Mengyao works with digital painting, character design, and character-based storytelling. She is interested in how pictures and simple movement can tell stories. For her, trying different media—such as digital tools, oil painting, watercolor, and mixed materials—is a way to explore new methods of visual storytelling. Each medium creates a different feeling and guides viewers in different ways.

Moving from China to the United States shaped how Mengyao thinks about communication, belonging, and change. She is naturally shy, so art became a language she trusts. Through painting, she can express emotions that are difficult to say out loud.

In her recent work, Mengyao focuses on characters and worldbuilding. Small details—like a character’s expression, gesture, or the light in a scene—can show deeper ideas about emotion and identity. She enjoys creating moments where characters seem to come alive, whether through illustration, manga, or short animations, as if they are part of a larger growing world.

Across most of her work, Mengyao aims to create emotional connection. Instead of making images that stand alone, she builds scenes and worlds that invite viewers in. For her, art is both a way to keep her own memories and a way to share new stories with others—stories filled with quiet feelings, imagination, and gentle transformation.