iSad

Dear Sir Fong readers,

One of our most innovative minds just passed away.

Many of you will not remember when computers were boring blocks of grey bricks taking up a huge space on our tables. That was because a company called Apple created the iMac. The iMac was a beautiful designer computer that revolutionized the way a computer can look. Then came the iPod, a tiny music player that everyone wanted (granted, Singapore's Creative Technology made that technology possible). Many of you are using the iPhone now, though many people Sir Fong's generation could not believe a handphone can have no buttons!

The man who made it all possible was Steve Jobs. He pushed, he shoved, he bullied but mostly he did what it took to make his visions come true. Sir Fong always saw him as a visionary: someone as inventive and creative as Leonardo Da Vinci. Someone who, in the process of realising his amazing visions, inspired all of us and made the world a better place.

Steve Jobs passed away yesterday. Sir Fong just wants you to know that a great mind is no longer with us, but his spirit will live on in many hearts.

Benjamin Ang draws Totto!

Today, Sir Fong is happy. He meets Benjamin Ang, a Singaporean comic artist. Benjamin has the distinct honor of being the FIRST Singaporean selected by MARVEL COMICS as an artist. That means his name will be on the covers of some of the new Marvel comics coming our way! Perhaps a Spiderman title, or an Iron Man issue will feature a Singaporean name on the cover in the near future!

So Sir Fong asked Benjamin for a big favor: please interpret Totto the bunny in his own style. Benjamin immediately obliged. And here we have the first Totto the bunny, drawn by a rising Marvel star. May we all be proud of him! Sir Fong will certainly be cheering for him - and by his example, Benjamin shows that it is possible for a Singaporean artist to dream international dreams!

Mid-Autumn Festival - My First Mandarin Workshop!

Mid-Autumn Festival is about mooncakes. It is also about a Chinese tradition wrapped around an old, old mythology: Chang E, wife of folk hero Hou Yi, swallowed an elixir and floated off to the moon, unable to reunite with her husband. The elixir has also made her immortal, so she was doomed to live out an eternity alone. She is accompanied only by a rabbit.

For this new workshop I devised, the students are taught to design and draw their own bunnies. As part of the Chinese Cultural Festival, the school also requested that I present the workshop in Mandarin. It was the first workshop I conducted in full in Mandarin!

The students did a smashing job of creating about 80 bunnies. I am in turn inspired that there are 80 different ways to draw a bunny! That will most certainly enrich Sir Fong Book 4!

First day of sketching new book with my iPad!!!

The last few weeks, my new writers and myself were brainstorming. We are delighted with our new story for Book 4! Book 4 promises to be a leap - in both story-telling and illustration - for the readers. 

Now comes the hard part - breaking the story into panels for each of the 200 pages.

To help me reference online pictures and do research while I keep drawing, I have my new iPad with its protective cover which doubles as a convenient stand! 

Armed with the new story outline, tons of library books and my iPad, I am again going into the 'desert', where an artist must spend a lot of solitary time for the next few months. As you can also see, like the ancient Tang monk Tripitaka who traveled with his trusty white horse across the desert to India, I also have my little white Jack Russell companion keeping me company too!

July Update for BOOK 4!

Dear friends and fans, 

For Book 4, I sought help from two Singaporeans about the story. They agreed to be co-writers. This morning, we just had an incredible session brainstorming about Book 4. We fleshed out the characters of Sir Fong, Totto, Izak and Abby. We also worked on a storyline that excited all of us.

Above: a rehearsal scene from my Arts Festival 2011 play HERStory. Staged by Drama Box.

Earlier this year, I paused my comic work and devoted 6 months to write a play dedicated to my mother. The process of creating the play was thrilling, because I’d insisted on being as real as possible. My collaborators – Kok Heng Luen, Chong Tze Chien and Drama Box – and I met with some strong resistance in the creation of the play. This includes a forced change in the title of the play from “Black Peony” to “HERStory” (possibly due to concerns about my parents’ past political background), and a cold war between myself and my parents (who were upset that I would not remove the son’s personal background from the story). But I personally believe strongly about the purpose of writing the play, and the best approach to any piece of art is to be as honest as possible. Even after the play was staged, some people felt strongly that it was a good piece of art while others found reasons to hate it. Regardless, it was not a play one can ignore – in an Arts Festival where many shows struggled to fill up the venue, our play attracted near-full-house every performance.  The reviews from Straits Times were generally hostile and negative, while the reviews from Zaobao and the Flying Inkpot were highly favorable.

When I paused my comic works to do this play, I knew that it was worth the delay of my career as giving tribute to my mom is worth the sacrifice. I just didn’t know it would be so incredibly relevant to my comic works!

The experience taught me that a good piece of art will find its ardent supporters and face some strong dissent. Living that story was a roller coaster ride. Writing it was at times heart-stopping, and listening to the sobs amongst the audience, I believe we have presented something as real and as thrilling as we possibly could.

I’m applying this new-found insight into Sir Fong Book 4. My writers and I are digging into the universe created in Books 1 to 3, and also digging deeper into our intentions of creating the story. We aim not so much to please anyone, but rather to be as brutally honest to ourselves as possible. And rest assured, we never forget for a moment that Sir Fong is for you.

Yours always,

Otto

Meet the new Guest Stars for Sir Fong's Adventures Book 4!

These two lovable characters are mascots for Gardenasia, a collective of Singapore modern farmers.

The green guy with a water droplet on his head is Titoy, and the pink girl is Morchoo. When they first appeared yesterday, the kindergarten kids went wild and couldn't stop pawing their faces!

In the first Sir Fong trilogy, real-life scientists are featured. In the new book, Sir Fong will be featuring Titoy and Morchoo in a new adventure, and Totto, Abby and Izak will definitely be on the greatest ride of their lives so far with these two guest stars!

New Cover for New Print of Book 1!

Another new print for Sir Fong Book 1!

For Book 2, I completely redesigned the cover. Instead of the dark, moody but cool original cover, I changed it to a bright, cheerful one. Afterall, the topic is on "Light", so I lit up the cover!

For Book 1, I consulted a few close friends. Their feedback was unanimous: keep the original cover! That was the first time most readers set their eyes on a Sir Fong comic. I made some changes to the back cover - I felt readers need see some of the drawings inside, as many bookstores shrink-wrapped their books. 

Hopefully, I kept the integrity of the original cover that gave Sir Fong's Adventures a great start, but improved on it such that it will have an evergreen longevity in your hearts!

Yours Bunnily,

Otto