This video made my feel a bit anxious… people aren’t generally judgmental, at least not in my reality, so this video made me feel very bad, for something I shouldn’t feel bad about. Feeling bad for drawing “ugly” is not a valid shame in my world. It’s a toxic shame, that we beat by stopping making it real, it’s not about ignoring it it’s about telling it to just wait and to be kind, and loving. Tell that voice in your head it’s not helpful, and that the only helpful thing is to be kind and supportive, we are learning, learning and learning, and we are brave for doing this. But I guess for those stuck it might be helpful, so maybe every video is an addition to world library and if it didn’t feel good to me maybe it’s because I am not at the same wavelength or something I don’t know
The fishes were an interesting touch to the painting and from what I saw was great things come out from disasters and this one is one of your best pieces because you were tenacious about your work. Thank you 🙏 for sharing ❤
the struggle you felt with the process of this illustration was intense but the final result is amazing! i love the markmaking and the depth and atmosphere created in the piece
im in love with 12:09 because the bottom to top lighting is so delicious? especially with the colors you added on top to make it more colorful. the blue to greenish yellow gradient on the neck ruffles is delicious, as well as that pop of orange on the inside of the ruffles. im really loving how this is coming along!!
15:24 so moody and yet so colorful. i love it. i enjoy when things are a bit contradictory. you would expect a character with such an outfit and surrounding to be happier and more lively. ty for sharing ur art and the whole process!!
Chris, as someone who has long admired lighting, subtleties and spontaneous moments in your work, it is heartening to hear you speak so honestly of the struggle. Of course, I’d prefer it didn’t have to be such a wrestle, but seeing folks we admire have to work at it, it means these skills are learnable! Thanks so much for sharing; I love your tender moody clowns 💚✨ Mel x
This video was so sorely needed for me. I spent the weekend really at war with a piece of my own - and right now it looks FINE, but the struggle I went through to get there really has me doubting myself. It’s nice to see other artists in the same boat.
As an illustrator I feel like the grief and struggle is part of the process and all the layers and layers of media and struggle really gives each piece a character and a depth. I think you’re doing it right I think there’s always room for struggle in a piece and maybe there SHOULD be struggle too
After decades of beating myself up for “ruining” a piece and I finally realised it just IS my process. It is the process for what feels like most artists. My work has blossomed since I stopped fighting the fuglies, being open to new techniques and trusting the process and my skills. Your work is gorgeous.
I absolutely LOVE this piece- especially the color pencil's sketchy texture. It's pretty interesting to see the difference in perspective from artist to audience as I found the moments you hated the most (in the piece) the most beautiful.
To get rid of the texture that colour pencils have, you could try using ‘zest it’ (aka a sort of liquid) as that helps break down the pigment and make the texture go away entirely, hope this helps :)
@@ChrisHongArtI’ve never used Zest It, but odourless mineral spirits work great, too, and are easy to find in Canada. Just make sure you keep it away from your pets. You can even scrape some coloured pencil on sandpaper and use the ground up pencil core to paint with by dipping a brush in OMS and then in the pencil core.
I love this. How you, after struggling a bit, decide to go with it and use coloured pencils and markers. You were more free and your creativity was let loose. Love the fishies swimming around your character. 💙💜
Thank you for being real and showing how hard it is. It takes time and effort to make a painting good. People should get to see the struggle. There is a reason original art is expensive. Supplies aren't cheap, our time is worth money. We put so much of ourselves into our work. Congratulations that your effort paid off. I love your art. So impressive.
Some pieces just have a mind of their own! It's the same way with writing a story. Sometimes the characters absolutely don't want to do what you're writing them to do.
I think its really important that artist post their struggles and "failed" art too. because we all have those, and it's important to have some representation of that. For pencils on top of watercolor I find that faber Castell Polychromos on hot press paper are the ones that leaves the smoothest results (holbein or Prismacolor premier leaves much more texture as they are softer). I also like to blend with a Q-tip for bigger areas. For the shine using a solvent is good at dosolving the binder in colored pencils (but I find it makes coloird a bit less opaque) You coud also directly use watercolor pencils Have you tried using diluted gouache on top of your watercolours when you want to lighten areas ? It would give a smoother results, still stay mat and give that little bit of opacity to "correct" or lighten areas with watercolor on them. I think it would work great for you workflow !
I think the fish direction works amazing with the lighting as well. I’m used to seeing this kind of greenish lighting from the bottom in pools at night. I feel like it ended up fitting even better than the raindrops.
Adding the fish instead of raindrops was the better ideas, I wouldn't have thought of that 😮 Great work as always, I'm glad you persevered once again 👏
I totally understand feeling stuck and upset in the middle of the process that happens to me a the time. Watercolor is so hard to correct, once you go dark is so hard to come back. You did great! The concept and final piece it's so good and you were able to fix and do some awesome mix media. Also I didn't know I can mix watercolor with alcohol ink markers, I love both I will try it next time. 💙🌟 Thanks for sharing this piece!
Sometimes u gotta embrace uncertainty in the artistic process 😩 at least that's what my therapist tells me ❤ I really love how this piece turned out at the end, I feel like all the struggle with the piece and the media became part of it in a really, really good way. The texture is very unique and fits perfectly with its mood and theme ❤ and it's really admirable the way u persevered with this one!! It's really a fantastic, gorgeous piece ❤❤❤
I really appreciate you talking about the Fugly stage. I have so many false starts and been on a long "break" from art because I stopped fighting the Fugly stage. Thanks for the inspiration to get back to it with your gorgeous piece and talking about the stressful process.
Girl, when it got so muddy, I felt your panic. Good for you for sticking it out! I might have left it for a couple of days in my frustration. hahaha It turned out great!
I'm so thankful you shared your process. I, too, have questioned and felt horrible about my creative process because everyone else's seemed so straight forward. But this proved that you don't have to have the perfect process to create beautiful art.
i find it intriguing that you personally don't like the addition of so many pencil crayons in your work - what made me fall in love with your artwork was the use of the pencil crayons and their texture in your work and how well it works with water colours
I like the version with the drops as much as the version with the fish! But maybe the fish version is more original, and I love how you just went with it. I also like how they followed a "pattern" for the background fish and the front fish, I feel like I would've done it in all directions and all sizes, ignoring the sense of depth!! Thank you so much for showing us this process! I'm sorry it was kind of a painful one but you putting it out here makes me feel not so bad that my process isn't linear either haha 😭 I don't know how some artists can do that. I definitely can't! Thank you for sharing ❤
Thank you for sharing your struggle. I’ve been struggling with art block myself and so many of your comments about your feelings and thoughts are what I’m hearing in my head when I try to set. I will persevere more next time. I is a lovely piece. ❤❤
Its raining fish! Which is a cool Idea actually. Some of my favorite artworks started as failures, but this has been a cute piece all the way. I like seeing people handling this unavoidable part of art making.
I’m not a fan of adding pencils over watercolour either, the flowy soft texture is too nice 🥺 I also appreciate you sticking with the original as much as possible whilst changing things, I usually abandon and go straight over with gouache haha 😂
First time seeing your work and I'm so amazed. You talk so poorly about your process yet this is the first time I've felt teary eyed looking at art due to it being so beautiful. It's for sure a struggle looking at your own art and thinking you can do better, every artist feel this I'm sure, I at least do it with mine haha. But even though it might look bad in your eyes there will always be people who look at your art and think this is the most beautiful thing they've ever seen, like I did seeing your art today 🙂 Keep up the amazing work and don't be too hard on yourself, your work is absolutely amazing♥
it would be hypocritical of me to say i've missed your illustration videos when i, myself, have not been able to finish a single illustration these past 2 years too but i HAVE missed them and i'm glad you managed to finish something and be proud of it! Maybe i'll be able to do that too soon lol
I absolutely love the fish!!! It's so whimsical and magical, but not in a startling way! I like that it ties into the character's design (the cat ears), it's very cute and evocative. I love the warm tones effect, and how it looks glowing.
I love it and the moodiness of it too. It's great to see how you fixed what you didn't like. Really is beautiful and adorable at the same time. I like using different media so the colored pencil and marker over watercolor is nice to me- it adds texture and depth.
There's nothing worse than a piece that you thought you had planned out and were excited to do fighting back. But I think it turned out really nice! I think the face turned out great in the end, the glow effect works very nicely and the colors are lovely. I think the fish were the right choice, and the character looking to the side like he's watching the fish swirl around really brings it all together. Mixed media process is extra scary because you can't always just paint over it, especially with watercolors.
Something I do for confidence in the middle stages of the illustration(which I learned by looking at the process of old comics guys like Joe Kubert) is to go in with tracing paper to allow myself to "make errors", most of which turn out not to be errors. It wouldn't work for testing this kind of wet mixed media, at least not in a detailed sense of knowing exactly what marks you're ending up with, but it always helps me with inking decisions.
oo that is actually such a good idea and I wish i had thought of that sooner!! I can see how it would help me out so much with figuring out the placement of elements throughout the composition.. thanks so much for that tip!! :D
I just wanted to say that even your ugly stage looks good for me, tysm for sharing your struggle I relate to it a lot but I think u don’t have to be too hard on yourself, your art is awesome
It’s beautiful, and I appreciate you showing your struggle! It helps to see how to move forward when you feel stuck. I’ve made the mistake of starting too dark with my watercolour paintings many times and I usually start over, but now I might try adding new media. Side note, something about that lovely soft lighting reminds me of Bao Pham’s work. Love it! ❤
I really enjoyed this video, I think sharing your struggles as an artist is really important for others to hear and empathize with. It reminds them that the artists they look up to struggle too.
I love just how moody it is... and you're right, the fishys really brought the piece out. Ive been feeling the same as you lately with the fugly stages that I haven't drawn in years. Also with the colour pencils, Ive been in a love-hate relationship with them but I know they just bring so much contrast out to a painting. I started using watercolour pencils and crayons so I can still blend it into the painting instead of just sitting on top.
I'm glad you were able to push through! I've found that I have to have a solid plan and trust the process. It's very easy to get caught up in the process of painting and paint too much - for me it's what I don't paint that matters more. Your piece is very whimsical and has great depth!
I know it was frustrating, but I love art and videos of art like this. Feels relatable, and authentic. Love your painting videos :) always miss you when you’re gone
I work in mixed media, here's a tip to get rid of colored pencil texture: If your pencils are oil based (like f.e. polychromos) you can use Odorless Mineral Spirit (mine is an 8oz from Talens, goes such a long way!). 1) Soak a q-tip in it and then go over the sections with a light hand. Let the spirit soak into the paper and "dissolve/liquify" the colored pencil. You could also use a fine mister to apply ober larger areas but I only ever used it on small parts so I don't know how well that would work. 2) If the texture hasn't "melted out" enough, go over the sections with a soft brush and blend it out like you would eye shadow. I'd advice against using the q-tip for blending if you have rougher paper, since it can happen that you take off color from the raised areas. 3) Some safety tips for OMS: 🔶 Keep it away from pets. Air out the room before you let pets inside after use/ after the drawing is dry. 🔶 Only ever open the bottle to soak your q-tip in it, then close it again immediately. Just bc it doesn't have odor doesn't mean it can't cause headaches or damage to your nasal mucous membrane & your lungs, they're even more easily harmed bc you can't smell anything. 🔶 Work with an open window if you go over big areas, for small sections just open the window afterwards. 🔶 Dedicate a sythethic fiber brush for OMS use, continued use will slightly damage your brushes from my experince so don't use expensive equipment. I taped my brush to the bottle so I can't forget😂 Handled the right way OMS is such game changer! Used on smoother paper, the texture blends into the rest and even can create watercolor-like marks :) I absolutely love it.
Thank you for this video. I rarely see artists sharing their struggle, especially with such honesty and cincerity, even though most of us have these times where we are fighting against the artwork and the materials instead of having a straight forward process.
I’m sorry for the angst this piece brought to the table.💕 I enjoyed hearing your process. Hearing how you selected your tools and what you were hoping achieve as well as the medium’s limitations as you pushed and pulled the piece together has been really informative. It left me curious about markers, a medium I had never really know what to do with. Thank you for sharing :)
Honestly? Thank you. I've been having this meltdown of my own ability lately. I think we, as artists, suffer from a very internalized sense of unrealistic perfectionism, where no matter how much we put it out into the physical world (thumbnails, color tests and so on) what we see in our mind almost never reflects accurately in reality. We have things seen a certain way, and expect the outcome to be within our sphere of control. But sometimes, something as simple as media application can throw it all into a loop. I think, this all being said, the mark of a good artist is the ability to pivot and change with the restrictions and abilities of our mediums. For example, I think your use of watercolor, colored pencil _and_ marker is amazing and beautiful. The textures remind me of those old, hand drawn children's illustrations. It feels real, it looks like if I touched it, it'd be soothing and it'd feel grounded somehow. Also, those are mediums that I'd think wouldn't work well all together all at once. I'd worry too much that the marker would somehow be ruined by the paint, or that it'd somehow pool on top of everything instead of going into the paper. Seeing you even try is so encouraging for me, personally. It's nice seeing this come together. And especially seeing you problem solve things like contrast, hue and lighting. Like. It's easy to see people talk about this in theory, but seeing someone struggle through it with you makes it feel a little more manageable. Stepping back, looking at the piece as a whole and realizing "Oh. It's changed, so now I have to adjust for it." It's nice. As for what I would've done? I think the fishes are adorable. But I also loved the big drops of rain. They looked cute and was a little sad to see them go, but not unhappy with how things turned out. I think I just need to stop and make droplet pictures. Aha!
This is so pretty! I love the fishes, I feel like adding them made the artwork more complex in meaning. I love the idea of helplessness being portrayed by having an umbrella whilst underwater, since it will be of no use. I’d like to think that the rain was so heavy there was a flood and your character ended up underwater. 😊
The piece turned out awesome. I really love the colors and texture. I’ve been going through a similar journey the past few years with doubting my art and my process, how things are always so hard and I have to brute force it to get through an artwork in a way that is minimally satisfying. It’s comforting to know that someone like you goes through the same thing and that it’s normal. I also really love your mixed media process. Great video overall :)
I love how this turned out! Other people see different things in your art than you do. I feel ya tho. I am the queen of overthinking stuff. Just getting back to a place where it's ok to make a mess. Lol. Beautiful work.
You’re one of my favorite artists on TH-cam. It’s so enjoyable watching your process. Thanks for being so open and transparent. I always am in awe at your use of color and light. And, as a fellow owner of a beautiful gray cat, I appreciate the toe bean glamor shots
Gorgeous!! I'm glad you were able to power through this illustration because the end result is so beautiful. Lighting from below is so tricky for some reason, I always have to use a reference or I'll mess it up.
Your drawing style is just like the English children book I have. The books were gifted to me when I was little by my relative who lived in London. It's very nostalgic💓 to see your drawing. I always watch your videos and keep waiting for it.
I just ruined a drawing of mine JUST NOW (TBF I was experimenting with poster paint which were mediums I never used) and was doubting if I'll ever get as good as artists like you. Seeing this gives me hope and so much assurance! Thank you for the video; the piece is gorgeous!
I'm so infinitely grateful that you showed this. I realise how hard it might've been for you, but this is so helpful. My sister and I are both struggling at the moment with overcoming this 'ugly stage' moment. And to be honest I've never been able to. I lacked perseverance, courage and hope, never trusted myself, never believed that I could actually pull it off. It just seemed so meaningless each time, the piece just looked ruined forever. And I gave up each time. And even if I tried to fix it, I got so tired in the process, unused to actually working on the piece, solving problems, and only inviting those pretty moments. I am really grateful to see unedited process of you going at it, boldly, cause now, even second-handedly, I have experienced what it is like to push through. And I hope now that this will help me to show discipline and do the same. So thank you very much. I can't explain how incredibly helpful it was 💜💜💜
Your struggle is so relatable, and yes you should definitely marvel in your tenacity! It takes so much of that to conquer ourselves and keep going despite the things we tell ourselves. Well done, this piece is so beautiful and maybe the subject matter symbolizes the process this time? Haha
You're so endlessly skilled, always such a pleasure to see your process! Also, I personally like the color pencil texture since your line direction and form is so clear and crisp it adds nice dimension >:)
idk, but i really love how the pencil tecsture looks in the end!!! it gives really soft vibes to the illustration. thx for video tho it was really nice to watch!
I love the piece!! It’s so beautifully color cohesive and mood it sets is so amazingly done!! The struggle feels so close to what I experience daily even though I am not nearly experienced as you are. It’s nice to see other artists also feel similar thoughts when drawing!!
The painting turned out so beautifully! The illumination on the character’s face, eyes, hair, as well as, on the umbrella, is incredible. I love the little hair-flips. All the layers you’ve applied give the feeling of depth, right down to the fish in different sizes and colours. Your winning process seems to be the application of many layers, mediums, and elements…if you embrace that, maybe you could eliminate the stressful feelings somewhat. I am always impressed with your outcomes.👏🤩🌸
What a lovely process... it was good to hear the credit you gave yourself after completing the piece! Oftentimes, aspects of our lives and mental states heavily influence how well our art flow goes, and even though you seem to struggle a lot you still push through! Maybe the reason you "need to break the piece first" is also bc you're a very detailed planner when it cvomes to your pieces - both an advantage AND disatvantage, bc while it makes it possible to quickly map out what you want, it also sets up expectations as to what the piece should become. and since they rarely do turn out how we imagine, you can quickly get frustrated and disappointed. THAT'S wherre the "breaking the piece" comes in, doing something drastic and unexpected to destroy those expectations and just... let yourself have the freeedom to do whatever feels right again - a more intuitive direction, so to speak! no idea if i'm making sense, but either way you reflect this process very nicely and i wish you only the best in pushing forward!!!!
Wow! This turned out soo good! ❤❤❤🎉 I have several ugly stage pieces I have quit on...the struggle to push through is real and this video is just the inspiration I needed to get my supplies back out and keep pushing. Soo happy you're back. I've really missed your illustration videos!
Your work freaking blows my mind. I'm not saying that as an uninformed fan. I say this as someone who overanalyzes everything and can be quite critical unfortunately. But yours is just *chefs kiss. I would have NEVER known you were struggling, let alone as much as you were, if you hadn't told us. Your art inspires me. I've literally taken screenshots of your sketchbook and used them to study because I love the way you proportion faces. I'm a forever fan!
I am the same. I always go in with coloured pencils. For me though I like a sketchy feel with movement so it doesn't really bother me. It looks fantastic though. 💕
Honestly, this was SOooOoo healing and helpful to hear, I always felt like it was a me thing and my skill level was the issue and one day when I'm at this superrr professional artists level that I've got pictured in my head, I won't have to struggle and I'll have that perfect linear art process. But hearing someone like Chris Hong say it, who's literally been one of my biggest inspirations all this time, like one of those artists I hold to that super professional level, it makes me feel so much better about myself, like the imposter syndrome with being an artist is so real and this helps a lot.
I’ve really been hit with this feeling a lot recently I feel like I haven’t completed a whole piece in so long, I’m so glad you finished and decided to share this piece with us because I absolutely love it to the colors, expression and your decision with the fishies
maybe odorless mineral spirits would help you get rid of the colored pencil texture! i use them over watercolors frequently and it works well. this piece turned out great!
it's refreshing to see such a successful and skilled artist be honest about their struggle. It makes me feel less crappy about my own issues with art
Fr
This video made my feel a bit anxious… people aren’t generally judgmental, at least not in my reality, so this video made me feel very bad, for something I shouldn’t feel bad about. Feeling bad for drawing “ugly” is not a valid shame in my world. It’s a toxic shame, that we beat by stopping making it real, it’s not about ignoring it it’s about telling it to just wait and to be kind, and loving. Tell that voice in your head it’s not helpful, and that the only helpful thing is to be kind and supportive, we are learning, learning and learning, and we are brave for doing this. But I guess for those stuck it might be helpful, so maybe every video is an addition to world library and if it didn’t feel good to me maybe it’s because I am not at the same wavelength or something I don’t know
The fishes were an interesting touch to the painting and from what I saw was great things come out from disasters and this one is one of your best pieces because you were tenacious about your work.
Thank you 🙏 for sharing ❤
FINALLY. SOMEONE ELSE SAYS IT. It's always with painting or Multimedia pieces too. 😭😭.
Her expression made so much sense when you added the fish 🐟
ah you're right I hadn't even considered that! that's probably why i wanted a directional element going from side to side! :D
the struggle you felt with the process of this illustration was intense but the final result is amazing! i love the markmaking and the depth and atmosphere created in the piece
Intense? lol. a little over dramatic for just a piece of art
@@paulwoodford1984 some people actually take their art seriously. Bet you’re a lazy Ai bro.
@@paulwoodford1984i don't know if you're an artist or not, but I think if you are an artist you'd definitely understand 😭
wiggling cat cameo at 3:06 was adorable
im in love with 12:09 because the bottom to top lighting is so delicious? especially with the colors you added on top to make it more colorful. the blue to greenish yellow gradient on the neck ruffles is delicious, as well as that pop of orange on the inside of the ruffles. im really loving how this is coming along!!
15:24 so moody and yet so colorful. i love it. i enjoy when things are a bit contradictory. you would expect a character with such an outfit and surrounding to be happier and more lively. ty for sharing ur art and the whole process!!
But the thumbnails with the kitty were amazing!
Chris, as someone who has long admired lighting, subtleties and spontaneous moments in your work, it is heartening to hear you speak so honestly of the struggle. Of course, I’d prefer it didn’t have to be such a wrestle, but seeing folks we admire have to work at it, it means these skills are learnable! Thanks so much for sharing; I love your tender moody clowns 💚✨ Mel x
This video was so sorely needed for me. I spent the weekend really at war with a piece of my own - and right now it looks FINE, but the struggle I went through to get there really has me doubting myself. It’s nice to see other artists in the same boat.
As an illustrator I feel like the grief and struggle is part of the process and all the layers and layers of media and struggle really gives each piece a character and a depth. I think you’re doing it right I think there’s always room for struggle in a piece and maybe there SHOULD be struggle too
After decades of beating myself up for “ruining” a piece and I finally realised it just IS my process. It is the process for what feels like most artists. My work has blossomed since I stopped fighting the fuglies, being open to new techniques and trusting the process and my skills. Your work is gorgeous.
your channel helps me , I don't feel lonely about my art and depressed thoughts. thank you
I absolutely LOVE this piece- especially the color pencil's sketchy texture.
It's pretty interesting to see the difference in perspective from artist to audience as I found the moments you hated the most (in the piece) the most beautiful.
To get rid of the texture that colour pencils have, you could try using ‘zest it’ (aka a sort of liquid) as that helps break down the pigment and make the texture go away entirely, hope this helps :)
Oo interesting I shall look into it, thanks!
@@ChrisHongArtI’ve never used Zest It, but odourless mineral spirits work great, too, and are easy to find in Canada. Just make sure you keep it away from your pets. You can even scrape some coloured pencil on sandpaper and use the ground up pencil core to paint with by dipping a brush in OMS and then in the pencil core.
I had to get zest it from a UK store- Im in the US and couldn't find it anywhere here.
I love this. How you, after struggling a bit, decide to go with it and use coloured pencils and markers. You were more free and your creativity was let loose. Love the fishies swimming around your character. 💙💜
Rolling with the art punches-it was such a great process to see 💜
Thank you for being real and showing how hard it is. It takes time and effort to make a painting good. People should get to see the struggle. There is a reason original art is expensive. Supplies aren't cheap, our time is worth money. We put so much of ourselves into our work. Congratulations that your effort paid off. I love your art. So impressive.
Some pieces just have a mind of their own! It's the same way with writing a story. Sometimes the characters absolutely don't want to do what you're writing them to do.
I think its really important that artist post their struggles and "failed" art too. because we all have those, and it's important to have some representation of that.
For pencils on top of watercolor I find that faber Castell Polychromos on hot press paper are the ones that leaves the smoothest results (holbein or Prismacolor premier leaves much more texture as they are softer). I also like to blend with a Q-tip for bigger areas.
For the shine using a solvent is good at dosolving the binder in colored pencils (but I find it makes coloird a bit less opaque)
You coud also directly use watercolor pencils
Have you tried using diluted gouache on top of your watercolours when you want to lighten areas ? It would give a smoother results, still stay mat and give that little bit of opacity to "correct" or lighten areas with watercolor on them. I think it would work great for you workflow !
Start with best intentions, create a problem, solve a problem. You're not the only one .
you're back, nice to see you pop up on my feed again.
The texture is my favorite part about the pieces you make though. Along with the characters as well.
I think the fish direction works amazing with the lighting as well. I’m used to seeing this kind of greenish lighting from the bottom in pools at night. I feel like it ended up fitting even better than the raindrops.
Adding the fish instead of raindrops was the better ideas, I wouldn't have thought of that 😮
Great work as always, I'm glad you persevered once again 👏
Ha! My working process is pretty much always like this! Welcome to the club!
I don't see what you're seeing. At no point EVER does this painting look amazing!! This is in your top 10 for sure. 🤩
I totally understand feeling stuck and upset in the middle of the process that happens to me a the time. Watercolor is so hard to correct, once you go dark is so hard to come back. You did great! The concept and final piece it's so good and you were able to fix and do some awesome mix media. Also I didn't know I can mix watercolor with alcohol ink markers, I love both I will try it next time. 💙🌟 Thanks for sharing this piece!
Love the illustration!! ❤ Good choice on the fishes. Her eyes are looking at them which moves the viewers eyes around. 👏
Sometimes u gotta embrace uncertainty in the artistic process 😩 at least that's what my therapist tells me ❤ I really love how this piece turned out at the end, I feel like all the struggle with the piece and the media became part of it in a really, really good way. The texture is very unique and fits perfectly with its mood and theme ❤ and it's really admirable the way u persevered with this one!! It's really a fantastic, gorgeous piece ❤❤❤
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement!! 🥺🥲💕
I really appreciate you talking about the Fugly stage. I have so many false starts and been on a long "break" from art because I stopped fighting the Fugly stage. Thanks for the inspiration to get back to it with your gorgeous piece and talking about the stressful process.
Girl, when it got so muddy, I felt your panic. Good for you for sticking it out! I might have left it for a couple of days in my frustration. hahaha It turned out great!
I'm so thankful you shared your process. I, too, have questioned and felt horrible about my creative process because everyone else's seemed so straight forward. But this proved that you don't have to have the perfect process to create beautiful art.
i find it intriguing that you personally don't like the addition of so many pencil crayons in your work - what made me fall in love with your artwork was the use of the pencil crayons and their texture in your work and how well it works with water colours
I like the version with the drops as much as the version with the fish! But maybe the fish version is more original, and I love how you just went with it. I also like how they followed a "pattern" for the background fish and the front fish, I feel like I would've done it in all directions and all sizes, ignoring the sense of depth!!
Thank you so much for showing us this process! I'm sorry it was kind of a painful one but you putting it out here makes me feel not so bad that my process isn't linear either haha 😭 I don't know how some artists can do that. I definitely can't! Thank you for sharing ❤
Thank you for sharing your struggle. I’ve been struggling with art block myself and so many of your comments about your feelings and thoughts are what I’m hearing in my head when I try to set. I will persevere more next time.
I is a lovely piece. ❤❤
Its raining fish! Which is a cool Idea actually. Some of my favorite artworks started as failures, but this has been a cute piece all the way. I like seeing people handling this unavoidable part of art making.
ahhh this is such a fun painting, adding the fish was definitely a great decision!
I’m not a fan of adding pencils over watercolour either, the flowy soft texture is too nice 🥺 I also appreciate you sticking with the original as much as possible whilst changing things, I usually abandon and go straight over with gouache haha 😂
First time seeing your work and I'm so amazed.
You talk so poorly about your process yet this is the first time I've felt teary eyed looking at art due to it being so beautiful.
It's for sure a struggle looking at your own art and thinking you can do better, every artist feel this I'm sure, I at least do it with mine haha. But even though it might look bad in your eyes there will always be people who look at your art and think this is the most beautiful thing they've ever seen, like I did seeing your art today 🙂
Keep up the amazing work and don't be too hard on yourself, your work is absolutely amazing♥
it would be hypocritical of me to say i've missed your illustration videos when i, myself, have not been able to finish a single illustration these past 2 years too but i HAVE missed them and i'm glad you managed to finish something and be proud of it! Maybe i'll be able to do that too soon lol
I absolutely love the fish!!! It's so whimsical and magical, but not in a startling way! I like that it ties into the character's design (the cat ears), it's very cute and evocative. I love the warm tones effect, and how it looks glowing.
Your sense of humor is great! You made me lauph a few times :)
I love it and the moodiness of it too. It's great to see how you fixed what you didn't like. Really is beautiful and adorable at the same time. I like using different media so the colored pencil and marker over watercolor is nice to me- it adds texture and depth.
There's nothing worse than a piece that you thought you had planned out and were excited to do fighting back. But I think it turned out really nice! I think the face turned out great in the end, the glow effect works very nicely and the colors are lovely. I think the fish were the right choice, and the character looking to the side like he's watching the fish swirl around really brings it all together. Mixed media process is extra scary because you can't always just paint over it, especially with watercolors.
Something I do for confidence in the middle stages of the illustration(which I learned by looking at the process of old comics guys like Joe Kubert) is to go in with tracing paper to allow myself to "make errors", most of which turn out not to be errors. It wouldn't work for testing this kind of wet mixed media, at least not in a detailed sense of knowing exactly what marks you're ending up with, but it always helps me with inking decisions.
oo that is actually such a good idea and I wish i had thought of that sooner!! I can see how it would help me out so much with figuring out the placement of elements throughout the composition.. thanks so much for that tip!! :D
I just wanted to say that even your ugly stage looks good for me, tysm for sharing your struggle I relate to it a lot but I think u don’t have to be too hard on yourself, your art is awesome
It’s beautiful, and I appreciate you showing your struggle! It helps to see how to move forward when you feel stuck. I’ve made the mistake of starting too dark with my watercolour paintings many times and I usually start over, but now I might try adding new media. Side note, something about that lovely soft lighting reminds me of Bao Pham’s work. Love it! ❤
I really enjoyed this video, I think sharing your struggles as an artist is really important for others to hear and empathize with. It reminds them that the artists they look up to struggle too.
Maybe looking at a picture of the stereotypical spooky flashlight under face as a reference would’ve helped wrap your head around the lighting?
I love just how moody it is... and you're right, the fishys really brought the piece out.
Ive been feeling the same as you lately with the fugly stages that I haven't drawn in years.
Also with the colour pencils, Ive been in a love-hate relationship with them but I know they just bring so much contrast out to a painting. I started using watercolour pencils and crayons so I can still blend it into the painting instead of just sitting on top.
I’ve actually just acquired some watercolour pencils as well to try out! 👀We got this 😤💪💪💪
I'm glad you were able to push through! I've found that I have to have a solid plan and trust the process. It's very easy to get caught up in the process of painting and paint too much - for me it's what I don't paint that matters more.
Your piece is very whimsical and has great depth!
Its really refreshing to see other artists struggle with the fugly stage. this turned out so pretty ♥
I know it was frustrating, but I love art and videos of art like this. Feels relatable, and authentic. Love your painting videos :) always miss you when you’re gone
thank you for sticking around... 🥺❤🩹
I work in mixed media, here's a tip to get rid of colored pencil texture: If your pencils are oil based (like f.e. polychromos) you can use Odorless Mineral Spirit (mine is an 8oz from Talens, goes such a long way!).
1) Soak a q-tip in it and then go over the sections with a light hand. Let the spirit soak into the paper and "dissolve/liquify" the colored pencil. You could also use a fine mister to apply ober larger areas but I only ever used it on small parts so I don't know how well that would work.
2) If the texture hasn't "melted out" enough, go over the sections with a soft brush and blend it out like you would eye shadow.
I'd advice against using the q-tip for blending if you have rougher paper, since it can happen that you take off color from the raised areas.
3) Some safety tips for OMS:
🔶 Keep it away from pets. Air out the room before you let pets inside after use/ after the drawing is dry.
🔶 Only ever open the bottle to soak your q-tip in it, then close it again immediately. Just bc it doesn't have odor doesn't mean it can't cause headaches or damage to your nasal mucous membrane & your lungs, they're even more easily harmed bc you can't smell anything.
🔶 Work with an open window if you go over big areas, for small sections just open the window afterwards.
🔶 Dedicate a sythethic fiber brush for OMS use, continued use will slightly damage your brushes from my experince so don't use expensive equipment. I taped my brush to the bottle so I can't forget😂
Handled the right way OMS is such game changer! Used on smoother paper, the texture blends into the rest and even can create watercolor-like marks :) I absolutely love it.
I can’t say how much I love this piece. The fish just made me go wow, what an idea!
Thank you for this video. I rarely see artists sharing their struggle, especially with such honesty and cincerity, even though most of us have these times where we are fighting against the artwork and the materials instead of having a straight forward process.
The struggle is real, LOL. I now what you mean though. I have had some pieces that tested my sanity but, the end result was pretty satisfying.
I’m sorry for the angst this piece brought to the table.💕 I enjoyed hearing your process. Hearing how you selected your tools and what you were hoping achieve as well as the medium’s limitations as you pushed and pulled the piece together has been really informative. It left me curious about markers, a medium I had never really know what to do with. Thank you for sharing :)
You are EXCELLENT.
I take my hat off.
Love the last minute decision love the 🐠🐟. Sometimes we need to go in another direction because who knows maybe it's for the better.😊☺️
She is Beautiful! great job! i admire your tenacity….I probably would have ditched her and started over……Thanks for sharing!
Honestly? Thank you. I've been having this meltdown of my own ability lately. I think we, as artists, suffer from a very internalized sense of unrealistic perfectionism, where no matter how much we put it out into the physical world (thumbnails, color tests and so on) what we see in our mind almost never reflects accurately in reality. We have things seen a certain way, and expect the outcome to be within our sphere of control. But sometimes, something as simple as media application can throw it all into a loop.
I think, this all being said, the mark of a good artist is the ability to pivot and change with the restrictions and abilities of our mediums.
For example, I think your use of watercolor, colored pencil _and_ marker is amazing and beautiful. The textures remind me of those old, hand drawn children's illustrations. It feels real, it looks like if I touched it, it'd be soothing and it'd feel grounded somehow. Also, those are mediums that I'd think wouldn't work well all together all at once. I'd worry too much that the marker would somehow be ruined by the paint, or that it'd somehow pool on top of everything instead of going into the paper. Seeing you even try is so encouraging for me, personally.
It's nice seeing this come together. And especially seeing you problem solve things like contrast, hue and lighting. Like. It's easy to see people talk about this in theory, but seeing someone struggle through it with you makes it feel a little more manageable. Stepping back, looking at the piece as a whole and realizing "Oh. It's changed, so now I have to adjust for it." It's nice.
As for what I would've done? I think the fishes are adorable. But I also loved the big drops of rain. They looked cute and was a little sad to see them go, but not unhappy with how things turned out.
I think I just need to stop and make droplet pictures. Aha!
thank you so much for your comment, i really enjoyed reading through it and yes go make those juicy droplet pictures!! :D
This is so pretty! I love the fishes, I feel like adding them made the artwork more complex in meaning. I love the idea of helplessness being portrayed by having an umbrella whilst underwater, since it will be of no use. I’d like to think that the rain was so heavy there was a flood and your character ended up underwater. 😊
The piece turned out awesome. I really love the colors and texture. I’ve been going through a similar journey the past few years with doubting my art and my process, how things are always so hard and I have to brute force it to get through an artwork in a way that is minimally satisfying. It’s comforting to know that someone like you goes through the same thing and that it’s normal. I also really love your mixed media process. Great video overall :)
I love how this turned out! Other people see different things in your art than you do. I feel ya tho. I am the queen of overthinking stuff. Just getting back to a place where it's ok to make a mess. Lol. Beautiful work.
You’re one of my favorite artists on TH-cam. It’s so enjoyable watching your process. Thanks for being so open and transparent. I always am in awe at your use of color and light. And, as a fellow owner of a beautiful gray cat, I appreciate the toe bean glamor shots
i loved that you didn't give up with the paint! beautiful results 🥰
omg this video is so entertaining and dramatic and the b roll was so cuteeeee💗💗💗💖💗💗
It is so dreamy and beautiful.
Gorgeous!! I'm glad you were able to power through this illustration because the end result is so beautiful. Lighting from below is so tricky for some reason, I always have to use a reference or I'll mess it up.
You did it! You created such a great illustration. Thank you for sharing the struggles.
Your drawing style is just like the English children book I have. The books were gifted to me when I was little by my relative who lived in London.
It's very nostalgic💓 to see your drawing. I always watch your videos and keep waiting for it.
I just ruined a drawing of mine JUST NOW (TBF I was experimenting with poster paint which were mediums I never used) and was doubting if I'll ever get as good as artists like you. Seeing this gives me hope and so much assurance! Thank you for the video; the piece is gorgeous!
I'm so infinitely grateful that you showed this. I realise how hard it might've been for you, but this is so helpful. My sister and I are both struggling at the moment with overcoming this 'ugly stage' moment. And to be honest I've never been able to. I lacked perseverance, courage and hope, never trusted myself, never believed that I could actually pull it off. It just seemed so meaningless each time, the piece just looked ruined forever. And I gave up each time. And even if I tried to fix it, I got so tired in the process, unused to actually working on the piece, solving problems, and only inviting those pretty moments. I am really grateful to see unedited process of you going at it, boldly, cause now, even second-handedly, I have experienced what it is like to push through. And I hope now that this will help me to show discipline and do the same. So thank you very much. I can't explain how incredibly helpful it was 💜💜💜
Thank you so much for sharing the struggle; I feel you so much !
Ok but this is so beautiful
Your struggle is so relatable, and yes you should definitely marvel in your tenacity! It takes so much of that to conquer ourselves and keep going despite the things we tell ourselves. Well done, this piece is so beautiful and maybe the subject matter symbolizes the process this time? Haha
I love the luminous quality and translucency. Beautiful use of mixed media. You inspire me to think outside the box and persevere!
You’re an illustrative marvel. Everything you make I admire. I love seeing the progress
You're so endlessly skilled, always such a pleasure to see your process! Also, I personally like the color pencil texture since your line direction and form is so clear and crisp it adds nice dimension >:)
Aww that’s a nice way to look at it 🥲🥺 thank you so much for watching!💕
idk, but i really love how the pencil tecsture looks in the end!!! it gives really soft vibes to the illustration. thx for video tho it was really nice to watch!
I love the piece!! It’s so beautifully color cohesive and mood it sets is so amazingly done!! The struggle feels so close to what I experience daily even though I am not nearly experienced as you are. It’s nice to see other artists also feel similar thoughts when drawing!!
The painting turned out so beautifully! The illumination on the character’s face, eyes, hair, as well as, on the umbrella, is incredible. I love the little hair-flips. All the layers you’ve applied give the feeling of depth, right down to the fish in different sizes and colours. Your winning process seems to be the application of many layers, mediums, and elements…if you embrace that, maybe you could eliminate the stressful feelings somewhat. I am always impressed with your outcomes.👏🤩🌸
I love how it turned out and knowing the process ❤
Yaaaay!! Missed these kind of videos!
This is such a cute piece
I’d love this as a print
What a lovely process... it was good to hear the credit you gave yourself after completing the piece! Oftentimes, aspects of our lives and mental states heavily influence how well our art flow goes, and even though you seem to struggle a lot you still push through! Maybe the reason you "need to break the piece first" is also bc you're a very detailed planner when it cvomes to your pieces - both an advantage AND disatvantage, bc while it makes it possible to quickly map out what you want, it also sets up expectations as to what the piece should become. and since they rarely do turn out how we imagine, you can quickly get frustrated and disappointed. THAT'S wherre the "breaking the piece" comes in, doing something drastic and unexpected to destroy those expectations and just... let yourself have the freeedom to do whatever feels right again - a more intuitive direction, so to speak! no idea if i'm making sense, but either way you reflect this process very nicely and i wish you only the best in pushing forward!!!!
Wow!
This turned out soo good! ❤❤❤🎉
I have several ugly stage pieces I have quit on...the struggle to push through is real and this video is just the inspiration I needed to get my supplies back out and keep pushing.
Soo happy you're back. I've really missed your illustration videos!
It is such a struggle for me to lay out colors and make it look not so muddy esp with water color and your work came out so nicely !!
The wait is over 🥹
By the end I believe it came together quite nicely. The unexpected texture and added fish gave it a nice touch of character and storytelling 😊
Thanks for sharing your journey through making this piece, especially telling about the struggles honestly. It turned out amazing, I really love it!
Your work freaking blows my mind. I'm not saying that as an uninformed fan. I say this as someone who overanalyzes everything and can be quite critical unfortunately. But yours is just *chefs kiss. I would have NEVER known you were struggling, let alone as much as you were, if you hadn't told us. Your art inspires me. I've literally taken screenshots of your sketchbook and used them to study because I love the way you proportion faces. I'm a forever fan!
Well done for persevering!! It turned out excellent!! ❤
I am the same. I always go in with coloured pencils. For me though I like a sketchy feel with movement so it doesn't really bother me. It looks fantastic though. 💕
If you need highlight, you can use white gauche or correction pen
Honestly, this was SOooOoo healing and helpful to hear, I always felt like it was a me thing and my skill level was the issue and one day when I'm at this superrr professional artists level that I've got pictured in my head, I won't have to struggle and I'll have that perfect linear art process. But hearing someone like Chris Hong say it, who's literally been one of my biggest inspirations all this time, like one of those artists I hold to that super professional level, it makes me feel so much better about myself, like the imposter syndrome with being an artist is so real and this helps a lot.
I’ve really been hit with this feeling a lot recently I feel like I haven’t completed a whole piece in so long, I’m so glad you finished and decided to share this piece with us because I absolutely love it to the colors, expression and your decision with the fishies
This is beautiful, always trust the process ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Wow I Love this piece ❤, and I really admire you for pushing through the rough stages. It was worth it 🥰
Its so amazing I want to cry
maybe odorless mineral spirits would help you get rid of the colored pencil texture! i use them over watercolors frequently and it works well. this piece turned out great!
You did it again, unexpected using the fish and it turned out amazing; thank you so much for sharing your creative journey with all of us.
Aw thank you for sticking around!❤