Hi, I'm Derek Ng, a creative professional with a strong background in fine arts and illustration. I have a passion for bringing stories and concepts to life through visual art, particularly in children's books and card game design. I combine traditional drawing techniques like charcoal with digital tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Blender 3D to produce captivating artwork. Alongside my artistic work, I have gained valuable leadership and training experience working as a barista and barista trainer, where I help train and coach new team members to improve performance and ensure high standards. I enjoy collaborating with creative teams and continuously expanding my skill set, including UX design and digital illustration commissions.

Hi, I'm Derek Ng, a creative professional with a strong background in fine arts and illustration. I have a passion for bringing stories and concepts to life through visual art, particularly in children's books and card game design. I combine traditional drawing techniques like charcoal with digital tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Blender 3D to produce captivating artwork. Alongside my artistic work, I have gained valuable leadership and training experience working as a barista and barista trainer, where I help train and coach new team members to improve performance and ensure high standards. I enjoy collaborating with creative teams and continuously expanding my skill set, including UX design and digital illustration commissions.

Available to hire

Hi, I’m Derek Ng, a creative professional with a strong background in fine arts and illustration. I have a passion for bringing stories and concepts to life through visual art, particularly in children’s books and card game design. I combine traditional drawing techniques like charcoal with digital tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Blender 3D to produce captivating artwork.

Alongside my artistic work, I have gained valuable leadership and training experience working as a barista and barista trainer, where I help train and coach new team members to improve performance and ensure high standards. I enjoy collaborating with creative teams and continuously expanding my skill set, including UX design and digital illustration commissions.

See more

Language

English
Fluent
Chinese
Advanced

Work Experience

Collaborative Project Participant at Advertising Department
May 31, 2018 - September 1, 2025
Participated in a collaborative book project with future Art Directors in the Advertising Department, working to create a children's book collage.
Barista at Starbucks
August 1, 2019 - Present
Prepared beverages and provided customer service as a Barista, maintaining quality and store standards daily.
Barista Trainer at Starbucks
January 1, 2021 - Present
Trained and coached new baristas on store standards and routines, building up from basics and teaching nuances to improve day-to-day effectiveness.
Shift Supervisor at Starbucks
March 1, 2022 - Present
Led a team through daily operations, allocating positions and coaching partners struggling in their areas to improve overall shift performance.
Freelance Artist at Self-Employed
December 1, 2023 - September 1, 2025
Created commissioned landscape artworks for prospective storybook envisioning environment and setting of the story, and set illustrations for a card game detailing card effects to help players understand concepts visually without needing to read fully.

Education

High School Diploma at Trabuco Hills High School
January 1, 2008 - January 1, 2012
Bachelor of Fine Art at Academy of Art University
September 1, 2014 - August 1, 2018
Google UX Certificate Program at Coursera
September 1, 2022 - February 1, 2023

Qualifications

Google UX Certificate Program
September 1, 2022 - February 1, 2023
Google UX Certificate
September 1, 2022 - February 28, 2023

Industry Experience

Education, Media & Entertainment, Retail, Professional Services, Other, Software & Internet
    paper Prototype Board Game

    Helped build a board game from the ground up, taking the lead in art direction of the board game. Designed the card layouts, illustrated some of the cards, illustrated the box for the game