Role: Freelance Illustrator
Year: 2024
Tools Used: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator
Year: 2024
Tools Used: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator
Tsrang Label – Illustrations for Streetwear Collection
Client: Tsrang Label by Esther Zhuang
Concept
This project was a collaboration with Tsrang Label, an Auckland-based streetwear brand founded by Esther Zhuang. The label exists to honour emotional honesty, cultural identity, and the quiet power in embracing vulnerability.
Esther’s vision began with a frustration: seeing shirts in surf shops featuring meaningless “Asian” symbols with no cultural depth. Our goal was to reclaim that space; creating streetwear illustrations rooted in real Chinese mythology, with symbolism that encourages strength through emotional authenticity.
I designed two original illustrations, each tied to mythological guardians that reflect inner resilience and emotional duality:
Denglong (登龙) – a mythical lantern beast, symbolising protection, elevation, and guiding light. The design reflects emotional strength and quiet guidance through dark spaces.
Ox-Head and Horse-Face (牛头马面) – guardians of the underworld who escort souls with clarity and duty. They represent facing fear, honouring boundaries, and walking through emotional heaviness with dignity.
The illustrations were designed to be bold, symbolic, and wearable, merging traditional Chinese mythological elements with modern, minimal linework suitable for screen-printing on cotton streetwear garments.
Concept Sketch:
Denglong (登龙)
The only visual reference available at the start of the project was Denglong's appearance on a Yu-Gi-Oh! card; “Denglong, First of the Yang Zing,” which provided a fantasy interpretation, but lacked cultural grounding.
To respectfully design an original version, I researched historical and mythological sources to understand Denglong’s traditional description, which includes ten distinct features:
“Horns like a deer, head like a camel, ears like a cat, eyes like a shrimp, mouth like a donkey, hair like a lion, neck like a snake, belly like a shen, scales like a koi, front paws like an eagle, and rear paws like a tiger.”
I decided to approach the composition with inspiration from traditional Chinese tiger paintings; strong diagonal movement, poised strength, and expressive energy. This pose allowed the creature to embody both watchfulness and power, while honouring classic Eastern visual rhythms.
Key creative decisions:
▸Simplified the hybrid anatomy into flowing linework, keeping details stylised but readable
▸Positioned the Denglong in a protective stance, referencing its role as a guardian and light-bearer
▸Incorporated subtle curves and texture to suggest the mix of fur, scales, and claws without overcomplication
Concept Sketch:
Ox-Head and Horse-Face (牛头马面)
For this piece, I wanted to lean into their darker, more intense identity; creating an aesthetic that feels raw, infernal, and graphic, like something you’d see on a metal band t-shirt.
The visual direction focused on:
▸A hellish atmosphere; with flames, smoke, and heavy contrast
▸A sense of power and fear, but still rooted in folklore
▸A bold, wearable composition; dense with detail but still clear on fabric
To modernize the symbolism while keeping it emotionally grounded, I incorporated a trident into the design, both as a weapon and a visual anchor, hinting at authority, judgment, and otherworldly justice.
Stylistic influences
▸Traditional East Asian depictions of Yama (King of Hell)
▸Metal band poster compositions; layered, high-contrast, bold silhouettes
▸Tattoo art; using clean, intentional linework with controlled chaos
The garments were designed to:
▸Start conversations around identity, mythology, and emotional honesty
▸Reclaim visual space often misused by commercial “Asian aesthetic” tropes, replacing them with culturally grounded, intentional work
▸Feel like emotional armour; strong, bold designs that hold vulnerability at their core
This collaboration was more than just illustration; it became a statement about pride, emotional strength, and belonging. It remains one of the most personally fulfilling projects I’ve contributed to, combining my love for narrative visuals with a shared cultural purpose.
