Siwei Kang
The Feeder is a story about a new mother who lost and then slowly reclaimed her identity, anchored in her experience of breastfeeding. It explores the complexity of breastfeeding, the negotiations involved in new parenthood, and the new normal of becoming a first-responder caregiver, always on standby. Siwei Kang tackles this narrative head on, with a matter-of-fact storytelling woven with humour.
You mention that you keep slips of paper with you to document your thoughts at any time, out and about. What kind of moments inspired scenes in The Feeder?
The scenes in The Feeder were often inspired by moments I couldn’t document in real time because my hands were either occupied or constrained, or I was too exhausted to move my body parts. But I did make an effort to write at least one sentence every day, with some doodles of course, to capture how I was feeling. Early motherhood was so full-on and sensory-overloading, it feels wrong to let those intense moments that millions of mothers have agonised over go under the radar.
What are some of the impacts of motherhood on your storytelling and comics?
I guess my storytelling became a mix of venting about my struggles, woman-splaining all my motherhood decisions, and laughing at my own naïveté. My art style also became a lot looser and lighter — usually a pen will do. I work faster now, with less polish, and motherhood has definitely curbed my perfectionism because there’s no time for it. Art became more of a necessity for me: not just a way to give my body and mind a break, or an outlet to vent, but also a reminder of progress and personal achievement that has nothing to do with the baby.
How did you start making comics?
I first started experimenting with comics when I was winding down my first tech startup. Over time, I’d accumulated a lot of feelings and hundreds of journal entries, but I felt words alone couldn’t fully capture the internal turmoil I was going through. So I started drawing comics as a way to preserve an important stage of my life for my future self.
How do you approach storytelling in comic form?
Because most of my recent comics are meant to be light-hearted and funny, I look for moments with a sense of surprise and think about how to deliver the punchline like a comedian. For moments where I want to make a strong impression, I’ll exaggerate through body language or some kind of visual metaphor. For longer, more serious comics, I start by thinking hard about what message I want the reader to take away with, and develop the story arc from there. Then I fill in the other details so everything is serving the same central theme.
Tell us a bit about your process (ideas, sketching, drafts, the medium, analogue/digital)
I have a backlog of ideas in one-liner form waiting to be turned into comics. When I need to start a new project, I pick one that I’m in the mood for, then brain-dump everything I’d like to say about the topic with pen and paper, with little doodles alongside. I then write up a script for the comic, and thumbnail it out with pen and paper too. Once I’ve decided on all the panels, page layout and page count. Then I move to digital, using Procreate for sketching, inking, and word balloons, and then colour and shading at the end. I'd like to go analogue once I find the right pen...
What comic artists/illustrators are you inspired by?
I love cartoonists, from Helen Hokinson and Charles Addams in the early 20th century to David Squires, Edith Pritchett, and Zoe Si, who all have the uncanny ability to comment on current or personal affairs with irony. My favourite and most earmarked graphic novel is Capital and Ideology, illustrated by Benjamin Adam. It’s always been a goal of mine to use comics to explain complex concepts.
What do you listen to when you are working?
Nothing, because the baby might wake up at any moment. I have to keep one ear out for that.
What are you currently working on?
Apart from the daily comics I post on Instagram, I recently wrapped up a short comic about workplace micro-tensions, with an unexpected twist thrown in (stay tuned on my Insta). I’m also gearing up to start an illustrated newsletter about the ideas I’ve been mulling over: societal issues, politics, culture, climate, as well as more personal feelings around motherhood and millennial self-indulgence.
About Siwei
Siwei Kang is an Edinburgh-based artist for whom art is both an escape and a way to calm a restless mind. A keen observer and relentless over‑thinker, Siwei finds joy and comedy in the everyday mundane and often can’t help but over‑intellectualise the meaning behind human behaviour.
Having worked in tech for a number of years, Siwei’s art often draws on experiences leading engineering teams and building a startup in a male‑dominated industry. Now, during maternity leave, her subject matter has widened. Sleepless nights and new routines with baby reveal different challenges and emotions. She tries to capture these moments in the small pockets of time when not caring for the baby. Her work aims to help people see differently, feel understood, and leave with a smile.
See more of Siwei’s work here.