The Carmine Pencil
The Carmine Pencil is Ili and Maru's second iteration of a group together, the first being Sha-Pen from 2009-2014. The two are experienced in working with eachother, and have (and will continue!) to grow with one another as friends, storytellers, and creatives.
Ili
Ili is a concept artist and illustrator from Malaysia, having studied entertainment art and illustration before finally working as a professional concept artist for over 5 years. Her influences derive from various subjects: from video games, animation and movies to music, gardening and her everyday life. Her goals in art are to make something that resonates with the audience whether it be emotionally or aesthetically.A jack of all trades, she has a myriad of skills under her belt and a believer of jumping headfirst into the darkness to create.
Maru
Maru is a storyteller from Malaysia, with a love of creating worlds and characters. She has a varied background, having been in graphic design, entrepreneurship, radio production and broadcasting, and game development. All of these experiences culminate in an ability to spin stories that captivate, with a goal to make the audience either cry, or laugh. She also draws inspiration from her personal experiences and more.Maru's ultimate motivation is 'because it made me laugh.' With a love of the stylishly absurd, she continues to be driven to create, inspire, and collaborate with her friends who are more often than not, her idols.
Carmine Pencil
The Carmine Pencil is the name of Ili and Maru's art group. This is the second time Ili and Maru have worked together, the first being Sha-Pen in 2009 - a group that was created for Comic Fiesta, and it continued to bloom until its hiatus in 2016.Ili and Maru later decided to form a new group in 2021, selling their wares on online platform Shopee, as well as local conventions. The two hope to expand their group's projects and merchandise into more fields, such as apparel.