Don Mak, one of Hong Kong’s most celebrated illustrators, began his career at the age of 16. After dropping out of school, he spent 10 years as a working artist before resuming his education at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s prestigious School of Design.
Through his vivid watercolours, Mak captures the richness of everyday life in the city he grew up in, while delving into its history and culture, even while he’s away from home. And when Mak meets made-in-Hong-Kong productivity app Goodnotes and image-editor Procreate, creative sparks fly.
Notable ideas
Mak begins every project with reserach. That means taking photos of what catches his attention and sketching ideas, sometimes with the help of a note-taking app.
As a designer, Mak appreciates Goodnotes for fitting a full suite of functional tools within an uncluttered interface.
“I can tell that the team paid a lot of attention to detail when it comes to how information is arranged in the app,” he says. “I was able to pick things up quite quickly even during my first time using it. That’s what good design is all about.”
Mak uses both the keyboard and handwriting inputs during brainstorming sessions. For organisation, Goodnotes’ AI note-sorting feature is a favourite of his.
“I usually jot down ideas as they cross my mind, so my notes can come out be quite confusing, especially when I’m using a physical notebook. But Goodnotes helps me categorise and arrange the ideas that I’ve written down.”
Beyond what’s expected
Goodnotes reminds me of a stationery shop. Here you’ll find notebooks, stickers and lots of other interesting things. – Don Mak, illustrator
Since its launch, Goodnotes’ Marketplace has become a platform for creators to share their work with the app’s 21 million users.
In addition to beautiful notebook covers and stickers, you’ll find practical stationery, study tools and templates for tracking expenses and habits. Its Interactive Exam Practice is a helpful study aid for learners as they revise and prepare for exam time.
We hope that by collaborating with local creators, more people will discover the boundless creativity of Hong Kong. – Steven Chan, founder of Goodnotes
Apart from being an avid Goodnotes user, Mak has also designed his own collection of stickers for the Marketplace, tailored for the app’s core user base of university students.
His work encapsulates the bilingual essence of Hong Kong, featuring the city’s latest Cantonese slangs alongside their English translations.
“Through this process, I gained a bit more insight into Hong Kong’s new generation. It was a very interesting experience,” he says.
Create and learn
Mak edits his hand-painted watercolours with Photoshop and Procreate, drawing from the strengths of both traditional and digital mediums. He especially appreciates Procreate’s ability to add intricate details to his hand-drawn drafts.
“I use the Old Beach brush the most because it’s closer to my hand-drawn strokes. I also use Blotchy and Gouache to emulate watercolours. And if I want to create lines, I use Dry Ink,” he says.
Over the years, Mak has worked to optimise his illustration process, splitting different steps and layers and choosing mediums that prove the most time-saving.
Procreate’s array of features allow him to adjust colours process details and split layers, streamlining his work flow.
Form and function
Despite his focus on efficiency, Mak refuses to lose sight of the reason he started creating in the first place: to pursue truth, goodness and beauty.
“As a commercial illustrator, my priority is often to convey the messages that my clients have in mind. But whenever I finish a piece, I ask myself: ‘Has this work made the world just a little more beautiful?’”