Linh Dao: Illustrating The Endless Sea

The Endless Sea by Chi Thai, illustrated by Linh Dao, is a poignant picture book capturing Chi’s real-life journey as a child leaving Vietnam for the UK in search of a new home. Through lyrical prose and evocative art, it tells a story of fear, resilience, and hope. We spoke with Linh Dao about her illustrative journey. Read on to learn more.

The Endless Sea tells such a powerful story; what was your first reaction when you read the manuscript?

I asked myself: Am I even the right person for this story? Most of the books I have worked on are usually the ‘fun and colourful type’, but this one carries a lot of emotional weight, which was a new challenge.

The book’s visuals are profound and evocative. Can you walk us through your artistic process, from initial sketches to final illustrations?

I started by reading the brief and conducting research – looking at old photographs, Vietnamese folk paintings, etc. Then, I created rough thumbnail sketches and chose the version I liked the most. Once the compositions were refined and approved, I decided on a colour palette. The final illustrations are a mix of digital painting and watercolour-texture overlap.

How has your Vietnamese heritage influenced your illustrative journey?

Not that much actually, or I don’t really know how much or how little exactly! :-D We absorb all kinds of visual stimuli from our surroundings everyday, a lot of that is unconscious, and then here and there, it naturally shows up in the work.

Were there any specific techniques or colour palettes you used to convey the emotions of the story?

The colour palette helps to set the mood. For the journey, I chose mostly dark blues and muted tones to evoke a sense of fear, uncertainty and the vastness of the ocean, and for the happy ending, warmer golden and pink hues.

Character Sketches

Did you face any challenges while working on this book? If so, how did you overcome them?

People! Drawing people is hard, and crowds even harder. The biggest challenge was capturing the facial expressions and body language, but after that I could leave the rest in mostly silhouette and shadow for the viewer’s eye to interpret themselves.

I was deeply moved by the dream spread. Which spread from the book is your favourite, and why?

The spread with the porthole and the cargo ship in the rain – it feels like there is finally hope in the distance.

What do you hope young readers and families take away from The Endless Sea?

This question might be better answered by the author. For me, it’s a reminder of a dark time in history that shaped many families and lives, but it’s also about the hope and resilience of people in search of a better future.

You worked closely with Nghiem Ta from Walker Books, what was that collaboration like?

She was very supportive, providing clear instruction and feedback, but she also gave me enough time and creative freedom to explore my vision for the story.

Has illustrating this book influenced your artistic approach or perspective in any way?

It definitely pushed me to work more on character design and human expression.

What types of stories or themes are you excited to explore in future projects?

I have a soft spot for books about nature, because I always learn something new and unexpected while working on them. I’d also love to explore the fantasy and sci-fi genre too, but surprises are welcome!

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To work with Linh, get in touch with her Agent Nicky Lander here.