Featured Author : Chooi Ling Keiong

​Artist and illustrator Chooi Ling Keiong, sees the magic and wonders of every day life and paints them with her own special magic. Whether illustrating rabbits and chickens or a village scene and children at play, Chooi Ling's detailed work draws us in so that we too find ourselves in the magic of the ordinary.

"I like to read children's picture books very much," says Chooi Ling. "I get lots of pleasure and inspiration from them. This makes me want to illustrate picture books. I feel satisfied when my ideas and imagination become visible."

Chooi Ling graduated with a Diploma in Fine Art from the Kuala Lumpur College of Art in 2002. She works hard to improve her work and has been attending workshops and doing a lot reading to improve her illustrations. With an eight-year old daughter, Chooi Ling has to find time for her art. She recently gave up her children's art class in order to have more time to paint. She carries out research for each artwork or project and once she has enough ideas, she will work every day until the work is done.
 
Looking at Chooi Ling's illustrations, it is clear that nature is her greatest source of inspiration.

Illustration by Chooi-Ling from The Last Dream of The Old Oak Tree, a Hans Christian Andersen classic

"I like to observe the natural world; it amazes me and I am touched by it. I learn something new in every single animal and plant. There is so much knowledge waiting to be explored in nature. The way animals or plants grow, how they adapt to the environment, the shapes, colors, lines on their bodies... I always get inspiration from nature."

Drawing inspiration from nature, Chooi-Ling captures the beautiful scene of the mayflies and wildflowers - from the Hans Andersen classic The Last Dream of The Old Oak Tree published by Oyez!Books

For more beautiful illustrations by Chooi Ling, take a look at The Last Dream of The Old Oak Tree, a Hans Christian Andersen classic published by Oyez!Books.