The Journey of Me Creating Sylvan


Here is the story of how Sylvan came into the world!

You can also click here to see more of Sylvan’s story And click here to see more of my illustration works

As you can see, Sylvan is a little cat-lamb. The image of the cat-lamb was originally inspired by Kafka’s short story A Crossbreed. In the story,  the hybrid creature serves as a metaphor for the contradictions and complexities within the self. My own visual narrative began with interpreting this text through imagery and gradually evolved into a way of telling my personal stories.The design of the cat-lamb’s face is based on a black cat that my mother and I once raised together. Its mysterious and distant temperament reminded me of my adolescent self who lived away from my mother—a form of love that felt complex, reserved, yet deeply rooted. In moments of looking into that cat’s eyes, I often experienced an indescribable sense of resonance. Over time, this figure evolved into a symbolic representation of myself and became the central character in my narrative universe.



This artwork depicts the cat-lamb running toward me from a distance, symbolising the beginning of a dialogue with my inner self. In creating this piece, I experimented with different materials, including oil pastels and printmaking. Each medium imbued the image with subtle emotional variations: the oil pastel version emphasises distance and mystery, while the Lino printing version conveys a sense of chaos and contradiction.

Amidst the grassland burning in the night, 
I will hold you time and time again.
30cm*30cm mixed media painting on canvas

In this stage of my creative process, I used a red-haired girl to symbolise my external and realistic self, while the cat-lamb she holds tightly in her arms represents my inner self. In Kafka’s A Crossbreed, the creature “carries both the cat’s anxieties and the sheep’s anxieties, so its skin is always too tight.” Inspired by this idea, I depicted exposed bones to symbolise an anxiety so intense that it feels as if it might burst through the skin. Yet, in the moment when the girl embraces this anxious inner self, I experience an unexpected sense of peace. I began to accept the complexity of my own being—not fighting against my inner self but learning how to love it with gentleness.

This work was created during my first year living in Scotland. At that time, the silver grasslands of the Highlands at night deeply moved me. Their dreamlike quality felt healing and naturally found their way into the painting. The works from this period are inseparable from the freshness and emotional intensity of my early experiences living abroad.
Centred around the theme of accepting and loving oneself, I created a series of illustrations and gave names to the two protagonists who symbolise different aspects of the self: the inner self is represented by the little cat-lamb named Sylvan, meaning forest, while the outer self is represented by a red-haired girl named Muir, meaning ocean. Through natural imagery, I aim to place the experience of self-embrace in an environment that brings me peace.

This piece, Almond, is the first in the series and marks the beginning of Muir and Sylvan’s journey.
The story can be summarised as follows: 

Muir and Sylvan have been together since childhood, and Muir wishes to protect Sylvan from the outside world. However, as she grows up, she cannot ignore external judgment and scrutiny and finds herself constantly wearing masks to please others. In this process, Sylvan—her inner self—gradually becomes transparent, even disappearing. This prompts Muir to embark on a journey to find Sylvan.

Along the way, Muir learns to embrace and accept herself, slowly shedding the masks that exhaust her, and begins to face the world as her authentic self. In the end, she reunites with Sylvan, who, as a symbol of her inner self, is willing to return to her side after she has rediscovered herself beyond the pressure of external expectations.

The title Almond is inspired by the amygdala, the part of the brain associated with processing fear and negative emotions. At both the beginning and the end of the story, Muir and Sylvan are tightly embraced within the symbolic form of the almond, completing a journey of self-discovery, self-understanding, and self-love.
click here to see the whole story in the picture book!
In the picture book called Travelling with home, I designed the characters for my mum and grandmother, Ginkgo and Lili. My grandmother is depicted with elements of the dumplings she often made, while my mother is accompanied by her favourite ginkgo leaves and our first little black and white cat.

People who have never truly left home carry their hometown with them wherever they go. This can feel heavy—because love itself is heavy.

The book is divided into three parts: the first recounts a conversation I had with my grandmother before our separation; the second explores the complex emotions of repeatedly leaving home as I grew up; and the third depicts the difficult yet tender reunion with my mother.

During the moments when I longed most for freedom, I would recall the disappointment on my grandmother’s face as we parted, and the unspoken longing I felt for my mother. Reaching the seaside after emerging from the long tunnel was not only an arrival into freedom, but also a confrontation with the weight of love I carried as I looked back toward them.




Hi, I am Yinmei!

I am an illustrator and an art psychotherapy trainee based in Edinburgh.

On this site, you can see my illustrations and my journey as an art therapist trainee. You’ll also find stories about Sylvan, the little cat-lamb, and the world she inhabits. Sylvan is a character I created who lives in my art world alongside her family and friends. Through illustrations, comics, and picture-book stories, I invite you to explore their little world and the stories within it. I hope you enjoy your time here.  :)


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