A Brush of Insight

Manga is a popular art style that many people from Asia and across much of the western world, including the U.S. where its popularity is growing, have adopted as a new way to draw comics. AISG had the opportunity to meet and talk with an artist who has made a name for herself as a professional Manga artist. Sonia Leong has been working as a freelance artist for some time now and just recently helped start an indy publication called SweatDrop Stories. Some may wonder how one becomes a professional artist like Leong, and that’s exactly what we found out when the journalism class had the opportunity to interview her.

Born in Malasia and raised in Thailand, Leong grew up loving art and drawing often but was always told she could do it alongside a ‘real job’. After she dropped art at her British international school she started drawing on the side whenever she had the time. After graduating with an IB diploma and going on to earn a BSC degree, she entered the corporate world, but didn’t find it particularly fulfilling. An acquaintance advised her that there were 3 things one must do in order to pursue a dream as a livelihood: make sure it actually exists as a job; make sure you are qualified to do it; and make sure you can afford to quit your current job. With yes being the answer to all the questions, 23-year old Sonia began the process of leaving her job and becoming a free-lance artist.

From beginning manga as a hobby and then making it a job, Sonia began to get her name out into the industry world. She says, “The industry is small, probably smaller than you think, most everyone knows everyone else.” Through the strength of her connections, she began to receive more illustrating contracts, and also to work on her own projects. Not only sticking to Manga books, the artist began writing a new series with her first book called A Brush With Magic, in the light novel genre, combining abundant illustrations with text. The second book in that series is currently in the works.

Leong discussed her drawing techniques and interests, including anthropomorphic characters with animal features, conventional means of conveying emotion in manga characters, and her predilection for pretty males and strong females in her art. Hearing about the specifics skills and considerations that matter in the manga world was eye-opening, both for students with artistic inclinations, and those who may simply enjoy manga as consumers.

Among other titles, Leong has also published a manga version of Romeo and Juliet and Draw Manga: Complete Skills, a manual that links to a variety of video resources for aspiring artists. Her website at fyredrake.net is packed with beautiful examples of her creations. In a world in which success seems to be paired too predictably with office jobs and conformity, it was refreshing for the students and staff of AISG to meet a successful working artist, marketing her creativity and entertaining manga fans with her impressive talent.