OBSESSIONS

Local Artist James Leong on the trick to surviving as a freelance illustrator, being a club bouncer in an alternate reality and the joy of drawing.

How Illustrator James Leong nurtured his quest for experimental drawing despite the rigours of work and life.

BY: JONATHAN LEONG
HEAD OF CONTENT

21st JANUARY 2020

Who Dares Wins

A slogan derived from the hallowed halls of renowned British SAS (Special Air Service), a specialist commando force - is a motto local illustration veteran James Leong swears by. With his clean shaven head, rugged image and iron clad handshake he could very well be comfortable perched atop a cliff in Afghanistan with a bolt action sniper file.

Instead he is doodling on a piece of paper, his eyes squinting not at enemy targets but at the lines that begin to adorn what was previously a blank piece of real estate.

His whimsical works and easy going demeanour belie his three decade long veteran status in the trenches of the advertising world where he started his career in 1988.

Before the internet era enabled creatives to build their own audience and careers online, most artistically inclined people who wanted to earn a decent living whacked it out as creatives for hire. Personal aspirations were harder to sustain (they still are) and most put drawing for themselves on the back burner.

After working as an Art Director on campaigns for the likes of SKII, OCBC Bank, STB, SingTel, Citibank, M1, and Audi - he made the leapt into the uncertain galaxy of freelancing as an independent creative gun for hire.

I had a chat with him on how he managed to regain the love for drawing for himself - after growing up in an era where passion projects were often sidelined for pragmatic reasons in pre-2000s Singapore.

Q) When did you realise you wanted to pursue the path of an artist?

It was shortly after I left my advertising agency life at the end of 2013 when my interest in art and pursuing personal projects was rekindled. I began with urban sketching, OIC’s Portrait After Dark sessions, and also attended numerous figure drawing and Dr Sketchy sessions to regain my confidence.

Q) Any advice to young creatives (or students) on how you’ve managed to stay in the illustration trade for so long despite the challenges of being a freelancer? 

Nobody is ever ready for any challenge. Continuously honing your skills, revisiting your basics, and learning new skills are all essential lifelong preparation. I also suggest that one should establish oneself in the market by networking with like minded people and professionals you admire. This motto has served me well: Who dares, wins.

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Q) How has your style and process evolved to what it is today?

As a self-taught artist, I am quite good at line art and marker-rendering, so I decided to pursue other weaker areas, like water colour and digital painting, and also to revisit the basics of anatomy drawing. All this practising pushed my skills to another level, upping my confidence and speed. Eventually when I combined these enhancements to my line art, my style began to take shape. This is the beauty of continued practice; my style is still evolving..

Q) What were some of the initial challenges you faced in balancing your personal art and your career?

As a commercial illustrator, I produce work that is mostly not of my style but based on the creative brief given. Most of the time, my work as a freelance art director does not require me to do any serious drawing at all. I’m grateful for these kinds of jobs, but they tap a different set of gears - this has hindered my progress in establishing my own style.

Thus, whenever I have free time outside of freelance contract work…I push myself harder to make up for the lost time.  It’s easy to give up and just do work and zone out at the end of the day, but I believe as an artist and creative professional it is important to continue being hungry in terms of personal development outside of work.

To creatives struggling to balance personal pursuits and the daily rigours of job responsibilities, it’s important to not give up on making things for yourself.

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Q) Outside of art what are some of your obsessions?

As an educator, I love to share my knowledge in art, graphic design and advertising. I'm also exploring ways to turn my art into marketable products, and to create and publish my own comics! 

Q. Do you have a dream goal or project that you want to accomplish?

Comics. I want to create a few iconic series of comics. Murals are another platform which I am working towards.

Q. If you weren’t an artist what would you be doing?

I would probably be a club bouncer or self-defence coach..

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