Sonia first rose to fame
during the 2005
Tokyopop
Rising Stars of Manga
(UK &
Ireland) competition. Since
then her popular
Manga
Shakespeare: Romeo and
Juliet
(SelfMadeHero)
has had numerous global
editions. Her work appears
in
DOMO: The Manga
(Tokyopop),
Comic Book
Tattoo
(Image) and the
I,
Hero
series (Hachettes).
She’s geekily proud of her art
being part of the set of British
TV sitcom,
The I.T. Crowd
(Channel 4). She’s a member
of Sweatdrop Studios. She
also loves clothes.
Sonia Leong
http://fyredrake.net
Sonia Leong 257
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258 1,000 Tips by 100 Manga Artists
795 What differentiates you from manga’s
other illustrators? Some people recognize my
eyes and hair, some say it’s my clean lines—they
can’t tell if it’s by hand or computer traced.
791 Where do the ideas for your draWings come
from? hoW do you do your research? All music is
programmatic to me, I see characters or scenery
when I listen. I love gothic architecture and
fashion. Being drunk helps me write too!
792 W
hat is the first thing you do before
sitting doWn to draW? I need a hot cup of tea,
very strong with three sugars in the morning,
decreasing to one sugar by night. Then I have to
hold my breath, particularly when inking!
793 d
o you alWays use the same tools or do you
change depending on the piece you’re Working on? I
always change! Partly from work, I had to be very
flexible to get more commissions, so now I like
changing my tools to get different looks to my
work.
794 W
hat do you like about manga? What does
m
anga have that european or american comics don’t?
My favorite manga has the perfect blend between
realism and style, with more expression—it’s
so emotionally strong and so pretty at the same
time!
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Sonia Leong 259
796 hoW important is promotion to you? hoW
do you promote your Work? I have a website, lots
of online portfolios and I chat on forums. I also
go to many events to socialize with fans and
colleagues.
797 W
hat has changed about your style of
draWing since you began? My men are sexier. And
I’m putting more sparkly details into my pics!
798 m
anga: is it art? Most are commercial,
so it’s eye-candy: bright and frivolous. But some
pieces speak to your soul. That is art, even if it
wasn’t meant to be.
799 W
hat is the most important lesson you have
learned that you Would like to pass on to others?
Never reason away your vision. For years, I
thought I couldn’t do this, I held myself back.
When I started believing in myself, I became
successful.
800 W
hat is the greatest acknoWledgement you
could hope to achieve for your Work? A big animation
deal for one of my comics! I’d love to see my
original characters on the TV screens or lots of
cosplayers and plushies at conventions.
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260 1,000 Tips by 100 Manga Artists
801 Who are your favorite illustrators? are
you trying to folloW in their footsteps? Hmm, there
are so many to name! Although I want to do
my own thing, I suppose I follow them in some
ways. Some of my all-time favorites include Akira
Toriyama, Shinkiro, all of Capcom’s art staff, and
Rumiko Takahashi. I also admire many of the
artists from Disney and Pixar, along with artists
from older eras of American comic books, too.
802 W
hat is the first thing you do before
sitting doWn to draW? The first thing I do is run
through a mental or literal checklist of tips I
make for myself, such as “don’t draw too quickly”
or “concentrate on the shapes.”
803 W
hat are your favorite tools or draWing
programs, and Why? I use a very large Wacom
tablet because I like to make large, comfortable
strokes when I draw. Although I love usual
programs like Photoshop and Flash, my favorite
is probably Paint Tool Sai. It features many of the
most important elements from other illustration
software and it captures your strokes much more
gracefully.
804 W
hat do you like about manga? What does
m
anga have that european or american comics don’t?
I like manga because there is a great deal of
diversity in both visual style and narrative. There
is something for everyone. Also, there seems
to be a primary focus on interesting characters,
which is really what matters in a story.
805 h
oW do you make your draWings come to
life? I focus on the character’s personality or
current emotion. I also try to capture a realistic,
believable pose or very natural shapes.
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Stephen ‘Teben’ Hetrick 261
810 What is the greatest acknoWledgement you could hope to achieve for your
Work? There are certain stories that I’ve read growing up that mean a lot to me,
even today. If I can give this experience to younger kids and then they grow up
loving and remembering the characters and stories I told, then that would be
the greatest compliment I could receive as far as being an artist goes. Also, as
a Christian, it would be a major compliment to me to know that I have brought
some of that to my audience.
806 What advice Would you give to a novice
illustrator trying to make a name for himself?
Your primary focus should be getting better at
creating art. If you continue to do this every day
and display your work on the Internet and in
galleries, you will begin to attract attention. Make
lots of art and lots of friends! Then, you should
start actively looking for job openings and take
whatever you can, no matter how small. It will be
very difficult to get by at times, but if you believe
you’ve been given a gift then you should have
faith in it! God would not have given you talent
without the intention to let you use it.
807 W
hy is manga so popular in the Western
World? Comics in the Western world started to
stagnate as the entire industry became driven
by superhero comics. All other genres began
dwindling and eventually you could only find
them “underground.” The only variety was which
type of superhero you liked. People noticed
manga because it was so different, and exposed
us to new ideas and stories.
808 W
hat is the most important lesson you have
learned that you Would like to pass on to others?
Beyond everything else, you can’t just make art
for yourself. There is nothing wrong with that, but
you should try to enrich other peoples lives. You
should try to give your audience something, even
if it’s just a little laugh.
809 W
hat good habits should a comic
illustrator have? You should always be doing your
best to understand what you’re doing better.
If you can learn to think critically about what
you’re doing and exactly what is happening as
you create and display your art, then you can
recognize mistakes and correct them.
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