let us start the game! 🃏♥️

that's such a high praise, thank you so much!

i don't think i'm the right person to give tips tbh, my process is super messy and most of the time i'm not sure what i'm doing haha. but i'll try to break it down!

when it comes to illustration pieces, i tend to think whether or not it'll have a specific theme (e.g if it's going to be a stand alone piece, a set of two pieces that tell a more specific story/feeling, etc). after i decide, usually i'll have a rough composition in mind already – though when the image isn't really clear, it can be pretty challenging to tackle as i will not move forward if i don't like the composition enough. it's the most important process for me.

afterwards i'll start planning on blocking values and colours, though usually i'll already have the vision in mind during composition planning (mostly the vibe i'm going to go with). my work relies heavily on lighting, it is the 2nd most important thing after composition. i've always loved looking at illustrations that convey a lot of things in just one picture, and i concluded that the art that i love always has the same kind of lighting. so i wanted my art to be able to do that too (if that makes sense).

once everything's set, rendering comes next. it's the most enjoyable part for me because by this time i'll have felt satisfied with the overall piece LOL, it's the becoming part that makes it fun to witness.

though the process isn't always the same every time, there are times where i was not sure about the composition as a whole but worked through it even when i was already on the color blocking or even rendering phase. i try not to limit myself to just doing only one specific way (i used to, but i get burnt out super fast and stress out over the smallest details). sometimes inspiration just strikes whenever and you will just do whatever you want to realise it (without thinking much about the steps to get there).

Made Persona 3/4/5 CD charm series that I haven't shared here yet!! Super proud of these especially when I come to love the series a lot... <3 They end up being very thick, so they work as a display as well.