'When I was working on the book, I never imagined it would sell,'' says the 24-year-old, who is now a full-time artist.

'It all came as a nice surprise.'

Tissueman was the final project for a part-time illustration course organised by the Hong Kong Productivity Council and the Hong Kong Society of Illustrators. There Ng was taught to sketch, paint and use digital illustrations.

For her final project, she was asked to create a character and produce a book based on it. An opportunity to have her work published came when her teachers acquired a booth at the book festival.

Ng graduated with a higher diploma in art and product design from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and had worked for some time before enrolling in the course.

She describes herself as funny, wacky and beauty-loving - and says these traits are reflected in the characters she creates.

'Veteran artist Siu Hak taught us that we should base our characters on our personality - it's easier to develop them that way,' she says.

The cheerful Tissueman dreams of meeting new friends and making the world a happier place.

'The world is full of tragedies. I want readers to be happier after reading my story,' Ng says.

She says she chose a tissue roll as her main character because it's something that people don't pay attention to, yet it's something they can't live without.

Ng had the chance to meet one of her idols at the book festival.

'Prudence Mak, the creator of Chocolate Rain, was my first customer,'' she says.

'I'm a big fan of hers. I've always admired her work. I was thrilled when she told me my book was good.

'She told me she supports local artistic creations. It was really encouraging to have the approval of my idol.'

Due to high production costs, Ng only printed a few copies to test the water.

They sold out on the first day.

'It was really encouraging that people were willing to pay HK$200 for my book,' she says.

'There were some people who came to the book festival looking for my book. I was ecstatic.'