Artist Cindy Duong of Sakuradragon Publishes Tiny RPG Universe Webtoon

Cindy Duong is a familiar face at our Art Walk. You may recognize her cute illustrations inspired by food, cute things and video games such as a little green dino named Feed Me Dino. She recently published a digital comic series called Tiny RPG Universe on Webtoon, the popular South Korean app. If you’ve never read a webtoon before, it’s a comic made of episodes. Each episode is published on one long, vertical strip that makes it easy for scrolling on a smartphone or computer. Some feature music and animations that play during each episode.

Tiny RPG Universe is a Fantasy/Romance that follows the adventures of Altair, a small sorcerer who explores a magical world filled with cozy shops, amazing foods, and questionable characters.

Feed Me Dino via @sakuradragon.

Screenshot of Tiny RPG Universe.

Congrats on your first Webtoon comic! You've come a long way since selling prints at the Art Walk at our events, to branching out with merch and an art book, and now Webtoons! What's your journey been like?

When I first quit my job if you told me I would start a comic on Webtoons, I would have laughed. Making a comic sounded nice and I even had this story I’ve been building since high school. While the comic is something I’ve always wanted to do, I never felt like I had enough skill (or confidence) to pull it off. Considering the amount of work, planning and commitment a comic requires, I still have trouble wrapping my mind around the first episode of Tiny RPG Universe that is now on Webtoons. It’s a huge milestone for me and definitely a reflection of how much I’ve grown in the last couple of years as an artist.

I used to have this huge fear of not being good enough because I didn’t come from a formal art education like my peers. There are a lot of negative stereotypes around a profession in art and all of them have to do with being poor. Growing up around that stereotype hurt my confidence a lot. I really believed that being an artist is already really hard and if you’re not amazing like those professionals you see all over the internet, you really will have no chance.

After the first year of quitting my full time job, I ran my first Kickstarter to put together an art book called Some Place Far From Here. It was a collection of all the lessons I had learned that first year. I was ready for that Kickstarter to fail. I wanted that art book so much that I was willing to cover some of the cost out of pocket and even set the project goal lower than what I needed to fund it. To my absolute surprise, the goal was met in 48 hours and I even cried when I looked at the list of backers. There were so many people I had met through my art and they all believed in me. That was the first time I noticed the disparity between how much others believed in me and how little faith in myself I had. When the Kickstarter closed out, I raised 5 times what I had asked for and had over 200 backers. Needless to say, I got my books and even a little zine manufactured. As an unexpected bonus, I also realized the importance of believing in myself and learned that growth only comes with taking risk.

Although I like to believe I’m a pretty logical person, I think I’m also good at trying to prove myself, and everyone else, wrong. I’m really good at putting myself in stressful situations and I don’t actually think I will ever have a set plan for the future. I always tell others that no sane person would put themselves through this lifestyle, but the sense of accomplishment I get at the end of the day makes it completely worth the pain. I wouldn’t trade this lifestyle for anything in the world because it was only by doing art did I learn to actually love myself.

You told me you quit your full time job to pursue art. What was the reaction of your family and friends?

I used to be best friends with my parents and now I’m working on restoring that. I have very Asian parents so they, understandably, had their objections and fears. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that a lot of those fears come from lack of understanding. None of their Asian friends or family have kids doing art. The path that I’ve picked as a career isn’t familiar like doctor, lawyer, or engineer. Until they see proof that I can sustain as an independent artist, they will worry a whole lot about me because they are my parents and they don’t want to see me suffer.

Surprisingly, my friends all reacted really positively and even cheered me on. It was confusing because they weren’t worried for me at all. They just knew that I could do it and I had no idea where they got that confidence from. I am more grateful for my friends now than ever before because they were, and still are, the ones who helped me navigate through all the doubt. I know I would have never made it this far without them.

What's a typical day for you now?

People ask this a lot but I don’t feel like my typical day is that far from the typical office day. I wake up, work at my desk until I’m hungry, prepare food, and then go back to work until dinner time. The only difference is that I get to wake up whenever I want so I sleep in whenever I can. I often relocate to a boba shop for a couple hours when I need a change of scenery.

You might feel like my work is really chill. While it is pretty relaxed, I like to think of it as sprinting. Because there’s always so much to do, so much to prepare, and so much to keep track of, it can become really stressful. There’s only one of me and so many projects, I often work 12 hour days because nothing is stopping me.

I know you travel to a lot of other events too. Which are your favorites? How often do you travel?

I used to travel once or twice a month to conventions outside of Los Angeles. My body can’t handle that anymore because conventions aren’t my only responsibility. I now try to limit my travel to once a month.

My favorite conventions are Fanime in San Jose and Sakura Con in Seattle. People at those events are so kind and it feels like the attendees appreciate art more. Sometimes I forget that the fast lifestyle in Los Angeles isn’t the norm in other parts of the world. Traveling is a great way to put things back into perspective.

What's it like being an artist at the Art Walk at 626 Night Market? How do you like it?

Participating in the Art Walk at the 626 Night Market is really intense. Between the crazy summer heat, the occasional high winds that knock your display over, and the late hours, the event is really physically exhausting. That might sound all bad but there is no other event with so much amazing food or a staff that treats you like family. The 626 Night Market is highly accessible, too, so I get to see a lot of customers/friends who I keep in touch with via social media but don’t during the rest of the year.

I have been watching 626 Night Market grow for the last five years and it’s really obvious that the team is really passionate about the events. Being part of the Art Walk makes me feel like I get to participate in the Asian American community and do cool things with everyone.

Sakuradragon booth at the 626 Night Market Art Walk.

Any advice for new artists who are starting out?

I have so much to say on this topic but since I hope to leave you with something you might remember when the going gets tough, I will only leave you with a quote from Some Place Far From Here:

“Sometimes you have to wander alone on your journey. You might get lost and lose your way, but you’ll find a new path with new and exciting things to explore and see. It might be scary at first but you’ll find it’s actually not so bad. There’s nothing wrong with losing your way and finding it again.”

This is the first quote I wrote when I sat down to start the book. Even now, I find myself thinking about this all the time and it provides a lot of comfort when I’m feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty. I hope it can provide the same for your creative journey.

Follow Cindy’s work on Instagram, Facebook, Twitch and Twitter. Website here.

Want to be a 626 Night Market artist at our Art Walk? Sign up here!

Written by Holly Nguyen (@tableflipemoji), PR & Marketing Manager at 626 Night Market.