Drawing on inner passion

Jeffrey Lau Wan-kit is a comic illustrator with One Comics. In 1992 he drew 'Feel 100%', which became a hit. This title has been made into movies and television series. His latest work is 'Happy Tennis'.

Drawing comics is like making a movie or writing a novel, a job that has no designated working hours. There are only deadlines to be met. My main duties are to think of plots for the comic books and draw according to the story. Planning plots can take weeks. When the plot is done, I start drawing drafts with pencils.

Sometimes I have to draw non-stop for more than 10 hours a day but on some days I am less busy. My worst experience was to draw for 72 hours in a row. That was crazy, but the editors were pushing me to meet the deadline. In my job, rushing for deadlines is common. In Japan some editors even stay at the comic illustrator's home for days to urge him to complete his drafts on time.

Once I have completed the drafts, I pass them to production assistants who help create backgrounds, refine the lines, fine-tune the textures and draw shadows. This is a very time-consuming process. My job is to supervise the production assistants. Editing a page of drawing can take up to six hours. Each comic book has more than 100 pages so my production assistants and I often have to work through the night.

I have worked in the comic book industry since 1985. I started as a junior production assistant. For three years straight, I filled white dots on drawings. It was terrible but my passion for comic books kept me going. No matter how talented a comic illustrator is, they need at least three to five years to mature. If you don't have faith to keep you going in this profession, you will be gone soon.

The long working hours and intense pressure can be tough. I play tennis and read to relax. Exercise is good for both the body and mind. Reading keeps me informed about society and trends. I get story ideas from my personal experience; they do not just pop out from nowhere.

I think a comic illustrator should have knowledge about different things. There is no need for me to be an expert in everything, but I need to know a little bit of everything.

I think the main difficulty faced by the comic industry is that it does not have a structured system. In Japan a comic illustrator has a creative editor and production editor to assist him. The creative editor will help create story plots by doing market research and looking for interesting topics. The production editor is in charge of time management, helping to keep an eye on schedules and deadlines. In Hong Kong the illustrator is expected to be a Jack of all trades, doing everything by himself.

In Hong Kong, a comic book illustrator has no basic salary and gets paid solely for the amount of drawings completed. Income tends to fluctuate, especially for rookies who have not established their names.

Comic publication is not a small investment and a business with high risks. It can take up to HK$30,000 to publish a book, so publishers prefer experienced illustrators to guarantee returns.