Eventually, the scribbles will take the form of what could be considered art. Such was the case for young Enya Lim, who was only three years old when her parents realised she had a gift.
“I would bring her to exhibitions and she would tell me, ‘Mummy, I want to bring my art into this gallery’,” her mother, Tiffany Teh, told FMT Lifestyle. “I told her she could do it, and so we bought a canvas for her to start.
“During the recent lockdowns, she improved a lot. We got to spend a lot of time together in those two years of staying at home.”
It was time well spent, as the doting parents were able to nurture their daughter’s talent. Before long, Lim was making it in the local art scene: just last year, she took part in four exhibitions, including December’s Kuala Lumpur Art Book Fair, making her the youngest exhibitor at 10 years old.
This precocious lass has even published two books, “Planet of Monsters” and “Everyone is Perfect”, which were sold at her booth alongside sculptures, keychains, enamel pins, skateboard decks, T-shirts, milk glasses, coasters, posters, stickers, and 2024 calendar box sets – all of which display her original characters and designs.
At the fair, Lim could be seen explaining her creations to passers-by like a pro. Looking back, she told FMT Lifestyle: “I felt happy that a lot of people went to my booth and looked at my art. I’m happy to share my art with them.”
Despite her achievements, she is just your average primary schooler and remains humble about her talents. Still, speaking of her peers, she revealed her cheeky side: “My friends also draw but they are not very famous. Sometimes they come to my house and I teach them how to draw.
“My teacher went to my exhibitions, too, and she liked my drawings,” she added.
Now 11, Lim has already carved out a distinct artistic style. Hints of graffiti-like pop art are apparent in her work, and she spouts names like comic artist Black Jellyfish and graffiti artist Kenji Chai.
She’s rather athletic, too. When she’s not drawing or building elaborate Lego structures, she loves to skateboard – a pastime that features in many of her artworks. And she proudly showed off a gnarly bruise from when she fell while playing badminton.
So where does this young artist get her inspiration from? “I sometimes read magazines that have some art or drawings. Sometimes, at school, I go to the library and read novels such as ‘Harry Potter’.”
While she does dabble in sculpting and painting, she often finds herself going back to making art on her iPad, where apps like Procreate are kinder to mistakes.
“I like using the iPad because it doesn’t waste paper,” she explained. “You don’t need to use an eraser if you draw something wrong.”
This is where she brings to life her colourful creations “Mr Greenie” and “Mr H” – recurring characters not only in her art but also on her calendars, T-shirts and other merchandise. They’re even hung up on the walls of her home.
With supportive parents like Enya’s, there is no doubt there is more to come from this young talent.
“I want to be an artist when I’m older,” she confidently affirmed when asked about her future plans. “It’s very fun and it’s creative. I like the art that I’ve made.”