AT HOME WITH DAVID HUANG

Meet David Huang (@omguac), the talented illustrator of our new Crochet Toy Gift Set that’s on every cat’s wishlist this holiday season. We chatted with him to go behind the scenes of his design process from his flat in London and learned all about his journey to becoming a cat person, the wildly unexpected name he would choose for a cat, and why he wishes he were more like a cat.

Smalls: Want to start with a little intro?

David: Hi, I'm David. I'm a Taiwanese-American illustrator. I'm currently based in South London. I illustrated the Smalls toy gift box set for the holiday season and I’m super excited to share it.

Smalls: Walk us through your process for illustrating the holiday crochet toy gift set. Where did you start?

David: I sent quite a lot of different ideas, because the brief was super open-ended. They picked a few and then we landed on the cabinet idea. I have a cabinet that's very similar. I also love little nooks and crannies where I can add in different details. I find that super fun. And adding kind of like a daily life of cats where they can crawl in and out with different objects.

Smalls: What details on the tin should cat parents look out for? Any Easter eggs, hidden gems, or personal favorites?

David: There are objects that I feel like I've encountered in other people’s houses or in my own place. One of them is very similar to a Noguchi lamp. I worked with Noguchi for a while and they gave me a free lamp, so I have one sitting on my bedside.

Smalls: What was your inspiration behind the overall look and feel of the design?

David: I don't know if it was intentional, but it naturally became really similar to a cabinet that I own in my house. I love that cabinet. I also love drawing everyday objects and how different animals and people interact with them. I feel like the design is a daily snapshot of things. I also thought that the side of the tin lent itself really well to having little cabinets. The whole cabinet idea gave me a lot of opportunity to add little details that pop. I feel like it’s really fun for whoever is holding the box, to turn it around and see what you can find.

Smalls: How does your identity and background influence the way you approach illustration?

David: Because I grew up in Taipei and it's so dense and there's so much signage and things everywhere, I feel like my illustration is very detailed and colourful and almost kind of like—not messy—but quite cramped. I don’t feel like it's intentional, but when I think about it, I think it has influenced me in that way. I add a lot of details and I get quite obsessed by it.

Smalls: Maximalist.

David: Yes. (Laughs.)

Smalls: Do you have any cats in your life, past or present? And if not, what's your relationship been like with cats?

David: Growing up, I was actually more of a dog person, as a lot of people are, because the classic dog person is an extrovert. I thought, “oh, I'm a dog person,” because I like talking to people and being social. Once I graduated from college, I had so many friends who owned dogs and cats, and I started to build a very different relationship with cats. They really started to grow on me, and I came to love them very much. Now I'm a dog and cat person.

Smalls: Even though you are slightly allergic, what do you love the most about cats?

David: I feel like cats have a quiet strength to them. They don’t really need to be loud, but they can still be seen and heard. I like that about cats. I feel like dogs are the opposite. I wish I was more like a cat—quieter and more subtle.

Smalls: If you could have a cat, what would you name your cat?

David: I was thinking about that last night, and it would be really funny to use the name of an eye disease like Glaucoma. (Laughs). It’s serious, but cats are funny and do cute things, it becomes even more of a contrast. The nickname could be Glock, but the longer format would be Glaucoma.

Smalls: If you could illustrate a cat that represents your personality, what would it look like?

David: I like my cats to be crawling actually, so it won't be walking on two feet. It will probably be greedy for food. Isn't Garfield kind of like that? I love Garfield and I love lasagna, so it’s perfect.

Smalls: What do you find most rewarding about your work?

David: Seeing things physically come to life like this tin. That’s the most exciting. Also being able to collaborate with such different industries from my own. Doing puzzles, toys, posters, designing menus. You get to meet people that you would otherwise not have, and that’s really exciting to me.

Smalls: What is your general creative process?

David: I'm a freelancer, so I wake up when I feel like it and sometimes sleep too much. When I wake up, I usually check my emails and do the admin stuff. And then I start drawing, sketching, coloring. I usually put on a podcast. And then sometimes I’ll jump around, like midday, I’ll move from my iPad to the easel to paint on canvases. I'm preparing for a craft fair sale, so I have to do the stickers and all the little adjacent stuff on the side. So there's a lot to handle besides the illustration and drawing part.

Smalls: Admin is always difficult. Emails!

David: (Groans).

Smalls: Speaking of food, there's a lot of food in your illustrations. What role does food play in your work?

David: In a very subconscious way, because what I'm cooking for the next meal is constantly on my mind. I like cooking, because it's not my work, so I don't have that extra pressure. It feels a lot like drawing where you're taking different elements, putting time into it, and you enjoy the result. I like going to different supermarkets. I just walk around, it's kind of how I relax. There's a really good Vietnamese market and a really good Turkish market here, and I love walking around and checking out different ingredients. I love the way all the cans and jars are laid out in such a neat way. I guess it's a little bit like the cabinet on the tin.

Smalls: What's your favorite thing to cook?

David: Ah, that's so difficult. Usually, I cook a bit simpler for myself, like a gyudon. It's really difficult to find sliced beef here, but there is a really good Korean butcher in Greenwich. I usually get my sliced beef there.

Smalls: What is your dream project to illustrate, if you could illustrate anything in the world?

David: I love doing things that feel immersive, so a space where my illustrations are alive and you're surrounded by them, maybe life-size. Or maybe you're able to experience my illustrations in a different way, like doing a cocktail or a menu based on a drawing. Things that are collaborative with different senses.