Johanna Bao

1.This drawing is about a basket of apples I saw at the market. I chose to capture them because this basket contained apples in both red and green hues, and their colors were so vivid. To emphasize the contrast between red and green, I chose a painting technique that blurs the edges of each apple.

2.Since London pigeons aren’t particularly afraid of people, I had the chance to observe them closely. I noticed a section of color on their necks that was quite intriguing—perhaps best described as a colorful black. This patch of color constantly shifted as the pigeons moved and the sunlight changed, so I tried to capture it on black paper.

3.This painting records a basket of mangos, using a rather different technique. First, I painted the colors of the mangos onto the base paper. Then, I teared the shapes of the mangoes from a sheet of black paper and placed it over the colored base. Because the mangos are arranged at different angles, they appear to vary in size and color. I deliberately emphasized these elements while limiting the composition to just them. I find it intriguing how the image feels simplified into pixels.

4.This painting records the sunset I witnessed while waiting for my flight at the airport. Since it was a sunset, I chose vibrant oil pastels to render the sun and sky, darkening the ground to emphasize the colors in the upper half of the painting. To highlight the shifting clouds, I experimented with watercolor. Finally, I used masking tape to outline the window frame.

5.Since the previous painting took some time, I decided to try finishing this one very quickly. This is a five-minute self-portrait sketch. Since I rarely wear patchwork clothes, I quickly captured the moment with crayons.

6.This drawing records a row of canned drinks displayed at a street food stall by a roadside. To emphasize the vibrant array of beverage cans, I sketched the table simply with a fine-line pen and pencil, outlining its texture and patterns. Since the cans are metallic, I selected glossy metallic oil pastels. After applying the color blocks, I smudged vertically with a tissue to attempt capturing the texture of the cans.

7.Previous drawings were more concrete depictions of what I observed, I decided to try something more abstract with this one. I used an airbrush to create this piece, inspired by a moldy cake I happened to see. It was originally a strawberry cake, but the cake base had developed blue-green mold spots. So I chose yellow and pink tones for the base layer, then sprayed blue to represent the appearance of the mold spots.

8. This drawing is more of a mark making, I spotted a bag of colorful ring-shaped candies, so I used different colored paints to make ring-shaped marks, then added a touch of pink spray paint as the background.

9.In this drawing, I experimented with exploring a single color palette, I drew my pin using various shades of pink. I then selected washi tape resembling the tablecloth as the background. I attempted to use different shades of pink to decribe the details and texture of a three-dimensional object.

10. This last drawing was inspired by an Asian girl I saw while waiting for the subway. She must have been into subculture, dressed adorably and standing out in chilly London. Her makeup was bold too, using exaggerated colors to accentuate her facial features. I didn’t directly replicate her makeup or face, but since she did her makeup with multiple color, I drew inspiration from that to create a vibrant, exaggerated portrait.

This drawing task was immensely beneficial to me, as the open-ended theme gave me considerable creative freedom and enough room for exploration. While creating these ten drawings, I avoided limiting myself to a single technique or media. Instead, I experimented with diverse approaches, drawing on various surfaces and used materials I’m less comfortable with, exploring the different effects of different materials. I also experimented with multiple drawing medias in one drawing to communicate, trying out different combinations. This time, I focused less on the final outcome and more on the process of exploring and highlighting ‘color’ itself. I observed not only the collision of different colors but also the variations within the same color family. I once believed talking color must be ‘colorful’, how color is more vibrant and varied, but now I find observing different values of the same color and its varying proportions within a scene equally interesting. I’m delighted by this shift in my thinking. Before, I hesitated to paint out of fear the final image wouldn’t look good enough. Now I understand that even if the outcome isn’t entirely satisfying, the experimental process itself is worth documenting. Moreover, even though there’s no right or wrong in this journey, after repeated drawings I’ve come to clearly recognize what I prefer and what holds little interest for me. I believe this is very important and helpful. I feel like I’m gradually finding my own style, and I hope to discover my own voice in the near future.