Thursday, September 25, 2008

Miss Hua

miss hua faces

While on the hunt for some graphic designs (for the 50+1 Love segments), I've came across one particular cartoon character which caught my eye.

It is a Chinese character (yes, from the Shanghai's 50s) that is now 'living' in Malaysia.

Well, let me introduce to you, Miss Hua.

miss hua

As the creator, Jay Lim, mentions, Miss Hua has the typical Shanghai lady look - from the squinted eyes, straight hair and fit with a cheongsam every time.

But don't expect to see Miss Hua as a shy lady. Already from the posters above, one can note that Miss Hua is expressive, a party goer and loves the limelight.

And that is what caught my eye - a cartoon character with 'character'!

More Than Character
But beyond the character, what I also like about Jay's work is the blend of the background details which is rather eye catching... and which fits in well, complimenting rather than overshadowing Miss Hua.

You can see from his works that there are lots of motifs behind in each poster, but yet, the star is very much Miss Hua herself.

Invitation Feature
miss hua, i love malaysia
Inspired by it, I actually contacted Jay and asks if he would like to feature Miss Hua on the 50+1 Malaysia book. And he actually came out with a poster just for it with the title, non other than "I Love Malaysia!".

*Just see the coconut trees behind, making it truly Malaysia.

The Idea
Malaysian designer, Jay mentions that the idea behind Miss Hua came about just to push himself further as a graphic designer. Wanting to express himself to the world, he somehow came out with the sketch in November 2007.

Preferring to work behind the scenes, Jay relates well to the character where she takes all the glory... but at the same time it is through her that he shares about "beauty, nature, his culture and where he belong".

Where To Find Her
miss hua badge
There is a bigger vision to get Miss Hua into a fashion line in the future. As for now, Miss Hua is slowing making her presence felt - and can now be seen in many items from t-shirts to badges & postcards (sold online at The Kraft Store).

Jay also participates in related events & feature Miss Hua in the press as well, usually drawing Miss Hua in posters specially for the magazine.

Miss Hua For You
miss hua postcard
Well some good news. For those of you who would like to get the Miss Hua postcard set (of 6 postcards), simply send feedbacks (comments) on what you like on Miss Hua or in any case, any areas you think Miss Hua can improve.

...all this to the benefit of the designer, Jay, to make see this Shanghai lady go global!

3 best answers selected by Jay himself will each receive one set of his postcards. Competition ends 8 October 2008! :)

*To Jay, congratulations & all the best in your works... and am looking forward to seeing more of this Shanghai lady! :)

14 comments:

  1. I wanna join. I like the design and the drawings. Especially the postcard designs the one which she is riding a koi? Ha =)

    I thing Ms Hua should dress more vibrant colored clothes. That will make her more alive and exudes that sense of happiness that we could connect too. All in all I thing the ideas and drawings are simply superb. Just the color I guess.

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  2. Miss Hua :D My chinese name also got Hwa :D

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  3. hi Quachee, first time visiting this blog here. Sorry, accidentally deleted yr name the other day while fishing around for a new template..
    Ok, about Missie Hua, she looks like a character in this Moonlight Resonance, SaSa. So I imagine Ah Hua to be a gutsy, highly fashionable lady, aggressive, outspoken and yet not conniving, shrewd in her ways and overall, she has a speck of kindness in her heart. For those who step on her toes, just beware...

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  4. Hi! Thanks for dropping by my blog:)
    I like your blog and the numerous promotions you have here; looks like you're busy with the Malaysian image promotion as well:)

    Oooo....don't mind my question on Ms Hua, why the Shanghai lady image for Malaysia? :D (No offense meant yea; just curious)

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  5. @jayce
    thanks for dropping by to say hi to miss hua :)

    @tekkaus
    good luck! btw good comments (but im not the judge) hehe :)

    @ahlost
    hey cool! ru like her also - outgoing & fun? :)

    @christy
    thanks for coming by. guess im into promoting malaysia (& singapore) hehe.

    for miss hua, its done by an acquaintance, jay. i think he wants to show a chinese lady (but with shanghai style?). what do you say, jay?

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  6. Looking at glance, you can be sure that she's a Chinese. Thanks to the "qi bao" dress. I like this character, she's interesting in Asian way: her face, the ear-rings, the purple color. Stunning!
    I think she'll be more cute if her head is bigger than her body, as most of the cartoon characters, like Pucca, Mickey Mouse, Doraemon, Shin Chan, etc.

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  7. Miss Hua sure is a cool lady. She reminds me of my Shanghainese neighbours whose daughter was in the same class as I was. Yes, she and her mom did sport Miss Hua's hairstyle and the mom was always in cheongsam. Miss Hua sure brings back memories.

    Jay is very talented and the pictures are really nice. However, I find the pictures a bit too gaudy. Perhaps a lighter background would bring out Miss Hua more. Also, our national flower would be good to be included. How about some more highlight on the hair? But then again, I'm not a graphic designer, what do I know!

    Keep up the good work, Jay.

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  8. Update: Jay has chosen the winners!

    @Tekkaus
    @Reanaclaire
    @Sherley

    Please send me an email with your address to pass to Jay.

    To the rest many thanks for participating & helping Miss Hua go global! :)

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  9. Thanks a lot! Please send my warm regards to Jay too ^^

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  10. Miss Hua definitely looks stylish and modern...
    Since it has something to do with Malaysia, would it be nice to have Miss Hua cheongsam featuring the BATIK?

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  11. @cklam

    will definitely let him know :) good point there! coincidently, i met someone today who is doing that for t-shirts! cool...! :)

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Oh hey, thank you for commenting! :)