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

@itzaestheticparadise4690

10 ай бұрын

Fr

@elinbirgis

10 ай бұрын

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

@idraw4god

10 ай бұрын

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. 😭😭.

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

@paulwoodford1984

11 ай бұрын

Intense? lol. a little over dramatic for just a piece of art

@jackieluna

11 ай бұрын

@@paulwoodford1984 some people actually take their art seriously. Bet you’re a lazy Ai bro.

@LailaDarwish-vn4ic

11 ай бұрын

​@@paulwoodford1984i don't know if you're an artist or not, but I think if you are an artist you'd definitely understand 😭

Her expression made so much sense when you added the fish 🐟

@ChrisHongArt

11 ай бұрын

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

wiggling cat cameo at 3:06 was adorable

@sleepy.timaeus.arts.

11 ай бұрын

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!!

@sleepy.timaeus.arts.

11 ай бұрын

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!!

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.

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

your channel helps me , I don't feel lonely about my art and depressed thoughts. thank you

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. 💙💜

@JD-ib4cr

11 ай бұрын

Rolling with the art punches-it was such a great process to see 💜

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

Start with best intentions, create a problem, solve a problem. You're not the only one .

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 :)

@ChrisHongArt

11 ай бұрын

Oo interesting I shall look into it, thanks!

@SabineLeppanen_Art

11 ай бұрын

@@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.

@CKArts.studio6

9 ай бұрын

I had to get zest it from a UK store- Im in the US and couldn't find it anywhere here.

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. 🤩

But the thumbnails with the kitty were amazing!

you're back, nice to see you pop up on my feed again.

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.

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 👏

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 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 !

The texture is my favorite part about the pieces you make though. Along with the characters as well.

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 😂

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.

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

Ha! My working process is pretty much always like this! Welcome to the club!

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.

Love the illustration!! ❤ Good choice on the fishes. Her eyes are looking at them which moves the viewers eyes around. 👏

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. ❤❤

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 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.

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!

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 ❤

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.

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! ❤

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 ❤❤❤

@ChrisHongArt

11 ай бұрын

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement!! 🥺🥲💕

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.

Your sense of humor is great! You made me lauph a few times :)

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.

@ChrisHongArt

10 ай бұрын

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 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.

@ChrisHongArt

11 ай бұрын

I’ve actually just acquired some watercolour pencils as well to try out! 👀We got this 😤💪💪💪

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

I love the initial wash stage in painting, it's so relaxing seeing watercolour process videos

ahhh this is such a fun painting, adding the fish was definitely a great decision!

Excited for this ❤

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'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 💜💜💜

Its really refreshing to see other artists struggle with the fugly stage. this turned out so pretty ♥

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 really like it

Yaaaay!! Missed these kind of videos!

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!

@ChrisHongArt

10 ай бұрын

thank you so much for your comment, i really enjoyed reading through it and yes go make those juicy droplet pictures!! :D

This is such a cute piece I’d love this as a print

Such a cool piece! It was interesting, too, to see your process and struggle to get it to a place you were happy with.

glad you pushed through! This turned out so beautiful!

love it 💜💜💜💜💜

i loved that you didn't give up with the paint! beautiful results 🥰

Wow, awesome 👍❤

I love this piece! 💖 you did amazing! 😃💕✨

Amazing ❤❤

Its so amazing I want to cry

It looks so good omg 😭😍

I love it so much its so cute 😍 💓 💕

This is amazing!!! Thanks for sharing your process!

It looks wonderfull 🌟

I love the luminous quality and translucency. Beautiful use of mixed media. You inspire me to think outside the box and persevere!

love your style

I love that you are open about your struggles. It is super relatable and sometimes, seeing art of others can be a bit "intimidating" and this way you feel less alone in your process. Thank you!!

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 >:)

@ChrisHongArt

11 ай бұрын

Aww that’s a nice way to look at it 🥲🥺 thank you so much for watching!💕

The final result is amazing ❤

I can’t say how much I love this piece. The fish just made me go wow, what an idea!

I quite enjoyed this.

One thing, I’m currently struggling on is where I’m like, I really need to relieve from stress and life in general. So I scroll thru Pinterest awhile and find something that really calls to me. I sketch, and I add the base colors. Then suddenly like a flipping a light switch, I look, and I HATE it. I end up throwing it away bc it’s just so ugly, I can’t even look at it. It makes me feel frustrated and upset

Thank you so much for sharing the struggle; I feel you so much !

It is so dreamy and beautiful.

Ok but this is so beautiful

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 :)

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'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 love all your work and it helps me to continue painting 😁😉😊

This is beautiful, always trust the process ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I really enjoyed the video. The final piece is great! I love it

Well done for persevering!! It turned out excellent!! ❤

You’re an illustrative marvel. Everything you make I admire. I love seeing the progress

I think it turned out beautifully 💖

You’re one of my favorite artists on KZread. 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

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 guess that’s the beauty and challenge of the creative process,Chris!You probably ended up creating a richer and more original piece of work than you originally visualized in your head.ILOVE it!❤🎉😊

amazing

I love how it turned out and knowing the process ❤

You are EXCELLENT. I take my hat off.

Thanks for the video ! It's really interesting to have you detailing your process, even (and especially) when struggling ! The result is amazing ! Thank you very much :)

I think it’s gorgeous and I love the fish!! Also, sketchbook tour??

omg this video is so entertaining and dramatic and the b roll was so cuteeeee💗💗💗💖💗💗

You did it! You created such a great illustration. Thank you for sharing the struggles.

Love the last minute decision love the 🐠🐟. Sometimes we need to go in another direction because who knows maybe it's for the better.😊☺️

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!

She is Beautiful! great job! i admire your tenacity….I probably would have ditched her and started over……Thanks for sharing!

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 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.