Elen Winata’s Art Exudes Professionalism

Elen Winata’s Instagram tagline reads: “Guilty of stalking too many cats, drinking too much tea and drawing too often.”

A fan of both arts and cats, Winata works as an independent art director and illustrator. Based in Singapore, her work spans different mediums, including illustration, digital work, design, and advertising.

Having studied graphic design at The Art Institute of New York City, her selected clients include brands like Airbnb, Google, Starbucks, Uber, National Geographic, and Unilever.

But admittedly, Winata’s career in illustration started by chance. “While I was still doing design, I noticed that I incorporated many illustrations in my work, most times unintentionally,” she recalled in an interview with Medium. “I realized that I was happier working on the illustrations than the actual design work, and toyed with the idea of doing it full time.”

Her illustration style is rather minimalistic: juxtaposing clean lines and vector shapes with vibrant color stories. “I like crafting images based on the project that I am working on,” says Winata, explaining that every project is different.

“I love researching the different ways I can approach a drawing,” she notes. “Seeing the final artwork come to life bit by bit is extremely exciting.”

Amongst her inspiration sources, she counts other illustrators and creators, which she follows online. “I am constantly learning on how to push my craft just from looking at the things that they create,” she admits.

And according to Winata, when she’s not working, you can find her surfing memes, doodling quotes, and naturally stalking the neighborhood cat. Check out her Instagram to see some recent projects of hers.