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FireFlyz | 45
What advice would you give to a young
personconsideringacareerasanillustrator?
Study everything that you can during
college, university and thereafter – don’t
limit yourself to just art, and especially not
just one art style. How can you make art
about the world if you don’t know it and
understand it well? Try out different things,
develop the habit of voicing out what you
think, and asking lots of questions.
What other interests do you have?
When possible, I indulge in playing video
games. They’re a wonderful balance of
storytelling and art, if occasionally fraught
with problematic themes. The art direction
and graphics in games are becoming
more and more sophisticated, and thank-
fully there are developers pushing the
boundaries in terms of storytelling and
representation too.
Drawing is...
An act of learning which trains the mind
to be more observant and perceptive. Go
forth and draw!
Find out more about Charis and her
work at
www.charisloke.com
, on facebook
at Charis Loke Illustration or via
Insta-
gram@charisloke.
‘A Christmas
Surprise’ book
for Magicbird
Publishing
and MidValley
Megamall
Scientraits:
‘punny’
portraits of
scientists
What has been the biggest challenge of working as an
illustrator?
Oh, where to begin with the challenges – there are so
many! I have a few pieces which I really want to make
as a commentary on issues like education and refugee
treatment, but I am just not technically proficient enough
to pull those ideas off effectively yet. I am also learning a
lot every month about working with clients to help realise
their vision of a project while not compromising my own
ideas or style.
How long does each illustration take?
It depends on the complexity of the illustration, but I
would expect anywhere from six to 40 hours per illustra-
tion, regardless of whether it was done traditionally [by
hand] or digitally. This encompasses the time it takes to
do research on the subject, come up with multiple ideas
and pick the best, go back and forth with clients (if it’s a
commissioned illustration), work on it, make revisions if
necessary, and polish and fine-tune it.
Which of your works so far are youmost proud of?
The Dinner comic, which I made two years ago, seemed to
resonate with a lot of people. It’s an interactive comic about
relatives who ask about your career choices. After I put it
online, many complete strangers sent me emails about how
they really identified with it. In terms of artwork, it’s not
great – the drawing quality is a tad embarrassing now – but
it was about a topic that lots of Malaysians could identify
with. So in terms of impact, I’d say that was something
quite substantial and more rewarding than any awards.
Geeky Baju Project – Assorted designs
Geeky Baju Project – Pacific Rim designs