Phng Keng Boon

Profession

Foundation Plus Alum

College

Central Saint Martins

Person Type

Alumni

Biography

Interview

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspires your work.

My name is Phng Keng Boon, and I go by Trish Phng here in the UK. I am a graduate of UAL: London College of Communication’s BA Illustration and Visual Media course with First Class Honours.

I love creating comics and printmaking, and I practice incorporating different ways of stories/ narratives in my illustrations and prints. Throughout my time at university, I realised that I comics and print has challenged me in how I visualise my imagery and allowed me to find new ways of conveying my thoughts and feelings. The two mediums allowed me to show myself fully, honestly, and unapologetically, giving readers and observers a clear insight to my views.

Currently a lot of my stories are inspired from events that I have experienced myself, but I am working towards collaborating collaboration with other creatives and I hope to get some of my work published in the near future.

What have you been up to since graduating from Foundation Plus Diploma in Art and Design at Central Saint Martins?

Since graduating FAD Plus, I studied Illustration and Visual Media in London College of Communication, graduating with a First-Class Honours. I am currently working part time as a screen-printing technician for the International School of Creative Arts (ISCA), and other times I am working on my own practice, making prints and comics.

Recently in February this year, I had my first exhibition where I sold screen prints I designed for this year’s Chinese Lunar New Year, hosted and curated by the Steam Room.

I have a lot of different projects going on at the moment, such as creating more prints in Kew Studio as well as working on a collaboration comic series with my sister, Ruth Phng, and also working on creating series of short comics during my free time. My main goal this year is to get as much work from my practice, so I can establish myself in my field.

How would you describe your experience on the Foundation Plus course and how did it encourage the way you work now?

I found FAD Plus to be versatile in learning many different techniques, which was very useful to me. I understood that the course allowed me to be exposed to different ways of working and I found that it was really helpful, because I got to learn about techniques that I don’t think I would have thought to use before. Two techniques that I learned in FAD Plus and found really helpful and have used often in my practice is screen printing and bonda-webbing fabrics when I use embroidery.

I feel that FAD Plus encouraged me to be open to working with a diverse range of equipment, because I was at that time in my education where you have time to make mistakes and be experimental, which I think that is what you need to remember and not rush so much into having a fixed style right off the bat.

What words of advice would you give to a student studying for a Foundation Plus Diploma in Art and Design?

Don't rush into completing an outcome so fast, and be open minded in learning all the quick daily projects briefs that you will learn. Even though you may not think some briefs benefitted you, at least you gave it a shot and you have confirmation that it may not suit you, or maybe it has given you interest in something new that you have not been exposed to. Take your time, and enjoy the progress that you will make in the course.

Links

Instagram: @phngkengboon