My Response to William Thomas and Pixel’s Artworks

An abstract botanical drawing made with loose, overlapping black outlines of leaves, flowers and curling organic shapes. Selected areas are softly coloured in yellow, orange, blue, green, pink and purple, with blended, painterly textures, while much of the drawing remains white and unfilled.

Trying out William's watercolour technique on my work.

The same botanical composition at a later stage, with several shapes filled using more detailed patterns. Bright red-and-blue checks, green and brown grids, and dense orange, red, pink, blue and green stippling contrast with the large areas of uncoloured white space and flowing black linework.

Trying out Pixel Kim's technique on my work

A close-up highlighting the artwork’s textures and mark-making. A large shape is densely covered in small red, orange and yellow dabs, beside a pale yellow shape patterned with pink marks and a smaller form mottled with blue, green, yellow and purple. Above them, tightly drawn green and brown grids create a contrasting woven, geometric texture.

A close-up of an abstract hand-drawn artwork made from bold black outlines and densely patterned shapes. Curving organic forms overlap across the image, filled with grid-like and mosaic textures. Colours include bright red and blue checker-like marks, soft greens, earthy pinks and yellows, and a vibrant orange-and-yellow speckled area. The visible hand-drawn lines, uneven grids and layered patches of colour create a tactile, energetic texture.

A completed abstract botanical artwork filled with energetic, painterly colour. Loose black outlines form overlapping flowers, leaves, stems and curling organic shapes, while broad, expressive strokes of blue, pink, red, yellow, green and purple spread across and beyond the outlined forms. The colours blend, smudge and overlap, creating a soft but dynamic, almost wind-swept texture.

I tried to replicate William's brush technique. It looks a bit messy but the splashes of colour add rhythm to my work. It is now more organic. I think I will experiment more on this.

A different completed version of the same composition, using intricate patterns and more clearly separated areas of colour. Flowers, leaves and abstract forms are filled with tiny checkerboards, grids, dots and repeated marks in red, blue, green, pink, orange, purple and brown. Some areas remain softly shaded, creating a contrast between precise geometric textures and loose hand-drawn black outlines.

This is how my painting looks like using pixels. I find this very time-consuming so I only used the technique on some parts. Effect is interesting but quite orderly, neat and stiff. I prefer my paintings to have more free form and flow. But I had fun doing it.

1. What do you like about Thompson Hall’s artwork?
For example: the colours, patterns, people, brush marks, or the ideas behind his work?

His one is the large painting and the background filled up with multitude of layered colours in busy brushstrokes going in different directions. The layers of colours are blues, yellows, maybe, fluorescent pinks and back to light greens on top. The figures are painted with black outlines and stand out using thin brush. I like his use of contrast and his focus on people to tell a story. I am not very good at figure drawing.

2. What do you like about Pixel’s artwork?
For example: the pixels, lines, colours, repeated patterns, materials, or how he shows feelings in his work?

What I like about Pixel’s artwork is his use of pens to draw out on canvas. His painting started with chaos from the corner and colours passed like a baton to make connections. I like the idea of his work forming connected maps. He is very detailed and patient.

3. Do you want to learn their techniques, or do you want to learn how they develop their own style?
Yes, I will try to experiment with their styles, combining with my own techniques.

4. What would you like to try in your own artwork after seeing their work?
For example: new materials, new patterns, textures, mixed media, or something else?
I would like to use colour contrasts on different objects of nature like birds and fishes or other interesting things. I will try to use mixed media instead of just acrylic, 3D effects of textures to see how does it stands out or pop up.

5. When you say “doing everything myself can be difficult”, what part feels difficult?
For example: making decisions, planning your artwork, speaking during the programme, or
working independently?

Yes making decisions, planning my artwork, working independently can be difficult because I am not sure if I am on the right track. It helps me if there is someone to give me feedback on things like colours and details which I can learn to make my work more cohesive.

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