This illustrator's work captures the details of everyday life with warmth and humour

illustrations by Peilin Li — (Image credit: Peilin Li)

Peilin Li is an illustrator and designer at BUCK. Based in Los Angeles, she's worked with clients including Disney, Huawei, and Farfetch, and her work has been recognised by the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, Communication Arts and the World Illustration Awards.

These experiences sharpened her storytelling and led her to graphic design, where she combines illustration’s emotional depth with visual structure to create layered, intentional work.

Beautiful World

Peilin Li. illustration of a girl in a garden — (Image credit: Peilin Li)

"This illustration was created for Nongfu Spring and is based on my own idea of a Beautiful World," says Peilin. "I revisited a drawing I made as a child, since my childhood work was always filled with imagination – strange plants, unusual animals, and little fantasy worlds.

"I imagined stepping into that world and playing music with the creatures inside it, and reworking the drawing in my own style felt like having a conversation with my younger self. I used green as the main colour to explore how different shades can live together in one image, creating a mood that feels playful, warm and slightly mysterious."

1980s New York

Peilin Li illustration of two people in a car — (Image credit: Peilin Li)

"This illustration captures the streets of New York in the 1980s. Every time I walk through the city, I’m drawn to the small shops along the streets – their unique storefronts, crazy posters, and all the diﬀerent neon signs glowing at night," says Peilin.

"All of this makes New York feel endlessly alive. The 1980s is a decade I’m especially drawn to, with its bold fashion, wild electronic rock music, and love for neon lights. In this piece, two characters race through the streets in a pink convertible, while people on the sidewalks laugh, play, and interact with one another. The illustration brings together the energy, chaos and vibrant spirit that feel so unique to 1980s New York."

Spring

illustrations by Peilin Li of people sitting round the table — (Image credit: Peilin Li)

"This illustration was created in spring and was inspired by the flowers blooming on my balcony at home at the time. They naturally made me slow down and notice the softer, warmer side of everyday life," explains Peilin.

"I painted a scene of four women enjoying afternoon tea together, using pink and green as the main colours to reflect the freshness and vitality of spring. Flowers play an important role throughout the image, appearing in both the background and foreground, and even echoed in the patterns on the women’s clothing so the figures blend naturally into their surroundings. For me, this intertwining of people and nature is a gentle way of capturing small, beautiful moments from everyday life."

Winter on the Balcony

illustrations by Peilin Li of a woman on a balcony — (Image credit: Peilin Li)

Winter on the Balcony was inspired by snowy winter nights. "When it snows, I like staying at home alone and quietly watching the city through the window," says Peilin. "The outside world feels distant and hushed under the snow, while the indoors feels warm and intimate, and that contrast left a strong impression on me.

"I painted a girl standing on a balcony, watching the snowfall, using the warm indoor light against the darker, snowy night outside to capture a sense of quiet, solitude, and comfort. Rather than focusing on a specific story, this illustration is about holding onto that slow, peaceful moment that winter nights often bring."

Modern house

illustrations by Peilin Li showing people in different rooms of the same house — (Image credit: Peilin Li)

"This piece was inspired by my years of living with different roommates," says Peilin. "It shows multiple moments happening at once inside a shared home – someone spending time alone, someone staying busy, all under the same roof but each moving at their own pace.

"To me, this illustration is about the small, real details of shared living: the closeness that comes from sharing a space, the occasional distance, and the warmth and unspoken understanding that slowly form over time. By placing different rooms side by side in a single image, I wanted to capture how quiet, chaotic, humorous, and comforting moments can all exist together in everyday co-living life."

Ultraman

illustrations by Peilin Li showing alien in sportswear — (Image credit: Peilin Li)

This piece is Peilin's attempt to reinterpret Ultraman in her own style. "I drew inspiration from the visual language of Japan’s Showa era, using pink and orange as the main colours and incorporating silkscreen and riso-like textures to enhance the retro feel.

"Composition-wise, I chose an exaggerated low-angle view to give the character a stronger sense of power and drama, echoing Ultraman’s presence as a heroic figure. Overall, I wanted the image to feel nostalgic while still clearly reflecting my personal visual language."

Chastity&Lust

illustrations by Peilin Li showing two women sitting next to each other holding hands — (Image credit: Peilin Li)

"I’ve always been drawn to relationships that feel opposing yet deeply connected, which led me to use Chastity & Lust as the theme of this piece," explains Peilin. "To me, chastity and lust aren’t two completely separate extremes, but two states that exist within everyone. I chose two symmetrical female figures as the main subjects, with a mirrored composition to reflect that idea.

"Their different outfits represent chastity and lust, but each figure still carries subtle details from the other, and their hands are intertwined to emphasise how these two forces oppose, influence, and depend on each other at the same time."

Twins

With this piece, "I wanted to create an illustration with a slightly unsettling feeling, inspired by the look of oil portrait paintings," says Peilin. "Rather than showing anything clearly eerie or disturbing, the image avoids specific horror or abnormal elements. Instead, I focused on conveying a sense of emotional unease through the characters themselves.

"The two young girls are shown with subtly frightened expressions, which become the main emotional anchor of the piece. I’m more interested in these unspoken, hard-to-define feelings than in depicting a clear event. By limiting the palette to black and white, I removed visual distractions and invited viewers to focus on the expressions and the quiet tension beneath the surface."

Studio Dream

illustrations by Peilin Li showing woman in a kitchen with a cat — (Image credit: Peilin Li)

"This illustration is my imagined version of an ideal studio. It’s a space set within nature, where I can create alongside friends, with two mischievous cats always nearby," says Peilin.

"I focused on moments caught in motion – a cat leaping onto the table and sending plates flying, water boiling in the background with bubbles rising and rolling. By freezing these small bursts of movement, I wanted to show a creative space that feels a little chaotic, but full of life and energy."

Find out more about Peilin Li

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Rosie Hilder is Creative Bloq's Deputy Editor. After beginning her career in journalism in Argentina – where she worked as Deputy Editor of Time Out Buenos Aires – she moved back to the UK and joined Future Plc in 2016. Since then, she's worked as Operations Editor on magazines including Computer Arts, 3D World and Paint & Draw and Mac|Life. In 2018, she joined Creative Bloq, where she now assists with the daily management of the site, including growing the site's reach, getting involved in events, such as judging the Brand Impact Awards, and helping make sure our content serves the reader as best it can.

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