8it x Aqua Best: a GIPHY Arts Q&A With Lorraine Nam

“Paper has always been something that I was drawn to as a medium to transform or to draw on.”

GIPHY Arts commissions hundreds of artists a year, all of whom do impeccable work. This month, GIPHY Arts commissioned Brooklyn-based artist Lorraine Nam for a series of GIFs commemorating 8it and Aqua Best’s pop-up on July 29th, 2024 in New York City, RSVP here!

Born in Philadelphia, Nam is a published illustrator with several picture books under her belt, including the Playdate Book Series, a collaborative board book series that helps “children develop their social skills by practicing conversations.” Her newest book, Your House Is Not Just a House, was released in May and follows “a child’s adventure of make-believe and imagination in their home.” Below, you’ll find an in-depth Q&A with Nam, as well as several of her GIFs from her 8it x Aqua Best GIPHY Arts commission.

How did you get your start as an artist?

I’ve always been creative. I’ve taken art classes since I was five years old and my dad is a jeweler, so he’s very crafty, and my mom’s always been into different hobbies, like floral arranging.

I was always into making things — in particular with paper. One of my earliest interests was origami. With Asian parents, there are a lot of times when you’re waiting around and killing time, so I learned origami and figured out how to create things from folding paper. That was the start of my interest in paper crafts. Later on, I got into book binding, cutting paper, pretty much anything that had to do with paper and transforming it.

Early in my career, I started making three-dimensional paper crafts. I started off small, making a singular object like a sneaker or a car. But then, I made a picture book on Neil deGrasse Tyson called “Look Up With Me: Neil deGrasse Tyson: A Life Among the Stars”, all made out of a paper craft set. I built everything out in three dimensions and then photographed it.

From there, I started playing around more with painting and collaging. So, what you see in my GIPHY Arts commission, a majority of it is painted and cut out on paper, and then I scan it in and manipulate it digitally to make the movement or add accents.

What is it about working with paper that you love? Is it the construction aspect of it, or is it the texture or the versatility of it?

I think it’s all of the above. It’s readily accessible; there’s always printer paper or scrap paper lying around. I’ve always been drawn to stationary and collecting pieces of stationary or scrap paper and being like, “I’ll use this for something later.” Paper has always been something that I was drawn to as a medium to transform or to draw on.

Was there an artist that you looked up to for inspiration for your paper crafts?

It’s funny because I never saw anyone or anything as a direct inspiration. I got into book binding, and when I was into book binding, my first question was “What can my book be filled with?” I didn’t want an empty book so I would cut out each page and layer it to create an image. So, when you open the cover, it looks like a three-dimensional image.

From there, I became more interested in creating an image. I got into using rice paper and learned there’s a whole history with Chinese cut paper arts. I even discovered that my aunt in Korea uses Korean rice paper to make traditional Korean furniture that’s layered and shellacked together with cut paper cranes and traditional motifs around it. And, it’s functional; there are drawers and we actually use it! I had no idea it was her hobby. When I went to visit her in Korea, I was like, that’s crazy that you’re into this because I’m into it in another way back in the United States!

Have you ever worked with your aunt on a project together?

No, but that would be kind of fun! There’s definitely a language barrier. I am not fluent in Korean at all, and she doesn’t really speak English.

I love that idea that even though there’s this language barrier with your aunt, you have this common language of paper and art with her.

I grew up with a bilingual family where I don’t know Korean that well, but my parents also don’t know English as well. So, for us, using images or creating things was a way to communicate. What’s also interesting is, my dad’s a jeweler, but the type of jewelry that he makes — name plates — that’s all hand cut too. It’s all silhouetted similar to cut paper. I think it’s funny because I never saw my dad’s work and thought this is an aesthetic that I liked and that my art is the manifestation of. I never saw that. But then looking back, I realize that it’s very similar.

What has been your parents’ reaction to your art?

Initially, they were like, don’t do this. You know, typical Asian families; it’s either, you should be a doctor or a lawyer. I decided to go to art school at the very last minute, and once I decided, they were very supportive. But, there was definitely the initial shock of realizing you’re not going to study science or math or something practical.

I think they were confused. There are many different paths that you can take for art, and for a while my mom wanted me to go back to school and be a teacher. I was doing a lot of work on digital or print platforms, but it wasn’t anywhere that she could see it for herself. It wasn’t until I published my first book where she realized, “You’re in bookstores. That’s a big deal. I understand.”

What was the turning point for you working as a professional artist?

Before I got my start as an artist, I was working a corporate 9-to-5 job as a textile designer for five years. I wasn’t one of those artists who graduated from art school and had a clear idea about their style and aesthetic. I was still trying to discover what I was interested in and how to make it commercially relevant for people. And finding clients doesn’t happen overnight either.

I was still working on my own stuff on weekends, renting a studio in Brooklyn, and posting on Instagram regularly. Then, there came a time where my work was really resonating and reaching people online, and that’s how I was able to get a few jobs. One of my biggest clients early on was Lufthansa.

It’s funny though because I was pretending like I knew what I was doing, but otherwise I was just getting jobs as I was working my corporate job. And then, I actually got laid off, which was kind of a blessing because it gave me the push to make my art career a full-time thing.

In terms of a creative career, I think it’s important to constantly be creating and making something that you’re interested in, because if you’re too afraid to put it out there, no one’s going to find you. You have to make work so that people can see you, and then your circle broadens and you can get work.

So, you have several books under your belt now as an artist. I would love to hear about what working in the book world has been like for you.

I actually have had two books come out these past two months: “Play With Me”, which is a board book that came out in April, and “Your House Is Not Just a House” which came out in May.

I love doing books because it’s a longer timeline, so I can think about it and I can look at it holistically. There’s a lot of creative freedom, similar to working with GIPHY. When I was working on my first book, I thought there would be more input because I was very used to working on an editorial or commissioned job where there’s a back and forth. But, for a picture book, the illustrator has full creative freedom on how to create the character. Unless the writer specifically puts in their art notes, the character looks like this, or they’re wearing a blue shirt, the illustrator has full creative freedom to do whatever they want.

Do you have a dream project that you would love to work on in the future?

I think my next goal is to write and illustrate a book. I’ve also been interested in doing more stuff with animation; what if I made a short story film that’s animated? I’ve always loved making GIFs, and this year I’ve been making more of it and I’m really happy and excited.

How did you get into making GIFs?

When I was doing the 3D paper crafts, I had to teach myself how to use a camera, and I was seeing a lot of people do stop motion animation. I was inspired to make my own stop motion animation using my paper crafts and taught myself how to do that. In that process, I learned how to make GIFs.

When I do collage works, I do a combination of either frame animation or doing it digitally with frame animation. I’ll paint, cut out, assemble each frame, and then scan it. Or, I’ll paint and cut out different elements of the image, scan it in, and layer it in Photoshop and then move it, creating each frame.

For my GIPHY commission, I scanned different elements separately and then put it together. I like that it feels physical and tangible because it does exist in real life. I always want to make sure it feels real and tactile, not too digital. I love making GIFs because I feel like you need to get to the point very quickly, and it’s just so satisfying. It feels like magic, even though there’s a very logical way to make it. I genuinely have fun making them.

Let’s talk about your 8it commission with GIPHY Arts! What was the process like?

I feel like this commission was also experimental for GIPHY too. 8it is an app where you can find food popups and food recommendations near you in New York. They also work with chefs and 8it is working with Aqua Best — which is a family-run seafood market owned by Steve Wong in Chinatown — and chef Daniel Le on a pop-up in July.

They wanted GIFs that would go with the flow of the conversation when you’re texting people. With that in mind, I narrowed it down to seafood and something that deals with emotions or reactions. I like to make art that communicates a happy, positive vibe, so I thought of creating a blue crab jumping up and down to signify that it’s a celebration. I was thinking more of these would be used conversationally and added into Instagram Stories as a cute accent. The one that took the longest to make was the crab. I was trying to figure out how to make the jump look realistic for a crab. That took a few more frames than I thought.

You spoke earlier about growing up as an AAPI artist; is there an AAPI artist or body of work that you feel like more people should know about?

Yes! Her name is Taili Wu. She does tons of stop motion animation work. She also does stop motion ceramics, which I think is amazing. You know how I’m painting and drawing each frame and redrawing that over and over; she’s doing that with ceramics, and it blows my mind.

For more from GIPHY Arts, follow us on Twitter and Instagram!