Kefan Shi is an illustrator whose practice is shaped by storytelling, emotional nuance, and visual curiosity. Beginning with comics and character drawing, his formal education took him from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts to an MFA in Illustration Practice at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Now based in New York City, Kefan balances UX-driven design work with deeply personal illustration — creating images where emotion arrives before explanation. In this interview, he reflects on freedom in education, visual storytelling, and his hope for a more open and inclusive world.
Tell us about where you study/studied and some of your highlights and favourite lecturers and if you are self taught, how did you do it?!
My illustration journey started from comics. I was one of those kids who spent hours drawing characters and little stories. But my formal art study began at the art college, first at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in China, then at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in the USA.
MICA completely changed the way I understood illustration. My program was called Illustration Practice, and my department chair, Whitney Sherman, had this wonderful philosophy: encourage students to experiment with different media, ways of making images, and forms of storytelling. We were also allowed to take classes across departments to support our own research.
This kind of freedom shaped me a lot. During my MFA study, I explored storytelling through digital design, through traditional painting, and through more experimental image-making. It fit my personality to be curious and always wanting to try new ways to communicate visually. I love stories, I love details, I love visuals that feel a bit “cool,” and I also love research. I think my MFA helped me understand how all of those things can live together.
After graduation, I moved to New York, a city full of energy and creativity. Over time, I naturally separated my creative practice into two parts: emotional personal illustration and design work that serves brands or products. When I’m designing for work, it’s UX-driven and user-focused. But in my personal projects, I allow myself to be fully myself, like a personal space. When you look at my personal pieces, you might feel my sensitivity, my boldness, my hesitation, my balance or imbalance. All of these are honest parts of me, constantly exploring who I am.
Tell us about your tools / what tech, programs, equipment and environment do you do your best work in?
My tools are actually simple: a digital tablet and some hand-drawn textures. But in my personal work, what matters most to me isn’t the tool, it’s the composition, the story arrangement, and the tiny details. For example, in Embrace Yourself, I added a hunting owl, a burning flame, and a still lake reflecting moonlight. All these elements hint at a quiet sense of unease and a spark of emotion that’s hard to contain.
What I love is that even though I begin with my own narrative, different viewers always can read different stories, but almost everyone can feel the emotion inside the image. I love that, and I put it into my work -- emotion arriving before the story. I think that comes from my love of Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights: we don’t really know why he painted things the way he did, however, we all feel something very clearly.
Tell us some of your favourite, creative professionals and inspiring places in your city!
Honestly, one of my favorite things is just sitting somewhere, on a sidewalk, or in Central Park, watching people pass by. It sounds simple, but it’s so interesting. Everyone looks so different, like walking stories. What I like to do is guess where they’re from, where they’re going, what their day is like. Of course, these are just my own little imaginations, but they do spark ideas.
What are your biggest hopes and dreams for 2026, both for the world and your career?
For my own career, I have one but exciting wish: to work on a more comprehensive project from concept to launch. I want to see how far my skills can go when everything connects, including strategy, creativity, and execution.
For the world… I hope for more “openness” and “inclusivity.” I have so many feelings about this, but I don’t want to define it too narrowly. To me, “inclusivity” is like the glue that holds everything together.
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