In this story:
Blair Zhang is a food-loving illustrator who paints puppies, flower petals and pastries for a living. A self-professed cat-lover and carb queen, she has a knack for capturing everyday objects (think vegemite jars and jelly beans) and turning them into something beautiful.
Attracted by the ease and simplicity of the medium, Blair discovered the mood-boosting benefits of watercolours while navigating life in a shared apartment. With no space for an easel or any extra equipment, she picked up a “watercolour for kids” kit back in 2014 and started to paint pictures of her daily eats.
Nowadays, the Sydney-based artist spends her time teaching the basics of brushwork to total beginners. With a focus on progress over perfection, Blair’s philosophy is as uplifting as the splashes of colour in her work – because when it comes to painting, there’s no such thing as right or wrong.
The first thing I ever made…
“Was a paper-mache shark I created by following Art Attack (yes, we watched Art Attack in China too – and the host spoke Chinese). My grandpa chucked the shark out because he didn’t recognise what it was. It wasn’t funny to the 5-year-old me!”
I’m on a mission to…
“Teach my students that mindset is even more important than mastering a smooth gradient in the first class. Beginners like to think about ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ when they start painting, but if you enjoy the way you paint and the way your work looks, that’s totally fine!”
When I’m painting with watercolours, I…
“Feel relaxed but concentrated and patient. I don’t notice how time flies. I guess this really shows how much I enjoy and love it because, the rest of the time, I feel like I’m running around.”
Teaching others has taught me…
“To be more considerate and try to think about things from another perspective and to be more logical and encouraging. I started to look at the whole class from a beginner’s point of view and plan the class with a good flow that gives them enough time to adapt and slowly add in more advanced techniques.
On another level, teaching has made me more empathetic in general. I’ve taught almost a thousand people and all of this has really given me an understanding of the fact that everyone is different.”
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