purely a problem-solving process involving primarily experiments, with many of

them turnned out to be failures. The final solution is compromising with problems of form, material, and

body structure taken into consideration. For me, it is fundamentally a process of playing with form.

44 # 3 F O R M & G E O M E T R Y

Problem #1: It is a closed structure.

Question: How to design an opening for the neck and the waist?

Problem #2: All units are in the same length.

Question: How to change its proportion while maintaining the basic structure?

Problem #3: This structure shall be made from a relatively stiff material.

Question: What material is able to sustain its structure?

45# 3 F O R M & G E O M E T R Y

Solution #1:

Use a parellelogram instead of a rectangle. The logic behind it is to stagger the meeting edge slightly

from each other while still keep them in equal length.

46 # 3 F O R M & G E O M E T R Y

UPOpeningphoto taken from the inside of #3 Origami form II

47# 3 F O R M & G E O M E T R Y

Solution #2:

Changing the proposion of each section until it matches at the edge.

48 # 3 F O R M & G E O M E T R Y

RIGHT#3 Origami form II

Solution #3:

I have been experimenting with Laser print paper, Tyvek, buckram and sumi ink paper. They are stiff

enough to support the form, but not practical to wear. Currently I am experimenting with silk and

attempting to tailor a real dress showcasing my folds. Below is a photo showing how my pattern been

printed on a piece of silk satin. Opposite is a photo showing how I use sumi ink paper to visualize my

design.

50 # 3 F O R M & G E O M E T R Y

LEFTFabric Print

OPPOSITEFashion design

53A N I L L U S T R A T E D W O R L D

An illustrated world

I love illustrations. Not just because I am an illustrator. One of the things I enjoy the most is the amount

of freedom I have in this field. I have attended workshops on bookmaking, screenprint, stop motion

animation and paper sculpting, which are courses in the curriculum of MFA Illustration Practice. It is

for the freedom of trying different things that I transfered from an animation background to illustration,

with a hope in mind to develop my artistic expression in terms of a unique visual style.

I believe that an illustrated world is a purified world where I can traverse in artistic limitations. It is a

man-made nature filtered through the lens of optimism, which is similar to the functioning of my brain

— always beautifying faint memories. This group of illustrations, designed for Pretty Little Secrets Sym-

phony No. 2: Morphing, is a play of my Chinese identity. It includes 4 patterns/illustrations that repre-

sent 4 seasons. The heart of it is my own love for the landscapes in China, or more precisely, the affinity

between human and nature in Chinese ideology.

54 C H I N E S E L A N D S C A P E S

Chinese landscapes

Landscape painting is a crucial genre in the art history of China. It is conventionally a naturalistic depic-

tion of a certain place based on an artist’s understanding. Essentially, it is an invented panorama through

an artist’s manipulation of different elements like plants, rocks, houses, creatures and landforms. Spiritu-

ally, it is a discourse for the educated (artists, scholars, elites) to dialogue with each other.

Symbolically, this genre of painting abide by a unified doctrine of “oneness” — seeing the various ele-

ments on earth all in one universe — which existed in the conciousness of the artist and reflected in his

use of color and stroke. The painting shall allow being examined through a magnifier, to see the expres-

sion of every single dot, line and shade; as well as through a wide-angle lens, to see the composition,

movement and silhouette. These various considerations have to be accomplished in one trial without any

pause. Therefore the painting itself, whether a success or a failure, is perceived as partially a man-made

genus, and partially a devine intervention.

To conclude, the significance of Chinese landscape paintings lies in an artist’s ability to self-express

within the aforementioned restrictions.

55P A T T E R N D E S I G N S

In my project, I created 4 illustrations which were named “wandering in paradise”, “spirits of the forest”,

“marching troop” and “mount meru”. For the introducion piece in this series, I used houses as the major

components. Through arranging them to different positions on my drawing surface, I initiated a moder-

ate rhythm which allowed the viewers to enter into my realm of a Chinese landscape more peacefully. In

comparison, I created a richer taste for “spirits of the forest” through incorporating mountains, figures

and creatures in one image which generated lots of movements and dynamics. It also represents the vivid

and lively summer in this series of illustrations. In the autumn piece, everything starts to slow down. The

marching troop is obstructed by the endless road and never-changing landmarks. Nevertheless, the troop

is still disciplined and optimistic in marching towards their final destination. Towards the winter, “mount

meru” is a representation of the sacred mountain in Buddhist cosmology. It is usually considered to be

the center of all universe, and therefore is motionless.

The expression of different seasons is delivered through using distinct color palettes, major components

and compositions. These illustrations were afterwards applied onto my sculptural dresses as the alternate

identities for the dresses beyond the ones that the forms delivered.

Pattern designs

spring

wandering in paradise

summer

spirits of the forest

autumn

marching troop

winter

mount meru

60 W A T E R C O L O R A N D S C R E E N P R I N T

Watercolor and Screenprint

Beside watercolor, I explored my illustrations using the medium of screenprint. In order to screenprint, I

transfered my one-layered watercolor painting into multi-layered films and applying one color on each

layer. The methodology behind the practice is to print different colors in color blocks, which altogether

form the whole image. I really enjoy juxtaposing the watercolor version with the screenprint version of

my illustration and perceiving them as different ways to interprete a Chinese landscape. There is a smell

of mass production and fast-food culture in the appearance of the screenprint version. As Andy Warhol

has already discovered, screenprint has a postmodern appeal which correlates to the consumer culture.

One of the key message — a sense of nostalgia — is disappearing in this version. Instead, it feels more

practical, careless and decorative where I see a great potential in the world of pattern-making.

61W A T E R C O L O R A N D S C R E E N P R I N T

65F U T U R E P L A N S

Future plans

I have been searching for related fields to submit my works. OrigamiUSA seems to be a platform that

most related to my sculptural dress. I have submitted several photographs and waited for their replies.

Meanwhile, I am still exploring architectural geometries and the morphology behind them, with a hope in

combining those conciousness in my illustrations and searching for further study opportunities in applied

design, architectural geometry or art culture.

I am also constantly searching for interested publishers, either in book interior art, or book illustrations.

Publishers like Disney, Nobrow, Phaidon are my all time favourites. I am still figuring out how the sys-

tem works.

I have seen people combining pattern designs in their illustrations, which seemingly balances their inter-

ests in different things. I don’t really want to make my design look sophisticated and therefore I search

for different platforms in utilizing each of them. I have different things that I want to do in my life, but I

know very well that they have to be done one at a time.

Acknowledgment

The two years at MICA is a period of time that I witness the biggest change and growth in myself. I

would like to thank my director Whitney Sherman, thesis professor Jaime Zollars, fiber professor An-

net Couwenberg, photo professors Lynn Silverman and Dan Meyers, jewelry design professor Damon

Thompson, and my language professor and friend Michele Glenn for their huge support and help.

Thanks to my colleagues and friends at MFA Illustration Practice for their great works and suggestions

always been inspirations and encouragements to push me forward. Thanks to all the visiting artists who

have given me suggestions and challenged me with questions, Caroline Hwang, Mikey Burton, Jonathan

Bartlett, Susan Crawford, Allan Crawford, Natalie Ascencios, Brian Biggs, Neil Swaab, Kevin Lewis,

Ashley Blumenthal, and Shelley Spector. And finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my

family.

66 A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T