Conversation with Charlene Chua

Charlene Chua

You have illustrated a number of children’s books. What was it like for you to write your first children’s book, Hug?

HUG? had a very unusual creation process. I had the idea on a whim one day and decided to write it down. I sort of thumbnailed one draft, then did another. I was debating on whether to show it to my agent or not, as it seemed like an odd story. I recall being told that the main characters needed to solve their own problems in the story, and the girl in HUG? doesn't exactly do that. In a strange twist of things, I ended up showing my very rough thumbnails to an editor, and she liked the story. The book eventually sold to that editor, and went through very little editing afterwards. Everyone told me that this was highly unusual though, and manuscripts normally go through a lot of revisions before the final book!

I won’t ask for your “favorite” book you’ve illustrated, because I know how impossible that question is to answer! Instead, I’ll ask: which of your books would you describe as the most meaningful for you, and why?

HUG? is probably the most meaningful, partly because I wrote it, but mainly because the girl is sort of based on me, and her cat is definitely based on my first cat, Uno. Uno lived a good, long cat life but sadly passed away towards the end of the production for HUG?. So I guess I always look at the book with a mixture of emotions because of that. 

For books I didn't write, Love, Violet (by Charlotte Sullivan Wild) and the Amy Wu series (by Kat Zhang) are probably the most meaningful. The Amy Wu series resonates with a lot of kids, particularly Asian American/Canadian kids. Amy joins other contemporary Asian American/Canadian characters that help kids see themselves represented and, maybe more importantly, thriving in the world they live in. Similarly, Love, Violet not only shows queer love, but it shows it thriving. I think both these books are meaningful because they really open windows for readers to see a vision of hope and happiness under their own terms.

Many of the books you’ve illustrated feature characters from diverse cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds. In some books, the identity of the characters is necessary to the plot or designated by the words (such as Akilak’s Adventure), and in others their identities are more ambiguous (such as Love, Violet). How do you approach each of these situations? What does it mean to you to choose to illustrate characters of color?

I was brought up to think that multiculturalism was the norm and that it was a good thing (both by my parents as well as the Singapore policy in the 80s/90s). When it comes to my work, I like to try to include characters who at least are ethnically diverse. It is both a reflection of what I know (having grown up in Singapore and then lived in Toronto and Hamilton), as well as what I personally wish to see more of. 

I also try, when possible, to suggest a BIPOC main character. I see it as the least I can do; as an illustrator I can't really change the world, but I can give BIPOC kids an opportunity to at least see someone who looks like them as the hero. It seems like a small thing...but cumulatively I believe it has an impact on how children see themselves. I think it contributes to a sense of empowerment - not only does the story (and hence, the world) revolve around the main character, but usually the main character is empowered in some way to resolve the story on their own terms. The act of showing that these things are NOT exclusive to certain people, I think, has a compounding impact on how we all perceive our world. 

How closely do you work with authors to create the visuals of the characters, and how would you describe that process? Additionally, can you tell us what it was like to work with Elizabeth Warren on Pinkie Promises?

Most of the time I am pretty much left to come up with the characters on my own. Sometimes there are small art notes in the manuscript pertaining to the look of the character, but not always. I usually come up with a bunch of sketches for the main character, and send those over to the art director. Between the two of us, we'll usually decide on a version to propose to the author. Usually the author is happy with the proposed design, or has some small change requests. If there are edits, I tweak the character and send that back. The process usually does not go beyond 2 or 3 rounds of changes. 

I did not actually work directly with Elizabeth Warren during the production of Pinkie Promises; everything I did was relayed to her by the publishing team, and they in turn relayed her comments back to me. That said, she gave very good and clear input on the sketches and final art, and the process was a smooth and pleasant one. We did go back and forth a little about the dog, Bailey, as he is based on her real dog. Bailey was originally a bit slender, then a bit chonkier, then finally went back to being a bit slimmer (I am told Bailey approves of his final look in the book). I did get a phone call from Elizabeth Warren when the book came out - I wasn't expecting it and almost didn't answer the phone (I happened to be waiting for a callback and picked up expecting that). It was a wonderful surprise; as an illustrator, one doesn't usually expect an author to call to say thanks, especially one who is a US Senator! She's such a busy and important person, so it was really nice of her to take some time out of her schedule to call.

Speaking of process, how would you describe yours when it comes to creating illustrations – both for books written by others as well as art that is singularly yours?

I mostly work on books written by others; the process is similar for that. I read the manuscript (usually several times) before even starting to draw anything. I read it once to get an idea of the story, then subsequently I read it to imagine what it might look like and how it might flow as a visual story. Then I gather references, or sometimes send questions to the publisher to clarify things. When I begin drawing, I start with designing the characters. After that I rough out/thumbnail the interior of the book. Depending on the time, I either send these in for first approval, or just go straight to sketches if time is tight. Usually while the sketches are being looked over, I work on concepts for the cover, as well as the other non-story pages (endpapers, title pages). When enough sketch approvals are in (they sometimes don't come all at once) I move to working out a color rough and then final art. Personally I prefer working on the cover last, but sometimes I have to work on it first. It all depends on the needs of the book and the publisher's plans; sometimes certain things are needed first for sales and marketing purposes.