Trying something new can be scary, and sometimes, there’s nothing that anyone can say or do to make those feelings go away. I have no magic answer that will make all those fears and insecurities go away, but only one piece of advice that has worked incredibly well for me…

One of my friends recently asked me: how was I not on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook more often spreading the word about my blog, classes and zines? I just told her that I was a very low-key person, and that posting about myself and my work wasn’t something I was…

While I was in Singapore for the Illustration Art Fest, I had the pleasure of hearing a talk by Raphael (one half of duo Icinori — his partner is Mayumi) on how they got to where they are today. I was also very lucky to to learn about the works…

It’s everywhere. Pictures, updates, tweets. From people you know, people you follow, people you like, heck, even people you don’t know. Social media isn’t going away, so why not just embrace it right? If you can’t beat them, why not join them? Scars and selfies I’m not particularly keen on having my pictures…

Whenever I step into a classroom, the first question that I get asked is this: which profession in the design world makes more money: animators, graphic designers, or illustrators? Or how about multimedia artists or videographers? My reply was that there’s plenty of ways to make money — lots and…

It starts with being very scared of what’s coming next. That you don’t know what you’re doing. That you’re unsure whether things will work out the way you hope it would. The doubts that creep up around the edges, just when you think you have everything planned and under control…

I recently went to Amsterdam and Berlin. The trip was mainly to attend Pictoplasma 2016 in Berlin, which I have heard so many good things about for the past few years. It was my first time in Europe. It was also the first time I sat in an airplane for…

We’ve all given excuses before: I’m too tired, I’m too busy, etc. Whether it’s to avoid going for that run you’ve marked on your calendar, or to enter your studio during the weekends when you’ve already put in 40-hour-weeks at your day job — procrastination is a tough habit to…

Amy Ng blogs at Pikaland, a popular stop for illustration lovers, students and artists who are looking for answers on how to find a balance between art, creativity and commerce. Two years ago while I was attending a conference on children’s books in Singapore, I sat in on a panel that consisted of two writers and an illustrator. The one-hour long talk was about their journey and experience, and how they got to where they were, career-wise. When the Q+A session rolled about, I knew what I wanted to ask — it was at the back of my mind when I saw the slides of their journey and creative processes. It slid off my tongue: “How do you guys earn enough to do this for a living, since you only produce about 2 books a year?”