The big picture

A proud cat by Xia Mengyu

Good ideas

For Han, another problem is the limited scope that illustrators have for selling their work.

"In China, picture books are mainly for children, and that means illustrators have a very limited space in which to express themselves."

Hou says that in Europe, illustrations were originally created by people to express their ideas or imagination on canvas. Some of the more personal illustrations that carried the wisdom of older generations may have been shown to the young as a means of education.

He cites Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, saying that Potter originally just painted for herself without thinking about publishing the story. But after she showed the stories to a friend, he encouraged her to publish them. Peter Rabbit then became a popular picture book, which has become a classic.

"Many European illustrators draw very personal stories, and then have them published," Hou says.

Han has almost never drawn commercial illustrations because "they usually don't like my style, which is cool, not that kind of warm or light style".

She has been working on and off on stories about ghosts living in another world.

"I have talked to people in an online illustration platform. Obviously what they are looking for are illustrations for children books, so for them weird or cold, dark themes and colors are out.

"I know some Chinese illustrators who are really good, and you may say they lack creativity compared with people in Europe or the United States, but that's because they cannot express themselves fully."