This 21-year-old girl came up with a fun and clever way to augment and play with her surroundings (especially food) by drawing cartoon characters on her smartphone and superimpose them into real-life pictures. With her first post on Instagram dated September 2014, Cece & Friends has successfully attracted 1828 followers. Read the interview below as we talked to Nadia Qarina on things that inspired her and how she makes her cartoon characters come to life.
1. To start off, a brief introduction about yourself.
My name is Nadia Qarina but usually people will call me Qeyna (they always got it wrong with the pronunciation, but it’s okay). I just completed my Diploma in English in Sultan Idris Education University which is also known as UPSI. And I just turned 21 on July 2nd.
2. How did @_littlecece starts?
I started creating @_littlecece account last year, probably on early September if I’m not mistaken and there’s one particular reason why I started posting my artwork on Instagram. I have always loved drawing since I was little and wanted to pursue art by heart but never got the chance due to some reasons. And by posting my artwork on Instagram, it somehow gives me the privilege to be me, to do what I love to do and to just have fun with it. Well, I define _littlecece account as an escapism or getaway for myself as it pretty much takes me to a different world when I started to draw (I hope it makes sense).
3. What makes you pursue on doing this kind of art?
The thing that keeps me going up until today is the positive feedback I constantly get from people around me and my lovely followers. They have always been so supportive of what I’m doing and always believe in me. And what makes me happy the most is when they feel inspired of my artwork even when I fail to see it.
4. Describe a real-life situation that inspired you.
So recently, one of my friends got into a tragic accident where he unfortunately, lost his left leg. The thing is we as a human being, whenever we face difficulties, we tend to get really depressed and down. But on the other hand, my friend doesn’t even show any sign of negativity eventhough he’s in real pain. Instead, he encourages us to be strong and to stay healthy. I mean, how irony is that? Therefore, this particular friend of mine has really inspired me that life is a journey that has ups and downs. And it’s totally up to us how we want it to be painted, it’s either black or white.
5. What food, drink, and song that inspire you?
I don’t really have any favorites because I appreciate food so much that I grew to love each and one of them. Anyhow, for drinks I would say…green tea! Green tea is by far the best drink and also the one I can’t live without, besides plain water of course. And for songs, I would probably say the oldies, the ones in the 70s and 80s because they produced great songs back then! And I just can’t get enough of them.
6. Name something you love, and why.
I loveeee travelling! I can say that I’m an adventurous type of person, so I pretty much love to seek new adventures, gain experiences and explore new things. Therefore, travelling is something that I would love to do constantly because what’s not to love? The world has so much to offer to us!
7. Name something you don’t love, and why.
Labelling people. I really really really dislike people who label someone with this and that even when they don’t know the person and the reason behind it. For example like calling a girl a slut because she has a lot of guy friends is just…straight up wrong. Maybe she’s comfortable being with guys because she grew up with her brothers? Or simply because she hates cliche dramas? We never know. The thing is, don’t assume someone with this and that and just don’t label. Just don’t. You may know their names but not their stories.
8. What is your dream project?
To own a merchandise regarding my artwork. Probably a clothing line or something.
