Toyoya (a penname for the artist Li Fan) has been active in China’s independent comics community for a decade, and his instantly recognizable pixel art has become ubiquitous on social media platforms. Last year, I worked with editors at Yanshu Books to copublish Ritual Machine, a 138 page journey through digital worlds that features a custom holographic print on the front and back of each volume. To celebrate its release, I spoke to Toyoya and his work and influences.
Orion: What was your first exposure to comics and illustration?
Toyoya: I grew up in Beijing in the 80s and 90s, so my first exposure was to the illustrations in Chinese martial arts novels and lianhuanhua. I didn’t see any Japanese manga until I was in elementary school (1988).
Martial arts novels are written for adults and not really intended for children, so they were a bit violent. But the small number of illustrations in them had a deep impact on me. I assumed the story must be outstanding. Like all kids in that era, I had a set of Journey to the West lianhuanhua. I spent a great deal of time with it. The traditional illustrations in that lianhuanhua was stylistically similar to the martial arts novels, so that, in combination with the Japanese manga aesthetic that I later got into, was my earliest stylistic foundation.
The earliest manga I read were probably Doraemon by Fujiko F. Fujio and Saint Seiya by Masami Kurumada. You can still see the shadow of those comics in the work I do now.
Orion: When did you begin to consider becoming an illustrator? Before that, did you work in other jobs?
Toyoya: Around 2016 I began focusing on illustration and comics. Before that, I was mostly making gifs and animations, and during that period, I was focused on the presentation of the work. Making comics helped me flesh out the plot details and emotions I was exploring.
In the past, I also worked as a web designer and Flash designer, and spent more than a decade in advertising companies. Whenever I resigned from a job, I’d take a break or do freelance work for a while.
Orion: You’ve been working in this pixel art style for some time. How did you get into that?
Toyoya: When I got my first job in 2004, we were really limited in terms of computer resolution and internet speed, so online design and illustration forums gravitated towards a pixel style and gif images. I started using Photoshop to make some simple pixel drawings. They reminded me of 8 bit videogames that were colored in red and white.
In my early work, I also drew some realist pixel pieces. As I explored my own style, the artist Eboy had a big impact on me.
Orion: I’ve only seen your pixel based work. Did you spend time working in physical media or does this all stem from your background in computer graphics?
Toyoya: I went to art schools since I was a teenager, so my foundational art studies were in drawing by hand. My process for digital illustrations still starts with hand drawn drafts. I began using the computer for art and design in college, around 2000, and noticed the huge difference between physical and digital mediums. Drawing by hand feels like creating order from disorder, while working on the computer feels like finding a new order inside of an existing one.
As you can see from these in-process sketches of Ritual Machine, I recreate the lines and composition digitally. Sketching out a pixel-based comic feels completely different from making the final work. The drawing feels like a kind of doodling, but the computer work is rigorous and slow.
Orion: Did you begin Ritual Machine by plotting the script or did you make it up as you were illustrating it?
Toyoya: Ritual Machine is based on a 12-page comic I made previously. The shorter comic is the conclusion to the full book. I was building the plot as I drew it.
Orion: So you wrote the ending of Ritual Machine first? What made you want to revisit and expand it?
Toyoya: That’s right. The ending, where he escapes nested space and finds a machine prophet to save his friend, was the first section I completed.
After I finished that shorter work, I wanted to flesh out the characters and the setting, so I went back to create a prequel. A story structure with multiple levels takes more time to build out. At that point I laid out the structure, and I felt it was much stronger afterwards. Before Ritual Machine, I often worked on short story comics that capture what I’m thinking and feeling at the moment. But I wanted this story to have more settings that would get deeper into the world and the characters. I took inspiration from the Matrix for this story.
Orion: Do you ever use your personal experiences as material for your work, or is it all in the realm of fantasy?
Toyoya: My works are usually based in fantastical worlds, but they are a reflection of reality. The plot and visual expression of the comics are inspired by our relationships with electronic devices and simulated worlds.
Orion: Some of your drawings depart from representation and enter the realm of abstraction or pattern design. I’ve always felt that this pairs well with the kind of science fiction comics you write, as it has an otherworldly quality. It reminds me of the work of Jack Kirby, and his drawings of fantastical machinery. What sparked your interest in these themes of futuristic technology and digital exploration?
Toyoya: In my comics work, I’m very interested in how to represent imaginary structures and concepts through drawings and abstraction. Kirby’s comics have been an inspiration for me in the way he uses shapes as pictorial elements to imbue the work with mystical feelings. I’ve also taken inspiration from the compositions of Japanese mangaka Yuichi Yokoyama. Digital technologies and new media have changed my perspective on the outside world. Like others my age, I came to understand the world through videogames and the internet.
Over the time I’ve been studying and working, I used computers for finding information and for creative work. This gave me a firsthand look at the quick development of digital networks and smart technologies. Social networks moved from message board to blogs to platforms Weibo/twitter and Instagram, just like chat functionality moved from MSN or QQ to mobile apps like WeChat and LINE. It’s inevitable that these technological changes influence my work, and I’m curious about what will come next.
Orion: You also collect old hardware, right?
Toyoya: Yes. There’s so much memory wrapped up in data and technologies. I still have my Nokia from 20 years ago, because there’s data saved in it. It has traces of my life and memories that connect me to that time. Maybe it’s part of building a digital world, and now with the advent of big data and AI, people will be captured by their digital worlds for modeling and training purposes. All of it makes me curious to see where things will go next.
I express these ideas in my comics, and that’s why my work always revolves around the future and digital simulations.
Orion: Does your work start from a metaphorical and narrative place or is it sometimes organized around composition and diagrams? Some of your works seem to use Minimalist constructions, reminding me of Sol Lewitt or cartoonist Sammy Stein.
Toyoya: I usually use imagery and patterns as a starting point for the comic’s plot. When I’m making a new work, I’ll draw a few elements or create a composition, and then from these elements I start to think about the concepts of the comic or illustration. From a technical standpoint, every page of Ritual Machine is 105 by 148 pixels. If the page is pictorially complex with many elements, transforming them into shapes and symbols makes it easier to navigate. It’s related to my experience as a graphic designer. I lay out each page like I’m designing an interactive webpage. And there’s a resonance between this process and the content of my comics.
Orion: In the past few years, you've experimented in making a large range of products, including mini-comics, plushies, sticker sets, etc. Do you sell these online? At pop up shops?
Toyoya: That’s right. I designed some merchandise that circles around the comics, and we sell them online. But of course the main channel for sales is book fairs and art fairs.
Orion: What has your experience been like at Chinese art fairs and book fairs?
Toyoya: In the past few years, the fairs have developed very rapidly, and I’ve been thrilled that I got to witness this growth. It is such a pleasure to meet directly with audiences at the fairs. It’s helped me understand how ordinary readers understand my work. I’ve also been excited to meet artists working in different styles at different exhibitions. We get to discuss our work, and find points of resonance. It’s exciting to feel that the creative environment is becoming more and more diverse, and it’s bled into my work. This is the influence of the internet on my generation. It has opened up new understandings of art and helped me establish a more open-minded and relaxed creative environment.
On the other hand, the book fairs and art markets also force artists to face market preferences. Sales influence artists’ own evaluations of their work. They’re also drawn to creating in the subjects and styles of the best-selling works. And as the number of fairs multiplies, artists have less time to develop their own work.
Orion: For me, having a chance to speak to other creators is a huge draw of tabling at book fairs, so I’m not surprised that you take every opportunity to do so. Do you feel you are part of a community of artists whose work influences one another?
Toyoya: I do, there’s definitely mutual influence. The book fairs give me a chance to encounter artists who speak the same language in terms of subject matter and styles, and I believe that the works I exhibit and the discussions with other artists at the fair all generate some type of influence. I get a great deal of inspiration and resources from the fairs. Especially at the first fairs I attended, I was shocked at the variety of work. Other artists’ work opens new avenues of thought and visions, and I’m always building in these elements into my work.
