Tan Nhat
Nguyen
Born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Currently resides in Manhattan, NY
I make narrative-driven images across oil painting, editorial illustration, animation, and photography. Trained first in the foundational discipline of a Vietnamese design school and now studying B.F.A. Illustration at the School of Visual Arts, I aim to bring industrial and market-ready discipline to any production.
ARTIST STATEMENT
"My work lives where the story behind the artwork matters the most. That is where the inspirations, the motivations, the cultural heritages, the verbal messages live before being transferred into visual communication. I've found that once the concept is clear, the visuals arrive in a flood: compositions, colors, forms, more than I can hold. And when you're flooded like that, one medium is never enough. So I reach for as many as the story demands: painting, illustration, animation, writing — until the message is fully seen. Therefore, one word to describe me? AMBITIOUS."
FROM SAIGON TO NEW YORK
My training runs in one unbroken line, from print-and-layout foundations in Saigon to fine-art storytelling here in New York. I've been at this craft since high school and haven't stopped since. Expand each card to see where it took me.
School of Visual Arts
Freelance Designer & Photographer
CTE Award Ceremony Photographer
Hung Vuong Trade School
MY CREATIVE TOOLKIT
Everything I reach for when a story needs telling: digital software, traditional media, a camera, and two languages. The more an idea asks for, the more I bring to it.
Digital & Software
graphic design · Illustration · photo manipulation · keyframe animation · 10+ more...
Traditional Media
oil · gouache · charcoal · graphite · Markers
Photography
portrait shot · group shot · street photograph
HONORS & CERTIFICATIONS
A few honors I've picked up so far: in photography, design, and for working across both my languages. Small proof that the work connects beyond my own studio.
Commercial Photography
Jun 2025
WA Superintendent of Public Instruction
CTE Outstanding Achievement
May 2025
Outstanding Engineer | Battleground Public Schools
Washington State Seal Of Biliteracy
Jun 2025
Vietnamese & English | Battleground Public Schools
Outstanding Multilingual Learner
MAY 2025
Prairie High School Program