Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Joey Yu is an artist and illustrator from London. In this Artist Insights film, Joey visits Jackson’s Studio to share her story as an artist so far, how she uses perspective to create motion in her illustrations, the way collaboration has enriched in her practice, and the development and evolution of her live painting project.
0:00 “I want to get that feeling I get when I watch a film”
0:33 Introduction
0:51 “I had a stack of printer paper and I would spend all day coming up with ideas and stories”
1:39 “Doing an art foundation course felt like learning everything for the first time”
2:19 “Illustration and animation is immediate and collaborative”
3:00 “Having a sketchbook changed everything for me”
4:06 “I’m always trying to make motion feel prevalent in a static image”
4:28 “Illustration and animation are an opportunity to do something you can’t do with photography”
5:18 “I’ve always been prolific online”
6:01 “A lot of my first commissions came through social media”
6:45 “I do romanticise my life. It’s really beautiful to me”
7:56 “I was born in London, but the idea of travel was ingrained in me as a child”
9:38 “When I start a drawing I lay down the main blocks of colour on the page”
10:12 “Either I have a photo, or I’m building something completely from my mind”
11:14 “I’m not labouring over what colours I’m using”
11:52 “I’m trying to communicate with colour”
12:37 “I like the simplicity of having limitations”
13:14 “When a book job comes my way, I read the whole book”
14:10 “Hokusai’s prints go through time. They are still so relevant today”
15:18 “I love the fluffy, dry texture of colouring pens when they’re on their way out”
16:05 “Visiting Caran d’Ache was like being in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
16:49 “My life drawing project has taken me around the world”
17:46 “When it comes to paper, the less fussy the better”
18:57 “I’m not the tidiest person”
19:43 “I’m quite a sporadic worker, it takes me a moment to get into it”
20:36 “Creative mistakes lead you to create a style”
21:15 “Live as much as possible”
22:08 Credits
Read Joey Yu's article: jacksonsart.com/blog/2025/05/15/artist-insights-joey-yu/?utm_campaign=joey_yu&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_content=youtube_social_organic_video_to_blog
Shop art materials: jacksonsart.com/colour/pencil-drawing?utm_campaign=joey_yu&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_content=youtube_social_organic_video_to_ecom
Joey Yu is an artist and illustrator from London. In this Artist Insights film, Joey visits Jackson’s Studio to share her story as an artist so far, how she uses perspective to create motion in her illustrations, the way collaboration has enriched in her practice, and the development and evolution of her live painting project.
0:00 “I want to get that feeling I get when I watch a film”
0:33 Introduction
0:51 “I had a stack of printer paper and I would spend all day coming up with ideas and stories”
1:39 “Doing an art foundation course felt like learning everything for the first time”
2:19 “Illustration and animation is immediate and collaborative”
3:00 “Having a sketchbook changed everything for me”
4:06 “I’m always trying to make motion feel prevalent in a static image”
4:28 “Illustration and animation are an opportunity to do something you can’t do with photography”
5:18 “I’ve always been prolific online”
6:01 “A lot of my first commissions came through social media”
6:45 “I do romanticise my life. It’s really beautiful to me”
7:56 “I was born in London, but the idea of travel was ingrained in me as a child”
9:38 “When I start a drawing I lay down the main blocks of colour on the page”
10:12 “Either I have a photo, or I’m building something completely from my mind”
11:14 “I’m not labouring over what colours I’m using”
11:52 “I’m trying to communicate with colour”
12:37 “I like the simplicity of having limitations”
13:14 “When a book job comes my way, I read the whole book”
14:10 “Hokusai’s prints go through time. They are still so relevant today”
15:18 “I love the fluffy, dry texture of colouring pens when they’re on their way out”
16:05 “Visiting Caran d’Ache was like being in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
16:49 “My life drawing project has taken me around the world”
17:46 “When it comes to paper, the less fussy the better”
18:57 “I’m not the tidiest person”
19:43 “I’m quite a sporadic worker, it takes me a moment to get into it”
20:36 “Creative mistakes lead you to create a style”
21:15 “Live as much as possible”
22:08 Credits
Read Joey Yu's article: jacksonsart.com/blog/2025/05/15/artist-insights-joey-yu/?utm_campaign=joey_yu&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_content=youtube_social_organic_video_to_blog
Shop art materials: jacksonsart.com/colour/pencil-drawing?utm_campaign=joey_yu&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_content=youtube_social_organic_video_to_ecom
