During a visit to the Sacred Monkey Forest in Bali, I was captivated by a mother monkey and her little one leaping playfully from branch to branch. I opened my sketchbook to capture the moment — not just their movement, but their connection.
What drew me in wasn’t simply the action; it was their faces. The mother’s cautious glance, the little one’s fearless leap — small gestures that told a story without words. I wanted to translate that instant of trust and playfulness into line and rhythm, keeping the energy of the scene alive on the page.
For me, observation is the foundation of character design. Every creature — real or imagined — carries emotion in posture and gaze. This drawing reminded me how everyday encounters can turn into stories waiting to be told.
Working quickly with pencil and ink, I focused on expressive lines and fluid shapes to convey motion and light. It’s part of my ongoing habit of sketching what I see while traveling — spontaneous studies that often spark ideas for future characters and stories.
This sketch may live in my notebook, but it represents what drives my work: curiosity, empathy, and the ability to find personality in fleeting moments.
