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Intimate Portrait
#NoPainNoFilterKathy Chan
What prompted your transition from an unrelated field to art and become a children’s book writer and illustrator? When did you discover your interest or talent in it?
I have loved drawing since I was little, but I never felt that I had talent. Growing up, I was more reserved and sought stability, preferring to “play it safe,” so I didn’t take art classes in high school. In college, I studied mathematics and became a business analyst, but always felt a strong sense of dissatisfaction and restlessness inside. I decided to pick up the brush again and created the character Little Half. In the process I also embraced the Christian faith and came to believe that drawing is a gift from God and my mission. That was a turning point in my life.
How has your experience studying in the UK inspired your creative work?
I pursued a master’s degree in children’s picture book illustration in the UK. My biggest takeaway was in learning how to define a good picture book, and how to convey messages rather than just narrating them. I also studied the works of many different illustrators, and was taught to find inspiration from them without losing my own style. I was also encouraged to boldly explore new materials and to paint following my intuition.
After returning to Hong Kong, I tried to inject new elements to my artistic style, such as using a limited colour palette and experimenting with “emptiness” by not filling up Little Half’s skin with colour. However, not everybody liked it and some clients and fans lamented the loss of warmth compared with my previous style. I am striving to find a balance between achieving artistic transformation and respecting audience sentiments.
Does “Little Half” mean anything special? Is the character a reflection of your own personality and experiences? If so, what are the similarities and differences?
When a person lacks confidence, they are living and enjoying only half of their lives – that is the meaning of “Half” in “Little Half”. Little Half definitely reflects who I am. As a child, I had little confidence and was quite timid and shy. Little Half shares my fears and desires, and through her I was able to tell many stories and express my thoughts. But obviously Little Half is a little girl and retains more innocence than the real me.
Whenever I face something unhappy, picking up the brush to draw Little Half makes me feel empowered and able to confront myself. Thus, she reflects the strong, hopeful, and beautifully simple side of me, but naturally she is not a complete representation of who I am.
How did the red frame in your work Happy Frame come about? What does it represent?
I created the picture book Happy Frame to fulfil an assignment while studying for my master’s degree in 2019. There was little sunshine in the UK and it rained all the time, which made me particularly miss the people and things in Hong Kong. It was a time when so many people seemed unhappy, so I wanted to create a story about finding happiness. That day I was supposed to meet with my instructor to share some initial concepts for my picture book assignment, but with just one hour to go I still had no idea for the book and my mind was blank. While waiting in the campus library, my gaze inadvertently fell on one of the window frames and an idea struck me: why not draw a picture frame with magical properties that can make people happy? This led to the creation of the red frame in the story. There may or may not be magic in the red frame, but it certainly represents people’s shared hope and belief in a better future.
The scenes in your work are mostly outdoors or set in natural environment. Any special reasons for that? Do you also prefer the outdoors?
I hadn’t really thought about it; perhaps subconsciously I desire to be unrestrained and yearn for freedom. I do love the outdoors and nature; I really enjoy sunlight and find that things illuminated by the sun are particularly beautiful and moving. Perhaps the more you’ve experienced life, the more that you find touching in the ordinary and natural. Having said that, I don’t like getting sunburned.
What do you think of the term “chicken soup for the soul”? Do you like it when your works are described that way?
If we take just its meaning literally, then of course I feel touched and happy if my work helps to make a wounded heart feel understood or a timid heart feel encouraged. However, I am wary of an implied over-eagerness in this descriptor, and try to avoid anything cliché or unauthentic in my creations. Most of the time, especially in works that are spontaneously created, the messages come from genuine feelings and an understanding of life rooted in significant experiences I’ve had. I try to avoid being overly preachy or imposing lessons on readers, which is why I prefer to use the first person. I want readers to feel like a friend sharing their recent thoughts and feelings with them when they are reading Little Half’s story.
