The Style Sheet

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18 December 2020

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Stephanie Teng (@stephinitely.tengy)

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Day in the Life: Bonnie Pang

As part of our Day in the Life series, The Style Sheet spends the day with Bonnie Pang — an award-winning Hong Kong illustrator and comic artist. Along with illustrating concept art for animation studios, children’s books, public art projects and her latest webcomic, IT Guy & ART Girl, she is also the artistic talent behind Pacific Place’s Christmas Crew.

Early Morning

‘I normally wake at around eight and make breakfast for my husband and myself. After that, I begin to work at my home office straight away — I don’t even need to change clothes! I love the morning sunlight, and it’s my most productive time. I check emails and work on whatever is on my schedule that day. Most of my jobs are illustrations for children such as books, posters and games, so it’s a pretty fun and cheerful working experience.’>/p>

Illustrator Bonnie Pang works at home in Tseung Kwan O

Mid-Morning

'I love listening to music when I work. When I’m alone at home, I play music on the speaker. If my husband happens to work from home that day, I put on headphones. As I continue to work throughout the day, I take breaks and use the time to do household chores. I do laundry, clean the house, make shopping lists… it’s a pretty domestic life.'

Bonnie Pang's work for Pacific Place Christmas campaigns

One of Bonnie’s initial drawings for Pacific Place’s 2020 Christmas campaign, surrounded by mementos from the 2019 Christmas campaign, also illustrated by Bonnie

Lunch

‘Since I work at home and I don’t live in the busy districts where everyone works, I don’t have friends or colleagues to have lunch with. While I enjoy company and catching up with friends from time to time, having lunch alone is OK for an introvert like me. Sometimes I cook something simple at home, like noodles or pasta. Other times I head out to a local mall and do some shopping afterwards — efficient!’

Bonnie Pang works on an illustration for Pacific Place's Christmas campaign

Pacific Place’s Christmas Crew comes to life under Bonnie’s skilled hands

Afternoon

‘Most of the “social” part of my work happens in the afternoon. Sometimes I take on projects by local clients and need to go out for meetings and site visits. Other times there are interviews, art events or exhibitions. The best part of working freelance is having the freedom to use my time. If I don’t have to head out, I keep working at my home studio.’

Left: A nook in Bonnie’s home office. Right: Bonnie experiments with paint on paper

Early Evening

‘Apart from illustrating books, I also make comics and run a webcomic about my life with my husband. The webcomic updates twice a week, and I usually post a new comic around five or six in the evening. My readers are very diverse — they come from all over the world, and many are from the US and Europe. Posting at this hour matches most time zones, so readers are less likely to miss the update. Then, if there’s no pending deadline, I usually call it a day and rest. I do some exercise or play games to unwind.’

Evening

‘My husband and I usually have a home-cooked dinner together. If we’re feeling fancy, we head out to a local favourite or try a new restaurant. After dinner, we usually go for a walk along the waterfront and chat along the way. Back home, we relax and enjoy a quiet time, reading books or watching movies. If I’m in the mood to create, I work on new ideas and personal pieces.’

The Style Sheet

Day in the Life: Bonnie Pang

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