“I am a pet lover. I dedicate my art to create the awareness for animal protection and stand against animal cruelty.”

Background and Profession

Born in 1981, Ethen Ng is a self-taught artist from Penang, Malaysia. He enjoyed painting since young and it was there his artistic talent began to develop when he took up pencil and started to draw. Although Ethen began as a fabric designer, his heart began feeling more into fine art, especially painting. Apart from his work as a full-time artist, he conducts art classes in part-time for school children and adults as well. He makes time every day to allow himself in exploring new techniques to enhance his skills. Ethen says, ‘I believe that one will improve himself through extensive observation and continuous learning.’

Medium

The work of Ethen was published and shared in Chinese social media, for instance Weibo and WeChat for his famous drawings of animal portrait. His strength is using ball pens as the only medium in his works.

‘I like the colourful range of ball pens that provides a huge variety of colours and sizes. They give me so much freedom in creating the artwork I desire, I can easily transform what I feel into my drawing. Ball pens give so much pleasure to me even though the time spent on each drawing is rather long. Every single line and stroke are planned carefully, I totally enjoy the process of making it.’

Theme and Ideology

‘In my opinion, keeping pet is more than a hobby. Pet to me is a friend or partner who spends the life with me and listens to me when I need someone to talk to.’ 

Ethen’s love towards animal is developed by seeing their playful behaviours, like a form of energy driving him to capture their expressions in drawing. In his work, we can always find different expressions and postures of kitties and puppies.

‘As an artist, my inner feeling teaches me one thing—the purpose to create art.’ 

‘I am a pet lover. I dedicate my art to create the awareness for animal protection and stand against animal cruelty.’

Today Ethen hopes that his works will gradually cultivate public awareness towards animal protection and further develop the love to animals.