Grace Duan on her Inspiration: Cats & Covid

“I don’t bother about style, I just create whatever makes me happy.”

- Grace Duan
30 May 2021

Grace Duan is a graphic designer, illustrator, and an affectionate cat-mom whose animal magnetism and penchant for the occult has helped birth the story of Nimu – a tarot reading feline modelled after her very own, Lucky Potato Chips (that’s her cat). Born from Hong Kong but based in Singapore, Grace has plied her trade in product design, and more recently graphic design and digital art. Now, she sits with us to talk about her little side-project which has taken off on Instagram.

Can you share what's Nimu's Tarot background story?

I'm fascinated by tarot reading, and I'm obsessed with cute cats, so why not both! I tried drawing cards with my cat Nimu's paws and found the readings quite spot-on. So, I've decided to combine both and started Nimu' Tarot reading on Instagram stories during Circuit Breaker. To provide a little entertainment and reach out to friends during the lockdown.

What software programmes do you use?

For this Tarot-reading cover, I'm using Procreate App on iPad. Experiment with brushes to create a woodcut printing vibe to the artwork. I want to make it mysterious yet inviting. The primary colours used in this poster are inspired by tarot too.

What are some story elements of her (Nimu’s) psychic abilities that you wanted to capture in design?

Nimu has a pair of soulful and expressive eyes. I want to capture that in the drawing. The background is sharing the same yellow colour of its eyes to make it more inviting & cohesive. The blue curtain with star prints represents the night sky, a classic symbol in tarot cards. With the raised paw, it draws attention to Nimu and the crystal ball (universe) she's holding. In the foreground, we have candles with fish carving, again emphasising the cat element.

Why do you feel that your artworks don't need a consistent style?

Personally, I feel that you do not have to have a style as an artist.

Some artists can pick a singular concept or visual theme that they find particularly profound - and then they explore it repeatedly with works as variations on that same theme, rather than learning a broad set of skills in many different areas. Depth over breadth, to be concise. It slowly developed into a style, a label that other people will see your work as.

It does make your work more recognisable and saleable. In the end, it really depends on who you are creating for. To me, I don’t bother about style, just create whatever makes me happy.

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You can see more of Grace’s work by following her on her Instagram channels @noofiedy, and while you’re at it, she insists you follow the star herself at @lucky_potato_chips too.