~ The Art of Schin Loong ~

I didn't feel like sleeping last night so I stopped by the Etsy chat room to see what's going on. There, I met Schin, the artist behind schin.etsy.com. We chatted briefly and I am completely blown away by her shop.


I just love her style. It's like the love child of old-school romantic manga and Chinese comic.


This one is one of my favorites! I love all the stories behind each lady.

Xi Shi
The king of Yue searched his lands for a beauty, and Xi Shi, the extraordinarily beautiful daughter of a humble tea trader was favored. The king trained her in espionage and court etiquette and sent her, richly dressed, to the prince of the Kingdom of Wu as a tribute gift. The prince was so charmed by her bewitching that he neglected his kingdom. Easily, the King of Yue invaded during the political chaos and overtook the kingdom of Wu. The prince committed suicide and Xi Shi lived happily ever after with her lover, the minister Fan Li.
She's said to be so beautiful that when she was washing silk by the river, the fish was so entranced by her beauty that they forgot to swim and drowned.

Wang Zhaojun
Emperor Yuan used painted portraits to choose his concubines, so naturally, the ladies bribed the court painter to make each of their portraits more flattering. Wang Zhaojun was confident in her beauty and refused to bribe him, and in anger, the artist painted her terribly. One day, the emperor wanted to send one of his court ladies to the Huns as a political bride, and based on her misleading portrait, Wang Zhaojun was chosen. When she sadly turned to go, Emperor Yuan saw her face and realized that she's actually the most beautiful in his court. But it's too late.. as the luckless beauty walked out of the palace into the winter day, a flock of birds flying overhead was so struck by her selflessness and gorgeousness that they forgot to fly and fell to their deaths. Emperor Yuan put the dishonest court painter to death, but Wang Zhaojun never returned to her homeland.

Diaochan
Diaochan, a gentle, loyal maid, helped orchestrate a war between two warlords and ended the rule of a tyrant using her charm. Unfortunately, she was eventually put to death by the tyrant's cronies. The legend goes that one autumn night as she was worshiping the moon, the moon was so awed by her beauty that it hid behind some clouds out of shame.

Yang Guifei
Yang Guifei was a high ranking, privileged beauty, and the Emperor Xuanzong was so in love with her that he neglected his state affairs and indulged in their pleasures, feasting and drinking all day long. The legend goes that she's so beautiful, the spring flowers would refuse to bloom out of embarrassment. Yang Guifei also loves to take baths, and the Emperor built lavish, splendid lakes and baths for her. One day, a rebellion was staged and the Emperor fled the palace with Yang Guifei, but his soldiers refused to go on and demanded the death of the beauty, whom they believe had ruined the country. Towards the end, Yang Guifei killed herself to save the king.

Another favorite of mine. I am a sucker for passion.


And just look at this awesome picture. She said she took this picture behind her house. It looks so magical!


If these images doesn't show how good she is, check out her profile and website. She has great credentials. According to her profile, she attended Illustration training from The One Academy of Communication Design, Malaysia and Ringling College of Art and Design, Florida and her work has been featured in Society of Illustrators Student Scholarship Competition 2008 and 2009, ImagineFX, Exotique, Darkstalkers Tribute Art Book and Cosmix II.

Her prices are great too! Just $6 to $15 for prints and ACEOs. Go visit her shop and be amazed!