Malaysian illustrator SofsDoodles rediscovers her roots with new comic book

SofsDoodles, who lived abroad for most of her life, shares that coming back to live in Malaysia had both a sense of familiarity and new adventure. Photo: Bruno Martin Del Campo

When Malaysian doodle artist Sofia Shamsunahar, better known as SofsDoodles, took a break to travel after graduating from university in 2019, little did she know then that her comic book dream would come true.

While on her trip around Malaysia, the political science and human geography graduate documented her experiences through comics as a way to reflect on them, as well as share them with her friends and loved ones.

“I had limited Internet and phone connection while travelling, so there was a lot of down-time and brain time. Which is why creating comics became a natural joy to do on the daily. By the end of my travels, I had an unexpected compilation of comics,” recalls SofsDoodles, 24.

She was overjoyed when local publisher MPH responded favourably to her pitch for a comic book. She had reached out to them with a link to her Instagram account which had a lot of her travel comics and other doodles she made since 2013.

“I couldn’t believe my luck. They were keen on publishing stuff I already created, which is how the idea of the book came to life. I hope people read my comics and feel less alone in their feelings and life experiences. That’s my main motivation when creating comics,” she elaborates.

'Sof’s Doodles: Returning To My Roots' is a compilation of comics about SofsDoodles’ experiences learning about Malaysian life and culture. Photo: Chadel Soon

Born in Sarawak, SofsDoodles left Malaysia at the age of four and grew up mostly overseas, following her engineer father and geophysicist mother to countries such as Canada, the Netherlands, Norway and Oman.

Her first book, Sof’s Doodles: Returning To My Roots, is a compilation of comics about her experience learning about Malaysian culture and memories like talking to her grandmother for the first time in Bahasa Malaysia.

“I had lost my ability to talk Malay when growing up overseas, and Gran primarily communicates in Malay. I wasn’t able to communicate with her the whole time growing up. But when I first moved back, I tried to learn Malay as much as I could.

“When (Hari) Raya came and I spoke to her the first time in Malay, we both felt so excited to communicate for the first time. We talked about all the food she cooked and the history behind each dish. It felt really good to be able to talk together,” she recalls.

During the pandemic, the Kuala Lumpur-based artist lost her job working in outdoor education and had to think of ways to work digitally and virtually. She started asking if anyone was interested in commissioning her to create doodles for them, and was surprised to receive a number of requests.

SofsDoodles draws in a minimalistic, playful style in her reflections on life, self-compassion, love and well-being. Photo: SofsDoodles

“Sharing my doodles has helped me connect with people around me, as I found people would reach out once they connected to a piece. Doodles helped me build a little community around art and create unexpected opportunities. Seeing how doodling has really shaped my life for the better has felt really empowering,” says SofsDoodles, who is now a freelance artist, with a special interest in animation and digital art.

Doodles and healing

"I always thought 'real' art was realism, paintings, chalk pieces ... so I never took my doodles seriously. They would always just be a thing I did to pass the time. But when I started to doodle to help me overcome tough periods in my life, I started to realise there was a certain power behind them. They could help others feel less alone in their feelings," she writes on her website.

She shares that coming back to live in Malaysia had both a sense of familiarity and new adventure.

“It felt new and unusual but extremely comforting to be living around extended family for the first time. I put a lot of effort into getting to know them better, which could be awkward at first but really nice and warm when I did. Getting to know my family better made me feel more grounded,” she shares.

'When I started to doodle to help me overcome tough periods in my life, I started to realise there was a certain power behind them. They could help others feel less alone in their feelings,' says SofsDoodles. Photo: SofsDoodles

In her book, she mentions how she was sad about not feeling very “Malaysian” growing up. But when she returned here in 2020, she realised that she was actually more similar to the people she met than she initially thought.

“I learnt we share a lot of the same traits. They put energy into taking care of people around them, and they have a joking and informal nature when communicating. I felt I identified with both traits, which made me feel more connected to my Malaysian identity.

"I am still putting a lot of energy into getting to know Malaysian culture. Societal norms, customs and arts. At times, I still get culture shock, which can feel a little unsettling. But it feels good to be home again. I feel very proud and lucky to be Malaysian,” she says.

Last year, SofsDoodles completed two virtual artist residencies with KCH Haus and Lights On: George Town Festival, exhibiting her work virtually. Her animation shorts I Got Covid and When Two Worlds Collide – a collaboration with Chadel Soon – were a part of last year’s G-Short Short Film Festival and Isle of Design: Projection Mapping Competition, too.