Makers Series — Leslie Hung
A Conversation with Leslie Hung
We partnered with comic book artist and illustrator Leslie Hung for our Artist Series Notebooks featuring her incredible original artwork. Leslie is the co-creator of Image Comic's Snotgirl.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got started as an artist?
My name is Leslie Hung and I'm an illustrator and comic book artist. I'm probably most well known for co-creating and drawing the comic Snotgirl. I wanted to be an artist ever since I was a small child, but my idea of what that entailed was a bit all over the place and unfocused. After finishing art school, I fell in love with analog materials, and to this day, I work primarily with pencils and inks.
Can you give us a glimpse into your creative process/ritual?
When it comes to starting a drawing, sometimes the sketch and ideation process is super easy and sometimes it takes much longer to start taking shape. I usually do a few drafts digitally before narrowing things down. Sometimes I will just noodle a bit on a sketchbook and figure out how a pose or composition will work. Most of the time, I'm switching between different ways of working in order to make a drawing feel the way I want it to feel. As for any rituals, I have a pretty messy and not aesthetically pleasing desk, but I usually try to tidy up and clean before I start working.
How did you first learn about Blackwing?
I first learned about Blackwing pencils from some other artist friends who enjoyed using them. I'm a stationery and art supply fanatic, so I tried all of the core types and they have since become a long-standing must-have in my pencil case. I feel like I never really understood the appeal of graphite until I used a Blackwing.
