This Illustrator is Inspired By Thai and Chinese Cultures

Ploypisut Chueobchoey, known simply as Ploy, integrates Thai and Chinese cultures into her art, creating illustrations and patterns that are steeped in flora and fauna. Based in Bangkok, Thailand, Ploy was born and raised in a Thai-Chinese family.

“I began drawing when I was very young,” she shared with Lake. “During my childhood, I was surrounded by Chinese and Thai decorations. My grandpa used a Chinese ceramic bowl and teapot, and my grandma wore a Thai motif textile cloth. I thought I absorbed a lot from my childhood environment. My parents always encouraged me to continue my creative path.”

“I am into traditional Chinese painting,” she adds. Inspired by wall paintings in Chinese temples, as well as Thai textiles, Ploy says she enjoys the complexity of natural shapes and animals in folk tales. “I am so thrilled to see illustrations and patterns come to life,” she says.

Using mainly watercolor, but also gouache and ink, Ploy’s selected clients include Samsung, Design House Greetings x Trader Joe’s, and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. “Social media is a huge part of my career as a freelance illustrator and designer,” she says. “Clients have found me through social media, especially Instagram. I use them to share my work and connect with other people. I can’t imagine living without it.”

Enjoy some of her work in the gallery below: