Bombyx Mori

Artist: Sophia Shen-Yip
Writer: Nathan Turnbeaugh
Editor: Michelle Lo

Bombyx Mori, meaning silk moth, is an abstract self-portrait born out of Sophia Shen-Yip’s polarizing perspective on her personality and identity.

As for her background, despite her adoration of digital art mediums beginning in 2016, Shen-Yip was only able to begin her journey and develop her abilities in 2021 using Procreate on her iPad. This budding interest in digital art stemmed from Shen-Yip watching her brother paint using their family’s iPad. The allure of art was simply too much for her to resist, so she found herself browsing YouTube for more inspiration—feeding her interest.

In terms of this particular piece, Shen-Yip utilized only two brushes in Procreate, both of which were given to her by a friend. Shen-Yip also wished to communicate her personality through the symbolism of the Silk Moth which has no mouth. She uses this detail to convey her own introverted and lesser-spoken nature in addition to her favoring wearing a mask in public.

On an even deeper conceptual level, Shen-Yip mentioned that the blandness of the moth in comparison to its vibrant counterpart, the butterfly, played a crucial role in creative choices as she finds herself to be less outwardly expressive in comparison to others. Ultimately, after spending hours on this piece, she finds herself satisfied with the result of her self-expression—proud of the techniques she refined in its making.