Zihan "Helenna" Xu's visual artwork

Visual Artworks

by Helenna Zihan Xu

Folk Art House I drew this piece when I was first taught ink drawing. The demonstration of detail is really important.

The art studio I studied at in 2012 is located in the old town of Shanghai. It's the remaining serenity among the hubbub of the skyscrapers. This piece is one of the “Old Town� series.

Inspired by Book, Eleanor and Park Eleanor is the main character in the Eleanor and Park. It’s my first Rainbow Rowell book, and I instantly fell in love with her. I drew this portrait according to the description in the book, “With crazy hair, bright red on top of curly”.

Portrait Drawn based on a photograph of a woman. I learned how to draw vivid eyes from this portrait.

Near the Ocean A replica of an oil piece. The color is not as thick as in acrylic, but the color tones look perfectly. The trick is to put layers instead of blend.

Angels We Have Heard on High Inspired by the Christmas song. The original figure is a statue, and I turned it into sketch. This drawing is selected as key visual of 2015 Christmas card of Milpitas Christian School.

Roar Based on a photograph of a tiger. The presentation of fur is the hardest and time consuming part. The black ground and white tiger formed a strong contrast, emphasizes the tiger.

Get inspiration from classical and masterwork 

Enjoyed culture and architectural art in Beijing, Xi’an, Salzburg, Luzern, Barcelona, Vienna, Tokyo

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Engaged with classical in Metropolitan and Prado Museum

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Experienced the mixture of east and west in Alhambra Palace in Spain

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Explored modern taste in MoMA