About this artist
Beijing-based Liu Zhenmin, wields hand-painted qilin journeys through his 200-piece Wan Long Gu epic - earning CIAC gold - while childhood coffin-dragon memories and Moebius line-work fuel his philosophy that painting's "simplest love" transcends Weta Workshop professionalism through uninhibited, temperature-rich authenticity.
YooshiQ's Note
Liu Zhenmin, known by his artistic alias Duxing Zhengming (独行正明), is a Chinese illustrator and concept artist born in 1999, currently working and living in Beijing. His defining artistic achievement is the extensive Wan Long Gu (Valley of Ten Thousand Dragons) series, a hand-painted project of over 200 pieces centered on dragons, which earned him the gold award in the inaugural National Illustration Support Plan (CIAC).
His artistic journey began in childhood, inspired by the traditional painted dragons on coffins crafted by his great-uncle, which seeded his lifelong fascination with these mythical creatures and linear expression. Wan Long Gu, while dragon-centric, primarily narrates the coming-of-age journey of a youth riding a qilin through a fantastical world of landscapes, human settlements, spirits, demons, and wars. The series springs from his childhood heroism dreams and aims to be a comprehensive visual epic.
Liu describes painting as "the simplest form of love" and a fundamental "state of life," a constant pursuit since he was three or four years old. He maintains a strong preference for traditional hand-painting, valuing its tangible "temperature" and the serendipitous surprises of its physical process, though he seamlessly integrates digital tools for their convenience in experimentation. His creative well draws from a deep love for nature, animals, and mythology, and his observational habit of finding beauty in the mundane, like watching clouds or studying light on a subway.
A versatile artist influenced by a wide spectrum from classical Western painters like Millais to modern masters of line such as Moebius, Liu believes the creative intent is paramount over medium. While he has undertaken professional concept design for studios like Weta Workshop and NetEase, his primary focus remains on personal work. He approaches this with a philosophy of uninhibited self-expression, valuing authenticity over seeking universal resonance, guided by a desire to share the fantastical worlds in his mind.
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