Darkness Fairy Tale Author & Illustrator in Hong Kong

奈樂樂
Nalok.Lok

Nalok.Lok, pen name of Kwan Wai-Lok, was born in Hong Kong and is a committee member of The Hong Kong Society of Illustrators. He graduated from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University with a Master degree in Design and was awarded a scholarship to study for a Master degree in Visual Arts Painting offered by the Latvian Academy of Arts, University of Latvia.

Nalok.Lok has launched a series of dark picture books in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. He breaks the tradition and creates dark picture books showing the dark side of human nature. The stories are in the fashion of fairy tales but the plot and the ending are so unexpected that the readers are impressed and shocked. The stories attempt to engage his readers to know the dark side of the real world and learn how to deal with it.

Nalok.Lok is highly recognized and has won several awards. His picture book, The Moment While Jumping Off, successfully received the government animation support fund to produce into an animation, which gained the Certificate of Merit of The Best Animation (Start-up) Awards. In 2019, he won the Top Ten Young Artists Awards at the 2019 Youth Artists Festival. In 2022, he won the Best Illustration in Editorial at the Japanese Illustrators’ Association – Illustrator Of The Year 2022.

In recent years, Nalok.Lok has promoted crossover activities with clients/brands, including Dragonfly and Wacom. He has partnered with government department and NGO such as Social Welfare Department, The Salvation Army and Suicide Prevention Services to develop illustration work. He is also committed to nurturing talents by conducting illustration workshops.

Collection of Dark Picture Books:

“Scarecore and Bird” 2017/02
“Who You Are” 2017/04
“The Tortoise and the Hare : Rematch” 2017/10
“The Moment while Jumping Off” 2018/07
“Am I the Strongest?” 2020/07
“Let me Eat Snow!” 2021/06
“My Forbidden Room” 2022/07

Awards:

Japanese Illustrators’ Association – Illustrator Of The Year 2022 – Best Illustration in Editorial
2019 Top Ten Young Artists in Hong Kong
6th Animation Support Program (Start-up) Award – Certificate of Merit
10th ACG Illustration New Star Award – First Runner-up
DIP Illustration Design Contest – Finalist