You can’t have an illustration event without Manga! Originating in Japan during the 1940’s Manga (meaning ‘whimsical drawing’) is now a worldwide phenomena with huge appeal. ILLUSTRATED 2015 exhibitor Man-Tsun is tasked with representing the Asian illustration scene this year and he’s well placed to do so. As one of Hong Kong’s brightest emerging talents has worked professionally since 2007 and exhibited all over Asia, Europe & South America, we asked him a few questions …
Your hand drawn comics are testament to your technical ability, how did you make the transition from analogue to digital and do you miss using a pencil ?
Pen and ink was one of my specialties and when I first started working in Adobe illustrator it was is like 10 times more difficult than hand-drawing. After lots of trial and error I realised many of its functions quickly became very useful, especially the “REDO” command! This makes life much easier, when drawing by hand any errors or mistakes during the inking process and I’d have to redraw the whole thing again, it drove me absolutely crazy! Up until now, most of my illustrations were being created digitally, but more and more I’m reverting to pen and ink, I’ve realised the importance of striking a balance between analogue and digital.
As a rising star of the Asian illustration scene to do you feel obliged to embrace the Manga style? Are you ever tempted to grow away from it in an effort to stand out ?
Rising star … that’s a little exaggerated! Manga has become worldwide pop culture and as a Manga geek myself I fully embrace it, it’s the reason I became an illustrator. My drawing style carries strong Manga DNA and I’ll keep focusing on this style. That said I’ll also continue experimenting with different elements – need to keep things fresh and exciting!
Your style is dynamic, punchy and very expressive, is this a reflection on your personality or are you quite the opposite in real life !?
I’m a very quiet guy in real life! Every artist has a hidden personality, which is usually expressed in their creations. It’s the same with me, if you see my earlier works, I sketched guitarists and Rock and Roll stuff, because when I was a teenager I always dreamt of becoming a guitarist, but was never good at it so I put my desire on paper and turned it into drawings instead.
As a professional illustrator working full-time how do you ensure your pieces avoid repetition and continue to evolve ?
Realistically I don’t mind repeating similar styles for commission work it enables me to easily estimate the time and cost, sometimes you have to play safe when dealing with clients. On the other hand when working on non-commissioned projects I’ll force myself out for gallery visits, touch and feel the art hoping to be inspired.
What’s next in the pipeline ?
Actually I’m really looking forward to being part of the ILLUSTRATED 2015 exhibition although wont be there in person! July we’re off for a group exhibition in Toronto, Canada. Hope you have the chance to see my work!
Get your tickets here http://www.showcase-cities.com/our-events
