College Life

Spring Semester - Sophomore Year (2026-2027)

Happening soon! :)

Fall Semester - Sophomore Year (2025-2026)

Completed December, 2025

Illustration I

Each professor had different expectations and assignments for this class, so our experiences varied. I was given two to three weeks' time for each assignment. As a newbie to illustrating, I had to pivot to digital because it was "faster." Having said that, this class was a great challenge for me because I had never done serious illustration before.

However, there were some bright patches in my journey. The Ugly Duckling and the Witch Bakery were two of my favorite assignments! I also learned how to take my own reference in my Thumbelina piece, even though the execution could have been better. I'm excited to take what I learned to bring into Illustration II.

We also had a beginning assignment of Value Key portraits. I did my mom, but we decided to keep it private. :)

Illustration Media

I was lucky in this class because my professor focused mainly on learning the mediums. I had him in Observational Drawing and Color before, and it was great to have him again. Overall, I had a great time in this class, but I wish I hadn't overthought every single assignment; I don't have to be good at everything. It was to the last assignment, oil pastel, I learned the beauty in trusting myself and letting it go rather than to be a control freak on each medium.

Pen & Ink

I do enjoy pen and ink so this was one of my favorite assignments in the semester. We all had to do a "fish" (defined by anything in the sea, haha). My professor suggested to me to do a fish that I liked to cook with. Originally, I was going to do salmon but I realized red snapper was so much more enchanting!

What do you all think? :)

Paper Cut

Polar side of the spectrum, I did not enjoy this paper-cut assignment. This was meant to be a quick assignment, but I spent days on the initial drawing. I still remember being at 2 am and finally cutting it.

I told my professor before class that I spent 50+ hours on this assignment, and his jaw dropping in shock. As we both looked at my "disaster," his horror turned to laughter. It wasn't that bad! I ended up getting a B. Phew!

Watercolor

Watercolor is one of my favorite mediums this semester, but it was also a surprising battle. I learned that in my love of watercolor, I overworked it in the past and forgot to let the watercolor do its work. However, this unit definitely rekindled my confidence. Especially after the food illustrations, haha. :)

Color Pencil

Color pencil was another medium I relearned, just like watercolor. I struggled a lot with bending the rules, so I didn't push the caricature as much as I could have. I also accidentally made a "boo boo" on my first color pencil assignment. Thankfully, my professor forgave me!

Having said that, I've improved in drawing portraiture since I first began in this class.

Acrylic Paint

I really enjoyed this assignment even though it was time consuming! I'll definitely play around with acrylic more in the future!

I especially enjoyed loosening up and using a plastic bag to "dab" leaves in the background!

I only wish I were also more experimental with the colors on the fur. Perhaps a little teal in the fur, too, would have been nice!

Scratchboard

This unit surprised me. I personally hate scratchboard and was actively dreading this unit. When doing the project, however, I learned I improved much more than I expected. Hence, I had lots fun with the cricket.

Oil Pastel

If I was surprised with scratchboard, this unit shocked me.

I didn't have much time to overthink this one because it was the final week. I cranked this one out in a few hours, and both my professor and I felt this was my strongest assignment in the semester. I'll definitely try out oil pastels more often in the future!

It was through this unit that I learned that the units I can't control 100% are actually blessings in disguise for me! I can't wait to play around these medium more in my future artwork!

Painting I

Oil painting was harder than I thought! This was my first time doing oil painting professionally, not in a kid summer camp! I thought my skills in gouache would have been a plus, it didn't! In the end, I think I got an idea of how oil paint behaved so I'm excited to push my skills in Painting II!

Still Life + Monochrome/Limited Palette

For some odd reason, this was my best unit among all four we had. I think it's because there weren't many objects, so it was easier for me to control the oil paint. I eventually got the hang of it, and for the first time, I start to like oil painting!

Reflected Surfaces

Sadly, this unit was when I suffered and realized oil painting is harder than I thought. I got my dream composition, but the execution wasn't what I hoped for. I think it's because I got too overwhelmed by the multitude of things I needed to paint and the dry/wet of oil paint.

Plaster Cast

In general, I love this painting except for the face of the "bonus Mastercopy," I like to call it. I had a lot of challenges, including my first time painting a hand. But in the end, I was quite satisfied with the result. My only wish was that I pushed at the edges more.

Landscape & Portrait

Bad news first - the portrait was not my finest moment. I believe it looked better intially but my panic to get it done (we had 2 in-class days only) ruined the piece. On the bright side, I was able to finally get a landscape painting I was proud of. Just in time for Painting II next semester! :)

Art and Development

We didn't do any artwork for this class, but we did write essays, which I have posted in Writing. :) This was a long class with a lot of work. I really wish I had taken this class sooner or taken a credit to satisfy this requirement. Having said that, I did learn the reasoning why art is so diverse, which is why it's so subjective. This gives me the confidence to trust my instincts, and to go for it - as I'll figure it out as I go.

Spring Semester - Freshman Year (2024-2025)

Completed May, 2025

Observational Drawing and Color

Unpopular opinion - This was my favorite class. Before coming to Ringling, my art tutor set up still life objects to train me for everything from seeing forms to drawing structurally.

Later, in art history, I learned that still life paintings were used for hidden narratives. The narrative rested in what objects were included. For example, wilted flowers symbolized morality. Knowing this, I got very excited about this class as I imagined stories behind my pieces. Let's imagine together!

Charcoal Drawings

Welcome back to boot-camp! ^^ (Haha) I'll never forget the first day of class. My professor asked us to do five thumbnails with only an hour remaining class time. I had never drawn that fast in my entire life. T_T I had never been so relieved when I finished and got one good one to proceed.

Gouache Blocks

My high school art teacher was the first to tiptoe me into gouache, so I had an easier time adjusting to this class. Yet, I still found the "Torture Test" homework overwhelming. My mentor professor warned me about it long before I came to Ringling. Finally, I surprised myself when I passed this "Torture Test" ... after a second attempt. Haha.

Interior Room

Everything was leading up to this moment but everything was going by so fast. I wish you all were there to see how many overwhelming objects we had to paint. Narratives have always been a good way for me to "have fun" among the boredom. My proudest moment was the faucet running!

Plein Air (Outdoor Painting)

Okay... this unit was not my strongest suit. I really struggled. I was accustomed painting exact, so forcing myself to paint "loose" (not as a photograph) was torturous. This was the hardest unit for me so forgive me, haha. Goal for this summer - painting outside more often. In fact, my professor wishes he painted outside more too.

3D Design

A lot of my aspiring Vis-Dev friends were in love with this course. I liked it too because the hands-on aspect was very satisfying. Although I think my passion rests more in drawing than 3D, it was super rewarding to finally be able to bring my own imaginary story to life.

Two Pitches - Cookie Chef Won!

For the rest of the semester, we had to make two pitches for the characters and the related scenes for our stories. We only had three weeks to do all the research! I came up with two stories: Sandy Shore (my adaption on Snow White) and Cookie Chef (my imaginary story). My classmates loved the latter better and chose it as the pitch for my project.

Villian Sculpt + Enivornment Build

First character on the block - The Villain. After the baby pig got refused a cookie, he was furious at the baker's selfishness. So, he cursed the baker, "Cookie by day, 'chef' by night." Now, every morning, he vowed to find the baker and eat him for revenge! I found sculpting the pig challenging, but I had so much more fun with the environment project because I loved making delicious goodies. :) Making the bakery was the turning point for me; I began to LOVE 3D. ^^ I think I like making food art more than characters, haha.

Story Illustration & Trading Card

I would love to become a children's book illustrator, so I found this project super fun. I really enjoyed showing the sidekick protecting the protagonist. This is super gratifying as this was also the first time I illustrated my own characters. As a first trial, I'm quite proud of the outcome. It makes me more excited to hone my skills in Illustration I next Fall! ^^

Protagonist & Sidekick Sculpt

Succumbed to the curse, due to his selfishness and greed, our baker now has cookie hands and body. He was still a full size man at night but would shrink to cookie size as the sun rises. He must bake rapidly at night o survive. During the day, he had to hide from the pig and rely on his best friend, the oven, for protection and sales. As time passed by, he learned the futility of his selfishnesss. Now, he baked not only for money but also for sharing the joy. Not forgetting the pig, he baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies hoping for forgiveness. As he learned his lesson, the curse is broken. A sweet ending!

Small Figure Sculpts: Practice Before the Project

This beginning project was not my favorite. This was my first time sculpting so I was beyond nervous. Figure drawing was also my worst class so sculpting plus figure didn't create a good combination.

Figure Drawing II

I'll be honest - this is still my weakest class. Another professor once told me that my eyes would always be miles faster than my hands! Even though I still have not mastered this subject, I feel I've come a long way. I would enjoy drawing skeletons and muscles and get them mostly accurately.

Anatomy

I had a rough start with this course. But somehow, I managed to pull through this unit. T_T I learned so much even though it was a very challenging start.

On the bright side, I learned anatomy was a like an intriguing deep sea to explore. I also found the muscle overlay assignment so fun! Little by little, I had improved. :)

Academic Drawing

No doubt this unit was my weakest. It was super disappointing as I wanted to do well super badly. But for various reasons, I just couldn't concentrate! This was the time period when I struggled so much to pull myself together. This was also the only assignment we were graded and my professor helped me... A LOT!

I still find it an absolute miracle that I passed. As this drawing is nude, I won't post it. Also, I would hate to post a drawing of a stranger whose beauty is not captured to my satisfaction.

Animal Drawing/Comparative Anatomy

Since going to Big Cat Habitat (the zoo) wasn't as fun as I anticipated, I am so grateful for passing this unit.

Confession time - before coming to Ringling, I have never drawn animals before. I joked that my portfolio had consisted of nature and still lives.

However, I did surprise myself with the Chimera assignment. I would have never thought I'd be able to design my own animal. :)

Costume & Narrative

I had the best comeback in this unit. I had to relearn to focus on my own work and try, try, try again. I had feared this unit all semester, but I realized that my fear wouldn't change anything. I had to run through it. Soon, I found myself enjoying this unit. It was actually fun to analyze costumes, revealing the forms underneath.

When I drew my mom for the cafe drawing homework, I felt so much more confident than I was for the first full-body (Academic) drawing mentioned above. I was very, very, very happy. No matter how slow I progressed, it was all worth it.

Film and Narrative

I wish I have work to show but this is a fun course where I learn from watching movies! The goal is to summarize the tricks we could learn from each movie. It’s very laid back and enjoyable. Although the quizzes and take-home assignments could be time consuming, they were pretty easy! Yet, I have learned so much about storytelling, composition, props, and color that I can definitely apply for illustration! I loved the Character Analysis final project so much that I shared it here.

Fall Semester - Freshman Year (2024-2025)

Completed December, 2024

2D Design

This course gave birth to all my favorite projects that I felt the most rewarding. Being new to digital art, I had no idea that it could be so exciting. It's still a challenge for me as I still prefer traditional, but it's definitely a door leading to new adventures and excitements!

My Favorite Projects

I'm definitely going to miss this class and the creativity exploration. However, I didn't get here overnight. There have been times in this class where I really had to learn to trust the process. Sometimes in order to make good art, I have to start out as not-so-good.

Navigating Digital Art

These were my first attempts doing digital art. I only drew a pear once when a friend taught me. But this time was for real! It definitely paid off to keep going even when things didn't look quite right at the start! I'll share the messy starts in my next blog post!

My First Ever Project :")

Looking at this awful project to laugh together, you will know what I meant. This was the first project that we had to do, and I struggled massively. It was very disheartening at the time, but I think I improved much more since then. :) One horrible project is not the defining moment of your life. Just keep going and you might surprise yourself!

First time everything! (Vectors, digital painting, and pen tool!)

Perspective

This was another one of my favorite courses this semester, yet you may see I struggled so much. I'm so grateful that I ended up with a wonderful professor that was always so empathetic and so patient with me!

One-Point Perspective

Looking back now, I see my mistakes especially through the second still life which was a mini introduction into two-point perspective later on. :) I still enjoyed the "100 Cans of Soup." For this unit, this drawing was the most satisfying in my opinion. :)

Two-Point Perspective

Oddly, this was the unit I struggled the most. I had never touched perspective before so locating the vanishing points threw me off. We also began to draw from life which I never done much before. Let alone my first time ever drawing cars. Looking back now, it was definitely worth it. (My professors helped me a lot!)

Three-Point Perspective

This final unit was my favorite unit. As a late bloomer, it was until this unit where everything began to click for me. I finally understood how vanishing points would affect the narrowness of the object. In the end, this understanding really helped me with the final project. My favorite one!

Final Projects

These are the final projects that I did to showcase what we learned in each unit. Unfortunately (or Fortunately), we had two major hurricanes during my first semester so we skipped a project where I would have designed my own car! Maybe when I get better at drawing cars, I'll do it one day on my own!

Two Still Lifes: Same set up, two angles

100 Cans of Soup

Vehicle and Building Observational Drawings

Observational Drawing of Ulla Building with Four Thumbnails

Figure Drawing I

This was the course I struggled the most as there were numerous "first times" for me, but it was through this course, I learned about grace, patience, and the importance of believing in myself. Even though I didn't improve as much I would have liked, I now see that I have stepped up a level. My favorite was the skull! I also learned more important lessons such as how to pick myself up from failure and to keep trying regardless of what others think. In the end, I was able to get better through the final assignments that I'm more than happy to share with you all! They're not perfect, but it's better than my past drawings! ^^ I realized that it is not my strength that's going to bring me through, but God's grace alone.

Illustration History

I had so much fun in this class that I decided to minor in art history. One of the biggest advice I received was to look back to see what’s done. Knowing our past can help with the present which can bring a better future. The projects were a breeze, and I had so much fun with them. I can’t wait to learn more in my years to come.

Project 1: Infographic

All projects were connected to an artist we picked at the beginning. I went for Tyrus Wong! The infographic was definitely the most laborious, but I felt so accomplished at the end. I learned so much from one of my heroes in the art world.

(Tip: I recommend doing this project as soon as you get settled with your other classes, this is the one you definitely do not want to wait on as it becomes a backbone for the last two.)

Project 2: Illustration

Even though digital art is something I am still learning, I decided to try out Procreate! In the end, it was so much fun! There are definitely a few things I wish I spent more time on to resemble Wong’s original more closely. Having said, being a newbie to digital, I am quite proud of this. I still have a lot to learn but it's better than my past digital paintings! ^^

Project 3: Presentation

Finally, the presentation was a scary experience. I have always loved sharing what I've learnt but public speaking always makes me nervous. I was extremely grateful to be the first presenter. Thanks to my mom's coaching, the presentation went by super-fast. :)

More About Me... :)