Glancing around the 270 sketches and the two large paintings that make up Central World's latest exhibition, "The Little Dark Girl", it's hard to believe that illustrators Nualtong "Nual" Prasarnthong and Hathairat "Oh" Charoenchaichana spent just three months preparing for the show.

The young women, who had never worked together before joining up for this project, say they developed an instant rapport.

"We're like soul mates. Similar but individual, different yet balancing," they explain in tandem.

The number of drawings is no coincidence - it  reflects their age, with Nualtong and Hathairat each

creating 135 sketches illustrating the darkest moments that have overshadowed their 27 years.

"It's like a diary of my life so far. But instead of writing, I've always presented my experiences through drawings," says Nualtong, the younger sister of celebrated illustrator Pattreeda.

Nualtong would never have dreamed of exhibiting such an intimate journal. But when Hathairat glanced through some of her original "Dek Dam" ("Dark Girl") sketchbooks, she encouraged her pal to  create more drawings.

Nualtong's works for "Little Dark Girl" are very different from her previous exhibitions. The young and lively woman, whose female characters usually radiate positive thinking, have been replaced by a brooding loneliness.

"I've grown up. I've tried to tell myself that the world is beautiful, but underneath I have to admit that I'm lonely, often bored and upset with both work and love. Those emotions inspired me to create these works," says Nual, admitting that the pain comes from a love affair gone wrong.

Hathairat, the bass player with electro-funk outfit Futon, depicts her dark moments through satirical, humorous and haunted drawings.

A graduate of Silpakorn University's decorative-arts faculty, Hathairat has never shown her works in an exhibition, although she came up with the illustrations for Ploy Chariyaves' pocketbook "So Sweet", and has also had her work published in Thai Airways' New York Guidebook and local magazines Lipsluxe and DDT.

Most of her black and red pen drawings on white postcard-sized paper look like caricatures of herself.

"I took my sketchbook with me everywhere and worked when I felt like it. I didn't realise the character looked like me until friends started to point it out."

Hathairat has always avoided drawing characters - "I didn't think I was any good at it" - until her older sister bought her a pen.

"It gives a nice line and it's been my special pen ever since."

Nualtong draws her dark girl with a variety of symbols including a peacock, mushroom and high-heel shoes, while Hathairat portrays her character with barbed wire and roses. A twin also appears in some images.

"I am a twin," Hathairat says.

"But my twin died during delivery. I always heard someone calling my name when I was young. It used to scare my mother. That stopped when I grew up."

In the sketches of twins, the two characters have tears in their eyes, which Hathairat explains reflects the pain of parting.

The two illustrators may have different characters but they are now the best of friends. Art fans will be hoping that "The Little Dark Girl" heralds the start of a long collaboration.

 Tanaporn Tangcharoenmankong

 The Nation