How did you arrive at that combination of watercolors and colored pencils?

I have been using colored pencils in my art as long as I can remember, having multiple expensive sets throughout my life, some of which I still own to this day. It was no shock that I’d gravitate back towards it when traditional art techniques took the spotlight once again in my life. When it comes to watercolor, it has been a medium that has eluded me for a long time. I’ve experimented with a lot of art supplies throughout my childhood, and somehow it never really stuck, or at least the traditional way of using them via thin, watered-down layers of paint. When I picked up a physical pencil again, somehow the thought of them popped back up into my head, and I decided to give them another shot. I remember first going through a phase where I used alcoholic markers instead, a medium I was much more familiar with. I slowly graduated towards a paintbrush. I do not recall the exact reason why that change was made, but I do remember the intrigue I had with watercolors and the urge to finally try them out properly. I started combining it with colored pencils naturally, as I wanted my art to have more bold lines and more popping colors, things I usually do not see with watercolor art. Combining the two seemed the most natural, and it created an effect I was very happy with, so I explored the mediums further, eventually making it my absolute go-to combination.

When did you start bringing in the collage elements and why?

I believe I started to add collage elements with the first sketchbook I treated more seriously, and they began as a way to fill in backgrounds and space around the subjects I was creating. I was never a big fan of creating elaborate and detailed backgrounds, more interested in the figures themselves, so for me, filling in the blank areas on the page with empty sugar packets or receipts felt like a good creative solution. Just filling it in with color or shapes wasn’t enough for me, and I believe that adding extra, glued-on elements provided very interesting varieties of textures that I couldn’t achieve otherwise. Quickly, I started deliberately collecting scraps of paper and such to have them at hand for when I was drawing.

Do you find your collage elements in your day-to-day life?

I do! I mostly tend to take them from magazines I find, brochures, receipts, and anything I happen to find at random. It’s never specifically ordered paper or anything of that sort. I simply started with my mom’s old magazines she had lying around the house, and went from there. Now I sometimes use things others have discarded as trash, like leaflets I find on the ground, or interesting tags I get from items I bought. I also try to use up as many materials as I can to minimize the trash I produce, because I believe I can find a use for them, and I am usually proven correct. There aren’t any patterns or restrictions to what I will or will not use. If I find it visually appealing or get an idea for what I can do with it, I will pick it up and store it for when its time comes.

You use heavy linework that outlines the entire figure. What emotion do you think this style evokes?

This is another hard question to answer, as I typically leave my works entirely up to interpretation, and not many people share what exactly they experience when viewing my art. I’ve heard polarizing opinions, ones speaking of a certain calm and stability that comes with my bold linework, and others that claim it to be more chaotic and dream-like. I usually don’t state my own interpretations of my work as I love hearing about how others interpret it, sometimes it being a complete opposite to what I intended. But I do think it evokes a certain curiosity, its boldness being very eye-catching and standing out. It invites one to look at it further; it demands attention with how much space it takes up. And I think that can evoke a myriad of different impressions on people.

You’ve done ‘draw this in your style’ on your page, and you’re very active in your comments. How important is community to you and your work?

I believe upholding a sense of community is very important. As intimidating as it can sometimes be, having a relatively big art account can certainly bring feelings of detachment from everyone else, feeling better than others, and an inflated grandeur. What I find of utmost importance is retaining the mindset that I am on no pedestal, I am a human, just like everyone else, and I will treat everyone like I would like to be treated. I try to keep a healthy distance with certain boundaries of course, as I am aware I am still interacting with strangers and I am a reserved person that values my privacy, however, I will do my best to be as warm and friendly as I can, as I feel that makes my platform and my art more welcoming, rather than cold and distant. I want people to treat me like I’m no better than them, because I am not, and I feel a lot of artists, unfortunately, create such environments by being detached from the people that support them. I feel it is important to mention I am in no way criticizing anyone, as I do not know anyone else’s story or thoughts, even if they decide to maintain their platform in an opposite way to my own, I’m simply stating what is personally important to me and what effect I would not like to achieve with the space I created with this account. I want people to feel listened to when they post a comment, make it known that I’ve seen and appreciated their story repost, and express gratitude for their continuous support, because to me it is invaluable, and I shouldn’t and wouldn’t want to take it for granted. To have such an audience is a great privilege, and I will always want to hold the respect and gratitude I feel it deserves.

What do you think makes your work special, and hinders AI from being able to copy it?

On a purely technical level, I think a big factor is that my work is done purely in traditional media, completely removed from the digital sphere. In the artistic and emotional sphere, however, I feel that I don’t use very precise, thought-out movements to create my artwork – it’s mostly based on feeling, as well as wherever my hands will guide me. I trust the shapes to take me where I’d like them, based on a loose pattern that I carry over from my previous artworks. Since AI is only able to replicate, not create, I believe it wouldn’t be able to capture the fluidity and freehand feeling that I try to go for when I create. It can try to mimic my style, as it can anyone else’s, but it’s always going to lack that human touch that comes with art made by people. I pride myself on my imperfections, in the paint that spills over the lines, the unevenness of the borders I create, the rips, and the element of randomness in my collage elements. I don’t believe AI can ever replicate the human element in art, because it will always lack in that sphere.