We speak to Twisstii, the illustrator for Koko The Great to find out more about her and her works.

Why the name Twisstii?
The name Twisstii came about in an attempt to be anonymous. I named my illustrator name after my cat, which was almost natural since I love cats.

How did you get started on illustrations?
I wasn’t good with words as a child so drawing was the best thing that ever happened. I was an animation major but turned to illustrations after graduation as I realized I didn’t have the patience for animating.

Is there a certain subject matter or character that you draw frequently?
Animals are my favorite subject, and it’s almost impossible for me to get tired of drawing them. The style of execution is always different every time they are redrawn.

How would you describe your style of illustration?
Probably whimsical, naivety and awkwardness rolled into one.

Tell us about your experience working on Koko the Great.
It was fun working with the team for this project, as I was free to interpret the style in any way I liked. At same time I gained further knowledge about many art pioneers of Singapore and their contributions.

What are your inspirations?
Inspirations come from things around me, people, animals, incidents. It’s sometimes a  random statement from a book, a silly gesture from my pets, or a thought on the long bus ride home.

What projects are next in the pipeline?
I am currently working on a series of prints and some random merchandise, if I ever get out of my procrastinating mode that is, oops.

Catch Twisstii at the launch of Koko The Great at the Singapore Writers Festival! For more information, refer here.

Published by The National Art Gallery, Singapore, Koko The Great is a story about a small boy who lives in a kampong by the river. This is the second title in the Dreaming Art Series where important works by Asian artists are the inspiration for children’s illustrated stories.

Koko The Great is available at Kinokuniya, Times, PageOne and Select. For online ordering, please email michelle_tay@nhb.gov.sg.