Wenjia Tang

  1. conceptual/narrative
  2. maps/infographics
  3. bio
  4. work process

Wenjia was born in Jiangsu China and came to study in the US when she was 15. She graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA degree in Illustration in 2017, then moved to NYC to become a freelance illustrator. She has done a lot of editorial work and some of her clients include The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Variety Magazine, The Atlantic, etc. In 2018, she published her first picture book ‘Up & Down.’ Her work was recognized by the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, Communication Arts, 3×3 Magazine etc.

Wenjia’s work is inspired by vintage screen prints and retro illustrations in the 1950s. Even though she works digitally, she always adds different textures to make the art more organic.

Client List

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Atlantic
Airbnb
Audubon Society
AARP
Scientific American
Spectrum
Variety Magazine
Nautilus
JHU Health Review
LA Weekly
AD Age
Baltimore Magazine
Dotdash
Narratively
Longreads
Smithsonian
Sierra Magazine
Tinybop
Wissen
LOHAS
Esquire China
Life Monthly
Imperial College London
ELLE Men China
Cathay Dragon
Marin Magazine
Yankee Magazine
Richmond Magazine
Barnard Magazine
byFaith Magazine
Catholic Extension
LOHAS Magazine
DK Children
Little Tiger Press
Kids Can Press
Cottage Door Press
Hardie Grant
Viction-Viction

I work digitally in photoshop for everything. First, I read and analyze the article or brief the client sent, find out one or more important messages it conveys, and visualize them into at least 3 sketches. Once the client approves one of them, my usual process is to do a simple and quick color draft for myself, so I know exactly which color goes where for the final image. But if it’s a super quick job, I’ll skip this step and move on to finalizing the image directly.

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