2014 in Review

2014 in review.

1. Marilyn
2. Tod's / For Bagaholic Boy.
3. The Beermaid / For Hong Kong Tatler.
4. Vincent Van Girl
5. Fashion Week / For Lane Crawford.
6. Robert Mapplethorpe / Sketched on my London trip at the Tate Modern.
7. R.S.V.P. / For Hong Kong Tatler.
8. Go Places / Make Things
9. Nicole / For NIC416.com. Logo design for a friend's upcoming new website.
10. 5 Days in Tokyo / Shop the sticker + postcard set on Etsy.
11. Live sketches for Everybody Labo / The Hong Kong based skincare brand asked me to personalize the product labels for their media guests at their re-launch event with some live portraits. Check out some photos of the day here, and the bottles here and here.
12. Pradasphere / Shop the prints on Etsy.

Ahhhhhhh. Hi! My name is Kitty and I'm a 27 year old who can't understand the concept of time.
In my head in no way can it be 2015, that feels way too far into the future I remember exactly how January 2014 felt and it for sure doesn't feel like 365 days ago. "Where did this year go?" doesn't even begin to describe my sense of time diaspora.

So, for some concrete proof that I didn't spend all year looking at Instagrams of dogs in bed it's fun to look back on all the work I made this year. Did I get better? I definitely painted less and started to rely more on the quick ballpoint pen sketches which I then coloured digitally. I guess that's what style is, just something you end up doing out of habit. You do it more and more and become more confident at it and it's a positive feedback loop. 

Maybe it's because I did more traveling this year (yay!) but I remember each month so clearly, which is a nice feeling because usually when I look back on the year it's all one giant blur. Having something special to look forward to and remember every few months really gives a nice sense of division to the year.

The only thing I really regret is not having made one single Intro to Fashion History comic all year, it's a project I kept meaning to do but it's so easy to put off personal projects, especially if they take a bit of planning and researching. I'm definitely going to have to change that in 2015.

How was your 2014? Did it zoom by for you as well? Are you also a refugee of 2014 floating across the oceans of time waiting for the right to land in the land of opportunity of 2015? I wanna hear all about it!

Quotes / Dressing Up

One of my favourite quotes about feminism and beautification, but I think it also applies to a lot of other privileges in life as well.

Live Drawing / TST + My First Video!

A few weeks ago in an effort to challenge myself I decided to set myself up in, Tsim Sha Tsui, a super busy part of Hong Kong near the harbour and try doing live portraits on the streets for the first time. It was terrifying but also really rewarding and fun.

Doing street portraits is something I've always wanted to try, but was terrified of. I had discussed the idea quietly to a few of my close friends and even mentioned it to my mom. They all thought it was a great idea and encouraged me to go for it. But I still wasn't sure. Wouldn't it be weird? No one invited me to do it? Can I really just set up on the street? What if I invite everyone to come and then I get kicked out or questioned by the police?
 

I've always been really into this idea of artists that took advantage of whatever small circumstances around them at the time and used it to bring their work out on to the street and use it as a chance to continually work on their craft. For example, I love the story of Jean-Michel Basquiat who as a young man sold painted t-shirts and postcards on the streets of Manhattan in order to make money. 

I wanted to do something like that!

Why not take advantage of Hong Kong's lack of busking regulations, I've seen lots of young people setting up in Mong Kok either doing caricatures or playing music. Why shouldn't I do it? While I'm still young and living in the city.

The older I get the more I realize that opportunity is not something that is given, you have to take it.

"Many people have the perception that you have to be granted power, when in reality, you just have to claim it. Power isn’t limited to the possession or command over others. Power is the currency of making $%!^ happen." -- Denna Varshavskaya

So I mustered up my courage and made a Facebook event to let my friends know and posted to my Instagram to tell my followers what I would be up to. I knew I would feel so much more comfortable if even a handful of my friends were around.

My friend Jessica and three super stylish girls who are studying at SCAD, they had seen my invite on Instagram and came out to support! Thanks so much girls for stopping by, you are all so wonderful.

As the night progressed, the more portraits I did, the more confident I became and it was evident (at least to me) that I was getting better. Throughout the day lots of beautiful stylish friends stopped by, including blogger Sybil Kot, aka The Style Voyager. Can you spot her? Hint: look for the signature hair flip!

Polaroids from street photographer Dicky Lai.

And without further ado, the video! Check it out for all the action that day as filmed by the super talented Josh Tam at Josh Takes Photos. He did a beautiful job of capturing the energy of the day. We started at 3pm and as the sun set and evening came around the pier was buzzing with lots of pedestrians and a handful of young local street musicians. It felt great to be sketching in that environment and to be a part of a group who were bring more art and creativity to the streets and people of Hong Kong, however transient.

 

The video and screenshots were all filmed by Josh Tam of Josh Takes Photos, get in touch with him here.

And some more link karma! Ann from Kremb de la Kremb stopped by to get a livesketch that day and wrote a really sweet post with lots of great photos, go check it out on her blog.

And as always, make sure you subscribe, and if you loved this post please share it with your friends using the social media buttons below!

Sketchbook Girls / Blue Moon

When I was little, I had a dream dictionary and I was obsessed with anaylizing my dreams and figuring out the grand meanings behind each one. Then I realized that the symbols in my dreams were nothing more than a reflection from the mundane details I had picked up throughout my day.

Inspiration is a bit like that, you could dissect your inspiration like your dreams. This is a sketchbook entry I did last night before bed. I had been listening to Snowblink's gorgeous rendition of Blue Moon all night and was probably inspired by it to paint the blue orb polka dot background. Earlier that day I had watched the Tate Shot: Lorna Simpson video and was really fascinated by the white paint that the analog photo retouchers used in her collection of vintage photographs. Even though I had mostly forgotten about the video, I subconsciously felt a need to outline the figure like in the photographs.

Just as our brains declutter our minds by dreaming, I like the idea that nightly sketchbooking clears out my mind and gets my subconscious onto paper. It's a kind of meditation. 

Did you guys do any type of meditation? And do you find it makes a difference in your life?

This illustration is available as a print in my Etsy shop, go and have a look, I'm always uploading new things.

#theartassignment / EYE GIF

Kitty N. Wong, 2014.
It Makes Me Feel Good to Look at You. Pencil and gouache on paper.
Animated GIF.

I made this GIF for PBS's The Art Assignment, it's my new favourite Youtube show and I feel so happy to be living in a time that something like that is being made and distributed. Making this GIF feels super relevant as I just went to see 'Her' last night, what a beautiful melancholy movie. I absolutely loved the art direction and the video games in the movie, "Perfect Mom"!

Are these eyes not unnerving you a bit? I like how after she blinks a little bit of mascara is left behind on her lower lid. It makes it feel so lifelike, the paper on the whites of the eye gives an allusion of depth and with 'Her' fresh in my mind, maybe even adds a sense of artificial intelligence to them. 

The theme this week was the 'Intimate, Indispensable GIF'. My eyes are probably my most indispensable body part and what I think about most when I think about me. Apart from the obvious visually dominated world I live in as an artist and illustrator, my eyes are especially important because they represent a journey of change and self acceptance. Having gone through and still dealing with hyperthyroid Grave's disease, one of the most obvious symptoms for me were the protruding of the eyes which at the beginning I was so very very self-conscious about. But now after 3 years, on a good day I can sometime say that my eyes are one of my favourite features about myself.


What is your most indispensable body part? Take a look at the video to see artist Toyin Odutola's GIF of her most essential body part.

How to Make Better Art: 10 Ways to Develop a Creative Routine + Get Better

Say Lou Lou. 2014.

Pencil and gouache on sketchbook paper. Made just before bed, my most creative time.

The only way to get better at something is to practice it, and to practice regularly you must create a routine and stick with it. During the last year or two working as an artist and illustrator these are the top 10 habits I've learned so far to help me develop my craft.

1. Don't apologize for your work. I know its tempting because your work won't be as good as you want it to be yet and you don't want anyone thinking that's all you have inside you. You have so much more you want to express, I know! But fight it, if you don't believe in your work how can other people? If it's not as good as you want, re-work it until you can accept it. Share it and then leave it at that, don't make any excuses.

2. It's OK to make ugly stuff. Experiment in your sketchbook or scrap pieces of paper for even less pressure. It keeps your work fresh and you can find and explore new directions. Continually experiment. Try something that might not work, that's what making art is.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP.

Change is Hard: 2014 New Years Resolutions + 2013 in review

MMXIII in review. My favourite drawings from each month. Little red lips 'errday, everyday.

1. Creamsicle Girls. 2,3. March. Drawing Fashion Week. 4.  5. 6. 7. Shoes I Never Wear. 8. Intro to Fashion History comics. 9. More Shoes. 10. Dazed Digital. 11. 12. Women I've Wanted To Be.

There comes a time in every 20 something's life when she decides to stop being reactive and start being proactive about her goals. She wakes up realizing there's only a few more years before she turns the big 3-0 and being young will no longer serve as a valid excuse for not getting shit done. 2014 is that time for me, I'm going to take this year to get serious about pushing harder to build this thing that I love -- art, illustration, whatever you what to call it, into a real thriving career for myself. And that means keeping track of my finances, putting as much energy into sharing my work as I do making it, being deliberate about every piece I make and pitching my ideas to people I want to work with. Money, Fame & Power - get it, grrrrrl.

And to get there I've made a couple of resolutions for 2014 to help me reach those goals:
1. Intern/assist at a good art gallery where I could see/envision/wish my work to be in in the future (art gallery owners: do you have a vacancy for a back scrubbbbber?).
2. Do as many group shows as possible (5+).
3. Sell some originals (if you see anything you like feel free to email me, or check my Etsy shop).
4. See more art in person.
5. Have a solo show.
6. Make/print a zine and get it distributed.

This week I went through a break up, just a little one but enough to give my world a little shake and to get me thinking about my priorities. So even though it's now February I'm adding 2 more resolutions to the list.

7. Dress more interestingly.
8. Approach people more: those cool people you want to hang out with, ask them to grab a bite to eat. That cool artist you want to assist, just ask him. Just do it, stop being embarrassed.

Writing these goals down and posting them onto the World Wide Wide turns my stomach a little bit, it's terrifying. What if I don't end up doing them? Or the goals I set are laughable and too high? But I guess as with prices you quote for your art, if the goals you set don't flip your stomach a bit then they aren't high enough.

Setting goals is important, but I'm also a huge believer in looking back. It gives me a bit of courage to look back and say "Hey! I've done this before and I can do it again.". And this time last year, I wrote down three things I wanted to achieve:

- Get an illustration published in print.
- Open a retirement account.
- Get some Instagram followers.

And at the beginning of the year both the first and the last goal seemed pretty impossible, I had only one very small personal commission under my belt and I didn't seem able to find a niche for my work or get anyone to pay attention. But I'm very happy to report on the last day of 2013, I had not one but three printed features! Some money invested in a mutual fund and almost 1400 very lovely new Instagram friends!

2014 is the year of art!

Now it's your turn: Did you make any resolutions this year? Tell me in the comments. If you did, how are they going now that we are two, almost three months in? Can you believe it's going to be March next week?

Thoughts / On Turning 26 and Not Being Afraid To Go After What You Want

September 1st is the first day of school here in Hong Kong and it is also my birthday.
First day of school is kind of a shitty way to start all your birthdays but it is also exciting to open up all your new textbooks and use your brand new stationery, it's a chance every year to begin anew.

This year I turned 26, and that's how I feel about it. It's a time to begin again.

I don't usually feel different "more grown up" after a birthday, I mean it's not like our brains are tuned into this arbitrary date where our subconscious magically changes after the stroke of midnight. Or I dunno, maybe it does, someone call VSauce.

But this year was different, the week before my birthday I started caring less about looking foolish and caring a lot more about going after and getting the things that I wanted. I felt more determined.

 I thought about this Steve Job's quote a lot.

"All external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." - Steve Jobs

I had just gotten back from a trip from Beijing with my parents with gave me a lot of time to think. My talented fashion designer friend Cristina Sabaiduc messaged me to encourage me to submit my fashion history comics to big online publications and I timidly did. And surreally I got a response.

But this is just where it begins.

I'm at a point where it feels like things that were once my wildest dreams can happen, but only if I grab those faint mist of ideas, shake them away from the foggy surroundings of my erratic brain and then work relentlessly at it and not let it go and not get scared then maybe I could have those things that I so desperately and so secretly want.

*The story behind that silly cat desk picture at the top. But whatever, I'm not gonna apologize for it, it's cute and I'm standing up on my baby deer legs now.

Team SEE-ZOO - HK's not-so-secret Secret Garden

On Saturday my friends Belinda, Helene and I packed our art-making supplies and headed up to the hills to a (not so) secret little park in the middle of the city. Nestled in the hills above admiralty the Hong Kong Zoological & Botanical Gardens is an oasis that plays host to over 500 animals, though buffered by the surrounding trees the city's signature tall buildings could still be seen and I felt like we were in NYC's Central Park. 

Before our sketching adventures I devoured a ridiculously delicious brie & roast beef sandwich from Habibi Cafe at Pacific Place. Then, we found a little fenced in area with some animal benches and a table and this is where we set up camp for the day. It was strange little enclosure, surrounded by a fence and we felt like the other animals on display.

Thanks to my friend Belinda Love Lee for photos 2 through 4, she's a wonderful graphic designer and photographer, you should check out the blog she runs with her British boyfriend, Digital Dating.

What are some of your favourite places to bring your sketchbook in your city? Show us!