Eng, 22 who loves fried rice said she began cooking up her Fried Rice in September 2019. "Fried Rice is my comfort food and has a homey feeling that I love." The ongoing webcomic updates weekly and has over 50 pages thus far. Eng's goal for the comic? To have at least 200 pages entirely.
When asked why fried rice, the Bachelor's in Fine Arts at San Francisco's Academy of Art University student said, "In the early stages, all my files were named Fried Rice, and the Spotify playlist that inspired the webcomic's tone was also named that," she said as shared in her webcomic's frequently asked questions page.
Eng's Fried Rice is set in early 2015 in Malaysia, based on her own experiences post-high school graduation. The heartwarming comic, revolves around Min, a young artist from Batu Pahat, Johor, as she visits her cousin Lilly in Kuala Lumpur. Both girls plan to travel overseas in hopes of pursuing their tertiary education. While Lilly will return home after completing her studies, Min is planning to leave Malaysia forever.
In an interview with the Edge, that she was frustrated growing up in Batu Pahat as not everyone took her passion seriously. “I remember how bitter and frustrated I was as a teenager wanting to pursue art in a small town,” she said.
The young artist meticulously put together her story through her artwork that are hand-drawn on paper with pencils and then colored using ink wash. Her drawings are then scanned and edited digitally with Photoshop.
Fried Rice is a true feast for Malaysians, as it brings back nostalgic memories of growing up here. "Fried Rice is an ode to my home town and country that I love," Eng wrote.
Check our her work - Fried Rice and more on her website here. Be sure to also follow her on Instagram @paprikapeprica.
