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PERSONALITY
An Illustrating
Solution
TalentedMalaysian illustrator
Charis Loke
chats to
SarahRees
about the joys and
the challenges of her profession.
C
har is Loke
i s a
professional illustra-
tor, producing book
illustrations and digital
art for a wide range
of publications and
clients. She studied
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at
Brown University in the United States
and currently works as an English and
Visual Art teacher.
Why did you start drawing?
I’ve been drawing since I could hold a
pencil and I continued to draw because
nobody discouraged me from doing so.
My parents didn’t have the means to send
me for art classes, but we had weekly
family trips to the local bookstore. This
was a blessing – I would read a new
chapter of an art book every week, go
home and try out the techniques on my
own. I learned very early on to not rely on
teachers as far as my art was concerned.
I would write and illustrate stories on
sheets of paper and staple them into
booklets. As I got older, I moved on to
exchanging art with other people around
the world through an Artist Trading Cards
site online. The confidence I gained from
interacting with artists much older than
me was, in retrospect, crucial to my
continuing to pursue art as a hobby, and
then on a freelance basis throughout
university and even now.
Why do you enjoy communicating ideas
through illustrations?
It is very satisfying on an intellectual
level to be able to come up with a visual
solution to a problem. Illustration is es-
sentially problem solving with pictures.
How do we communicate an idea through
an image that will not just capture the
viewer’s attention, but hopefully also
move them on an intellectual, emotional,
and aesthetic level? On a deeper level, I
enjoy drawing, the sensation of pulling
ink or graphite across paper, the thrill
of looking at other people’s art, and of
making my own.
‘Classroom of the
Universe’ illustration