Poan Pan’s characterful illustrations capture the quirks of bodily posture and movement

Poan Pan loves people, and he especially loves drawing them. In each of his illustrations you’ll find a figure – or a few – going about their everyday lives, pouring coffee, riding a bike, or playing in a band. Poan gets inspiration for each of his works from his daily sketchbook, which is “filled with observations of human posture”, something Poan views as a “dictionary of ideas”. Poan isn’t just intent on actually capturing the quirks and specificities of human posture and movement, but something more intangible too – the “warmth and humanity” of people, and the way their bodies connect with each other, objects and their surroundings.

Poan studied for a BA in graphic communication design at Central Saint Martins, and after graduating in 2021 he spent a number of years in the UK before moving back to Taipei to continue his pursuit of “storytelling through illustration and design”. Last July, Poan took part in a fine art residency in Kaohsiung which “reignited” his love for analogue techniques, and now he’s been finding himself incorporating crayon and watercolour textures in his digital work. To inspire other elements of his work, Poan finds his creativity is best sparked by aimless wanderings, with no specific destination in mind. “For me, illustration is more than creating images – it’s about expressing observations and embracing a sophisticated life,” he ends, “finding joy in even the smallest moments.”