Comic Book Illustration

Comic Book

The University of Hong Kong

Feb-Aug 2021

Procreate

As the story illustrator for the ‘Lanten’ project (2021) at The Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Hong Kong, I had an exciting opportunity to create a 54-page comic book titled ‘The Story of Ms. Woung.’

My mission was twofold:

Visual Storytelling: I transformed the original text-based story into an engaging comic book format, tailor-made for teenagers.
Cultural Preservation: While illustrating the tale, I made sure to honour the rich Lanten customs and folktales.

Keep reading to unfold the bridge between tradition and contemporary storytelling!

Project Overview

What is "Lanten"? The cultural background

Lanten Yao is an ethnic group in China, Laos and Vietnam. Stories rich in traditions, morals, and mythologies have been a vital part of their cultural identity, which have been passed down orally from one generation to the next. However, in the past two decades, the local Lanten language is no longer taught in schools. With rising social changes and technological development, these oral stories are in dire need of preservation.

The Story of Ms Woung: A mythical tale

Ms Woung was born with the ability to see both the real world and the Netherworld (Yin and Yang worlds). She helped deities reform the Purgatory by travelling to the Netherworld spiritually, while her body stays in the real world. Twelve years later, she finally completed the reformation and was ready to return to her body, only to find that her husband has remarried and buried her! Unable to return, she had to be reincarnated as a boy. In a tragic and shocking scene, she, as a little boy, reunited with her originally family who has aged tremendously. The Jade Emperor interfered and made her an immortal deity in Heaven. He also made a final change in the reincarnation system: people become ancestors after death and only reincarnate five generations later. This folklore has shaped the Lanten beliefs in reincarnation ever since.

Storyboarding

Before I do any drawing or storyboarding, a lot of planning was required. I highlighted the major plot points and divided the story into 11 sections. This also creates a "buffer" between storypoints so I can make changes in the middle without affecting or moving all the pages.

Then comes the paneling process. I made note of the action in each scene, while considering the camera angles (establishing shots, low/high angles, close-ups etc.) in order to capture the landscapes, motions and emotions of these characters.

Outline & Colour

When working on my illustrations, I played with halftones and cross-hatching techniques to give the illusion of intricate details. Additionally, I used warm and cool color palettes to visually differentiate between the real world and the mystical underworld.

Finishing Touches

When it came to representing the rich Lanten culture, I made sure to collaborate closely with anthropology researchers. We organised consultation sessions and I got my hands on a treasure trove of photographs taken during their trips to Lanten villages. These snapshots captured the authentic essence of Lanten lifestyle and rituals.

From then on, every little detail is not to be missed! Even something as seemingly small as jewellery (or its absence) could reveal a person’s family status.

Lanten myths are and cosmology like rare gems—scarcely documented and elusive. Luckily, my anthropologist colleagues pointed me to ancient Chinese history books with paintings from a similar cultural context. The legwork of maintaining an open communication with the team definitely worth it as we can each contribute our own expertise and skills to honour Lanten's cultural accuracy.

Reference photos vs the illustration of Ms Woung carrying out household chores, including doing laundry, weaving cloths, and dying indigo fabrics

What's next?

Currently, the story is still under development. Much work is needed to translate the story into Chinese, Vietnamese, and Lao, as well as to line up with local schools for online distribution.

For now, enjoy a preview of the Story of Ms Woung!