Few words, a strong urge to express
Yu Qingyang says little but has a burning need to express, and everything left unsaid ends up on the wall.
Portrait·Character assets
Character profile
Yu Qingyang · Old City Muralist
More urban character cards →Reusable comic characterUrbanArtistNostalgicExpressive
At a glance
- Role
- Old City Muralist
- Genre
- Urban
- Form
- Human
- Art style
- Japanese-style illustration
- Main colours
- Rust orange, dark green, white
- Home scene
- An old city wall under scaffolding
Appearance
Thin black locs tied back with one side shaved short, deep brown skin and a direct, focused gaze, with a smear of paint across the nose and cheek. Everything about Yu Qingyang says "less talking, more doing".
Signature outfit
Rust-orange work overalls over a white tank top, loose in the leg and gathered at the ankle, spattered with paint of every colour. A belt carries two paint-caked tool pouches, one stuffed with brushes and the other with spray cans, and dark green high-top canvas shoes finish the look.
Where you will find them
A huge wall in the old city with scaffolding against it, covered in an abstract mural of rust orange, dark green and off-white blocks. Yu Qingyang has just tossed a paint roller into the air, flecks of paint scatter together with falling leaves, and paint tins sit at the base of the wall.
Personality and what makes them interesting
Painting what is about to disappear
Neighbourhood stories that are fading, the weathered faces of old buildings and the warmth of street life are all fixed in place on the walls of the old city.
Fighting against time
The murals are a stand against time and an attempt to hold on to the city's memory, which gives the character a quietly heroic edge.
Characters that pair well
Suggested pairing: a neighbour of many decades
The official profile mentions a friendship with an old neighbour that starts over a mural. The neighbour brings a stool every day to sit under the wall and tell stories of the past.
Suggested pairing: a young demolition officer
Their job is to make the wall disappear; Yu Qingyang's job is to make sure it is remembered.
Story hooks
A line that was not there yesterday
A possible opening: returning to the wall, Yu Qingyang finds that someone has written an address in the corner of the mural overnight.
Seven days before demolition
The street will be torn down in a week, and Yu Qingyang decides to paint every neighbour's story before then.
The wall painted over
A mural is whitewashed overnight, and Yu Qingyang has to find out who did it and why.
Character card FAQ
What genres suit Yu Qingyang?
City-memory stories, neighbourhood ensembles and urban tales with a social theme. Large murals also lend themselves to spreads and long vertical panels.
What are the key points of Yu Qingyang's design?
The locs with one shaved side, the rust-orange overalls, the two paint pouches on the belt and the roller flying through the air.
Can I skip the murals and just write daily life?
Yes, for example eating at a street stall or fixing a neighbour's door sign. As long as there are paint marks somewhere, readers will know it is Yu Qingyang.
