Meet illustrator and zine maker from Hong Kong, Pearl Law

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am a Hong Kong-based illustrator and zine maker, who also specialises in live visual recording. My main body of work is editorial illustration. I love doing those because it feels like a puzzle to solve and I love the challenge.

I am about to launch a new indie press called The Pickled Paper, publishing comics and zines. I’ve always loved books as an object, and love reading comics, so it’s only natural.

As an extroverted introvert and a foodie, I like to try new restaurants with friends, but I’m also quite content if I just stay in and play video games, or catch up on anime/manga, or draw for fun.

 

Describe the city you’re living in and what it’s like to live there.

I was born and raised in Hong Kong, and it’s as cosmopolitan as you can get. But if you look closely, it has a lot of history and traditions, and it’s this juxtaposition of identities that makes this city interesting and vibrant. I used to dislike Hong Kong, because it felt too crowded and messy, but now that I’ve gone older, I’ve learnt to love it more because it’s the mess that belongs to me.

When I lived in London, I thought London was too slow. But when I moved back to Hong Kong, hoping to do a sabbatical, I just got swept off my feet by the speed of things because I didn’t want to miss out on anything, and here I am: I still haven’t taken that sabbatical two years since I’ve been back.

 

Best thing about Hong Kong is that there is always something going on, and you won’t be too bored. It’s also easy to start something, if you have the will to make it happen.

 

What is the best and worst thing about living in your city?

Best thing about Hong Kong is that there is always something going on, and you won’t be too bored. It’s also easy to start something, if you have the will to make it happen.

 

Worst thing is the unpredictability of what our future will be like; where will we stand as a people, locally, culturally, and on the world stage? How will our creative landscape look like?

 

Give us 3 words that describe what it’s like to be a creative in your city.

Intense, efficient, stimulating

 

How did you start your career in art?

I’ve always doodled since I was a kid. My mother, like any other Asian mothers would, made me go to a lot of different after-school activities, and art classes were the only ones that I enjoyed. When it was time to decide what to study for university, I thought about doing psychology. But the prospect of not having any exams if I went into art was way more enticing. Without actually understanding what ‘illustration’ meant, I decided I would study Illustration as my undergrad degree at the University of the West of England in Bristol.

It was just a couple of years after the 2008 economic crisis when I graduated, and it was impossible to make it in London (as was my dream at the time). So I packed my bags and went back to Hong Kong.

After a few months of funemployment, I managed to kickstart my career as an illustrator after I got some editorial work through some word of mouth. I still kept some freelance work going when I was working as a graphics editor at the South China Morning Post, and later a visualiser at a London-based studio called Scriberia.

But now, I’ve gone freelance full time.

 

I asked my parents why they would decide to let me study illustration, and their answer was, “if we force you to do anything else, would you actually like it? We want to respect your wishes”. And that felt like a very liberal thing for them to say, and I have been quite blessed in that regard.

 

Were the people around you supportive of your decision on working as a creative?

I asked my parents why they would decide to let me study illustration, and their answer was, “if we force you to do anything else, would you actually like it? We want to respect your wishes”. And that felt like a very liberal thing for them to say, and I have been quite blessed in that regard.

 

What are some goals and ambitions you have for your future work?

I’d like to do some editorial illustrations for places like the New York Times or The Guardian. I also want to do cool fun campaign jobs for fashion brands.

As I’ve mentioned in my introduction, I am launching The Pickled Paper, so currently I’m brainstorming new ideas with a few friends. I’d like to publish some new comic titles by the end of this year.

Having spent a 3-week residency at the Karuizawa Mokuhanga School in Japan in 2019, I would also like to work on my mokuhanga skills a bit more. It’s a craft that I can see myself pursuing on the side if I have time.

 

I don’t really believe in feng shui, but apparently it brings me good luck if I work with women this year, so I’m making a conscious effort in collaborating with my female friends. So far so good.

 

If you could collaborate with any person in the world who would it be?

I don’t really believe in feng shui, but apparently it brings me good luck if I work with women this year, so I’m making a conscious effort in collaborating with my female friends. So far so good.

Jokes aside, I’d love to collaborate with my friend Ivyy Chen (fellow Girlsclub Asia!) again. We worked on a few projects in London back in the day. It was also my first time doing designs for animations, and I think I made everything on one layer. She was so annoyed but we managed to make it work. It felt liberating to work with someone who is also on the same wavelength. Hope we get to do something together soon!

 

What are the biggest challenges you face in working as a creative?

Is the work I’m creating still fun and interesting? Am I becoming too boring? I always believe in self-betterment, so I need to remember to make time to learn something, or experiment on new ideas.

I would appreciate greatly if illustrators are valued more by clients. We are sometimes deemed either too expensive, or too demanding. Some people would assume ‘oh, you can just scribble a drawing out quick and easy’, without realising that we have also spent years of training and experience to get to that stage, and our price range actively reflects that.

But most of the time, we just want to protect ourselves, and set boundaries for our wellbeing.

 

I would appreciate greatly if illustrators are valued more by clients. We are sometimes deemed either too expensive, or too demanding. Some people would assume ‘oh, you can just scribble a drawing out quick and easy’, without realising that we have also spent years of training and experience to get to that stage, and our price range actively reflects that. But most of the time, we just want to protect ourselves, and set boundaries for our wellbeing.

 

How would you describe the women around you?

I feel like the women I know are made of tougher stuff, especially the Hong Kong girls I know. They don’t suffer fools gladly. Perhaps it’s a cultural thing. When I was growing up in Hong Kong, I didn’t particularly feel penalised just because I was a girl.

 

Were there any local female creatives that you looked up to when you were growing up?

I am ashamed to say there was none. Mostly because I was very ignorant to the local creative scene. The influence I was exposed to were mostly dead white male painters from more than 100 years ago. It’s only now that I am discovering great talents amongst my peers.

 

Try it first. If you fail, at least you have given it a go. No regrets.

 

Do you have any advice for other women who are aspiring to work in your field?

I learnt this from an interview by Sandi Toksvig (British-Danish writer and presenter). She said a lot of men would just apply for a job they are under qualified for regardless of outcome, while women would always second guess themselves and choose not to.

If you see something that you want to do but it asks for certain skillsets that you don’t have, don’t think “I won’t do it because I don’t know how”. Do it, because some men would have done it too and would probably get it if you didn’t.

 

Try it first. If you fail, at least you have given it a go. No regrets.

 

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What type of music do you like to listen to?

A surprising amount of J-rock and J-pop. If I’m doing a lot of thinking, I’ll have to listen to classical music like Chopin or Schubert, because words will disrupt me.

 

What’s your favorite local food spot?

So hard to pick just one spot, but I would say Tak Yu Cha Chaan Teng in Wan Chai. Their milk tea is legit.

 

Shreya Gupta asks: How do you promote your work?

Mostly on Instagram, but I don’t update it frequently enough…A fair amount of work also came through word of mouth.

 

Lisa Kogawa asks: What are your top 10 movies/books/comic/anime that motivate you?

(1) Harry Potter

(2) Pride & Prejudice

(3) Lord of the Rings

(4) Neo Genesis Evangelion

(5) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

(6) The Lion King (1995)

(7) Sherlock Holmes

(8) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

(9) Fullmetal Alchemist

(10) Haikyuu!!

 

What question would you like us to ask the next artist?

“If you get to choose another career, what would it be and why?”

 

 

Photos courtesy of Pearl Law and Sum Lok-kei