NINISUM

Nini Sum is a freelance graphic designer/illustrator from Nanjing, now living and working in Shanghai. She has worked for local and international clothing and branding companies, and does web design, toy design, and oil painting — a bit of everything. She’s well-known for her pencil drawings, and for winning the Shanghai Cut and Paste tournament in the 2D drawing category. Nini has also just started her own screen-printing business, Idlebeats.

ninisum

BOOK ILLUSTRATION AND VISA

After I told you about doing more illustration, I actually do and its so much fun, oh my god … haha. The one above is for the next book from Robin Russell. The first one was for A Prince in Peril. After spending a month in Shanghai and my visa expired, I had to make a decision going to the US or to Hong Kong. I actually planned to renew my visa in Shanghai, but obviously I have chosen the best time in the year, where everybody is asleep in Shanghai since the national holidays are more important than a a Germans problems, unbelievable. So, I have to leave the country and actually it makes a lot of sense going to Hong Kong. Funny though to got to the US, is more or less the same price as I would spend in Hong Kong. The travel costs are much more expensive, but the visa is way cheaper. So, in the end same same, but I see my girlfriend and have the chance to practice my English hihi. Its crazy how much I travel and how normal that feels to go to China, US, China, Germany, China, US, Germany and so on …. When I started to travel in June 2007, I didn’t know it will become a never ending story. Once a traveler, always a traveler, I suppose.

In Shanghai my job searching machine stopped for a while, first everybody is on holiday, second it takes some time to meet the right people. Although i have to say how amazing it is how many contacts I made in less than 2 weeks in Shanghai. 6 really new good contacts, and 20 new friendsĀ  haha, maybe 508. What I really like about being here in Shanghai. When you talk to other foreigners, they first “welcome to Shanghai” instead of looking up and down on you, telling you within 5 minutes after viewing your portfolio to come back a year later like in Hamburg, Germany. I think I have chosen a very good time to leave Germany and go to China.

By the way: Anybody ever thought about going to China, who is also reading my blog and is a very big fan of my stuff and also things that I am a really handsome and intelligent person and met me at least once in person …. you are welcome to visit me and stay at my place. All the best and thanks to all the people who helped me through this really hard time the last 30 days. Special thanks to my mom and Shawnee.

AND ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING.

Now, a month later, I eventually arrived in my new home. Shanghai, Jing’ An District. I share my apartment with a bloke from England, and a couple from Iran and the Philippines. Very international as you can see. It took me a long time to relax and calm down from all the moving around stress. I met already a lot of different people and its great to get a little overview of Shanghai, a city I don’t really know very well. But for sure IĀ  can say that I have a good feeling here. I like this city. Today, the first time after 30 days I want to go out and take pictures again. I will try to just enjoy what I am doing and don’t think about how great the picture has to be. I don’t really have much more to say. The illustrations you see above is for an event in Hamburg, Knust. Ok.. I am not very creative in writing today. Take care people and make love.

ILLUSTRATIONS AND OTHER REASONS

Before I start to tell you all about my plans in future (don’t have any anyways), I thought about scanning in my illustrations I didn’t show yet. A little bit of background: The one you see above was created in New Zeland, where punks (youth) go that often to Burger King and McDonalds, german parents would probably be happy their kids go only 3 times a week. Don’t ask me about the german dude, jumping with a knife towards the chicken. Can’t remember the idea here. In the same time I did the hostelburger. The hostel I stayed in Christchurch was so incredible dirty and my job to clean it, so I could stay for free, let happen this illustration. I can’t think of any reason why I draw the kitchen help. Enjoy or don’t. The probably most interesting illustration “3 pigs”, created in october is probably the result of my confusion what direction I am going in life. Funny how present this illustration actually is. I could actually write a whole book about this topic: my on going conflict I carry with me. Should I join society and live one of those “great lives” and die one day or become one of those lonely forest soldiers and live from the goods the forest give me. Both directions seem to be too extreme and I don’t like to be a part of one of those. Instead I would like to become famous before I actually start working. Actually I want to become part of history. That’s probably the only way I see I justify to be dead one day, because I actually don’t die. So those three pigs turning in different directions but all are in the same shit is definitely up to date. Probably the reason for my panic attacks, too. Father and Son is probably the fantastic result of my wish for a family or maybe its just a stupid skateboard competition, who knows. This last peace of work I did in Seattle, while my girlfriend’s daugther complained about being hungry constantly. She always does so I really needed to bring that somehow to paper. The onion girl is not part of my moleskine, but my last illustration, 6 months ago now. (What an important information). Love and Kiss from planet uninspired.