Only a fast flick thru Leah Han’s portfolio greater than demonstrates what an unimaginable expertise she is. Few illustrators have a method that is fairly so resolved and purposeful, whereas depicting topics that so completely steadiness confidence with vulnerability. Sweeping, natural curves mix with mild palettes for a glance that is tranquil but glowing with quiet, sustained vitality.
In an age of processor-powered AI imitation, Leah is a real unique. The key, maybe, is that every illustration is drawn with feeling and created for a cause – to have fun fashionable femininity.
“The intention behind my work is to seize girls’s moments of self-introspection and solitude. In my illustrations, there may be nearly all the time a girl having fun with a second of her personal, immersed in her personal world with a relaxed, inward focus,” says Leah.
“I wish to specific that ladies ought to really feel cheerful about themselves and maintain their very own ideas, growing their sense of particular person company somewhat than measuring themselves by means of others’ eyes or by how properly they match into a gaggle,” she provides.
Nomad’s Backyard – shortlisted within the World Illustration Awards 2025.
Two photos from the Little Escape sequence.
From Leah’s collaboration with CASEKOO.
A few of her work’s originality stems from the best way she synthesises Japanese and Western influences. Initially from Chengdu in China, Leah grew up in a spot the place life is a little bit slower and the place individuals have a extra philosophical outlook. Shifting to Berlin, the pondering is extra exact and logical. Collectively, these attitudes create an enchanting pressure in her work, whereas her aesthetic takes cues from each European and Chinese language tradition, with some whimsical surrealism thrown into the combo.
For instance, the fantastic, natural line work that could be a cornerstone of her fashion comes out of years of practising Chinese language portray, but the strains themselves are skinny, and her kinds are balanced. “By combining empathy, private reflection and constant observe, I’ve step by step refined my fashion to what it’s right this moment, whereas permitting it to maintain evolving as I do,” says Leah.
She makes use of quite a lot of media. Procreate is the primary choice for smaller items, the place she builds up her sketches and color matches. For bigger commissions, Photoshop is usually the instrument of selection. With its limitless layers and the power to deal with finer particulars, it is simpler to make use of for advanced jobs.
Nevertheless, Leah has by no means deserted her favorite conventional media. For instance, her private sequence Moments of Her Personal is created fully by hand utilizing gouache and watercolour. “I feel it is vital to take care of that slower, extra tactile course of. It creates a deeper reference to the work and stimulates each sensitivity and creativity in a approach that digital instruments cannot absolutely substitute,” she says.
Ethereal Embrace.
Moments of Her Personal.
The streets of Berlin are brimming with inspiration for Leah. It is filled with style boutiques serving totally different neighbourhoods, every of which has a particular fashion. Style is one thing she finds vastly inspiring too, whereas her creative heroes embody David Hockney, Frida Kahlo, Kelly Beeman and Chang Yu. They’ve all influenced her visible language.
Because the playfulness of her paintings suggests, Leah does not see illustration as a job. For her, it is a world to discover new issues – from portray to crafts to movement design and extra.
“Essentially the most thrilling factor I’ve developing is a brand new illustration line that I am creating alongside my current sequence,” says Leah. “Whereas my present work usually options full, detailed compositions, this new line will concentrate on dynamic, motion-based parts in my fashion. I plan to create animated icons, movement illustrations, and adaptable visible parts that may work for campaigns, packaging, merchandise and extra.”
