Children’s book illustrator joins Singapore festival

Sandy Leong Sin U

A storyboard made by local artist Sandy Leong Sin U titled “City of Losing Shadow” earned the 28-year-old writer-­illustrator a valuable opportunity to meet other equally talented artists from around the globe at Singapore’s Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) 2015 last week.
The author highlighted to the Times the opportunity that she was given, as part of the event, to take part in a camp retreat at an Indonesian resort where the participants were able to freely exchange insights into each other’s storyboards or literature for children through one-on-one consultations with publishers, award-wining writers and illustrators.
“Everybody talks about their roots [in their books] even though their books don’t depict the changes in the cityscapes or in their own experiences. Yet for them, how they honestly faced their challenges reflects how much of their works have became genuine and sincere,” said Leong who completed a master’s degree in visual arts at Hong Kong Baptist University last year. “It is interesting to see so many people from different parts of the world striving to tell a story of their own, which is so close to their personal experiences.”
Only 23 out of 33 entries submitted to the festival’s organizers were selected for peer discussion at the Indonesian retreat. After her very first picture book, that outlines the historic assassination of a Portuguese governor who is slain by locals (published in 2012), the aspiring writer-illustrator seeks to explore self-discovery in her next work, where all characters born shadow-less in a virtual town strive to keep themselves visible. “I would like them to find their own shadows at the end of the story,” she described.
A fictional story can be told in pages of words and graphics, but the years of effort that go into such a work might not be understood unless told verbally. During one of the sharing sessions of the three-day camp, two Indonesian artists wept over their efforts while others also appeared moved about their own work, as Leong recalled. Some of them buckled under family pressure and were forced to give up what they regarded as a life-long dream.

The artists depart for the Indonesian retreat

In comparison to their dilemmas, the young writer-­illustrator admitted to the Times that, despite initial difficulties in finding a publisher, her first picture book was successfully printed after she received a substantial financial grant from the local government. “There is no mature market in Macau and it has something to do with the number of readers here. It is a headache for us to speak of a local market. However, the government and the public have grown quite supportive of publishing over the past few years, as it is very significant to a city’s cultural abundance and effective communication.”
She decided to turn to publishers for her second offering, walking away from government subsidies. Leong realized that such an endorsement would not come easily. However, the 28-year-old was determined to give it a shot, in spite of the possible hardship she would face along the way.
Rather than ordinary novels, Leong believes that the simple messages conveyed in books targeted at children can be just as enlightening as those catering to adults. “Even now I still remember the books I read in childhood, and how I would every so often find the principles in the book applicable in the real world,” said the author.
Aside from the inspiring messages they teach, books written for children might also serve as a bridge to connect the hearts of kids and adults alike, which was why children’s reads were so appealing to the artist, who has had her work on display in at least five exhibitions over the past six years.
It can take a while for a writer-
illustrator to develop ideas into works that are fit for printing. Having worked as a freelancer after school, Leong will soon begin a full-time job in publishing. Asked about how she would juggle work with creation, the artist seemed to be unbothered by the full-time commitment, saying it was a matter of time management. Staff reporter