playground/bsyl
Butterflies Sent Your Letter
A story about unlearning expectations and choosing yourself
synopsis
Butterflies Sent Your Letter
Aurore and Dawn Tang are sisters with different career paths. Their lives transform after receiving an invitation to a theatre show from the butterfly messengers. This enigmatic message leads them to their parents' hometown, where Aurore discovers a revelation that fundamentally shifts her perspective on her work.
impact
$3,000 in profit, and very kind reception!
Butterflies Sent Your Letter was my first full-length solo manga project, drawn from real conversations and deeply personal experiences. The process became a turning point in how I approach storytelling — teaching me not only the technical aspects of storyboarding, print production, and meeting tight deadlines, but also the discipline of translating emotion into sequential art.
The book debuted at the 2024 Vancouver Comic Arts Festival, where it sold out and earned approximately $3,000 in profit. My first milestone as an independent artist! I donated the proceeds to my parents in gratitude for their unwavering support; without them, I might never have afforded the iPad that started it all.
After finishing this comic, I was so tired I thought I would never make another. Then I began receiving thoughtful messages from readers I had never met, and they reminded me why I love storytelling. Creating a manga offers a sense of ownership and responsibility that feels deeply personal — something distinct from the collaborative nature of animation or product design.
"This is a masterpiece. I can relate to the theme of the story so much, being the younger of two Asian sisters in the west, both graduating from med school and making a career in art in secret, I'm basically Aurore and Dawn… the art is breathtaking and the theme is explored with so much love to detail, from them referencing their culture, the premature white hair, the gossip to the absent parents with high expectations and little communication, it transports the feeling of diaspora in a vague and yet very poignant sense!"
— Online reader response
"Stumbled on this comic during a time of burnout at work myself, and it is really relatable. Especially the part about making decisions based on what role you think your family wants you to play without giving them a chance to tell you. It can be a lot of pressure."
— Online reader response
faq
Frequently asked questions
Do you take commissions?
Yes! I’m open to freelance projects and creative collaborations. Email me at tlux10[at]pratt[dot]edu with your idea.
How long did this take you?
It took me about three months of drawing day and night, fitting in hours before and after work. I ended up with some pretty bad back pain since I was already at a desk from 9 to 5, so I definitely wouldn’t recommend doing it nonstop without exercising more and taking breaks! I’d come up with the story a few months earlier and wrote the script shortly before starting the illustrations. Looking back, the process would’ve been much faster and less gruelling if I’d treated it more like sequential art—using digital shortcuts, 3D reference models, and simpler rendering. I approached every page as a standalone illustration, which led me to fuss over details most readers would probably miss. Definitely a lesson to carry forward!
