Chen Xi: He’s an artist, and then he’s an artist
He has a day job - as a TV star. But Mediacorp actor Chen Xi is also a serious artist who draws and paints.
It has been reported that he has sold 10 of his paintings to a Singapore art gallery for some $1,000 to S$2,000 each.
Chen, the son of local celebrities Xiang Yun and Edmund Chen, also sells prints online from The Xi Atelier (pronounced the 11th atelier, it seems).
"That's more of fine arts, but I also wanted to do something cute, something to reach other people," he told local news website Mothership recently.
So has started a little side business, selling customised pet stickers and charms.
It is called Nekolour and there is something of a story behind the venture, as he told Mothership.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, a friend of his was mourning the death of her pet dogs.
She was so affected by the loss and for so long that Chen wanted to do something for her.
He gave her an illustration of her pets in the form of a Japanese lucky charm.
And then he thought of doing it for others too.
To order illustrations, you must provide Nekolour with a clear photo of your pet, its unique traits and what you love about it.
The illustrations, each drawn by Chen, can be printed or laser engraved on a lucky charm.
Packages range from $68 to $168, and take three to eight days.
The more expensive ones include an NFT (non-fungible token) Certificate of Authenticity.
You can check it out here.
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