Project Spotlight: Food Truck

Old-School Hong Kong Action-Comedy Vibes

This project evolved over the years from a small school assignment into a larger kung fu action world-building project.

References, Influence and inspirations:

I love the golden era of Hong Kong cinema from the 1970s to the 1990s. There are many classic action and kung fu fighting scenes that are highly iconic and memorable. I am also a fan of Chinese calligraphy and the energy it carries. For me, it is a way to learn about and celebrate Eastern culture.

Legendary Weapons Of China (1982)

Directed by Lau Kar Leung

Drunken Master | 醉拳 (1978)

How it started:

It all began as a food truck design for a school project. I wanted to stand out, so I made something unusual. Assuming most of my classmates would design theme park, taco, ice cream, or burger trucks, I decided to mix ancient and modern Chinese themes. Here are a few early sketches in pen and ink. My school days weren't like the current "K-Pop Demon Hunters" era.

Various design sketches.

I imagined them traveling from village to village, city to city—an adventure story.

I was undecided, so I explored a porridge/noodle truck.

Using a car engine as a fire oven! A cooking scene in the neighborhood, where people are eating and playing mahjong.

Its evolution over the years:

I let the project sit for a while and eventually picked it up again. I reworked the theme brought more western/modern element into it; and did a few mockup illustrations for game and film concepts, bringing more comedic and action-driven qualities to the project.

Added some silliness into the work.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/f9679d_9761da760b6041b3a73e430e590332e4/360p/mp4/file.mp4

I picked up Moho and started animating the character and his attitude.

One of the big bosses and his twin sidekicks. The martial act he practice is a strong form of style.

A mockup for a beat 'em up game.

A mockup for a beat 'em up game.

Keep pushing:

 I pushed myself one more time, leaning into a more graphic style with heavy brush strokes, dramatic cinematic lighting, and a strong reliance on reference images (ShotDeck) . I used this boxing kid as my character as an experiment to push forward with a cinematic feel and to show more vulnerability.

The Boxing Kid

Using Big Trouble in Little China as reference

The lighting creates more tension.

Fighting is a part of life.

Pain is part of the process. To bleed is to be young.

This project has been a massive milestone in defining my visual style, blending the high-energy spirit of classic Hong Kong cinema with dramatic, atmospheric lighting. It’s a world I’m continuously building upon and expanding. To see the full collection of character designs, game mockups, and environment concepts, animations, head over to the main project page here.