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Among a sea of unique creative artists, Fish is an exceptionally eccentric online voice who is loved by many.
She—and we're only using this pronoun because she mostly refers to herself as an "auntie"—is incredibly funny with her words and Japanese emojis (one of our favourites is this one: ٩(●˙▿˙●)۶ ), fully highlighting her fun personality through her words and also creating a contrast with her works.
We get a little more serious as we talk about different processes and preferences in this interview, so we hope you're ready to see a different side of Fish!
What / who do you draw inspiration from the most?
I make it a point to draw things that I find pretty. Inspiration is random and unreliable; it’s best to count on habit. As long as I am at my desk, something will happen. Anything could be a new idea for a piece.
Here, I would list what I want to draw for the day (red flowers, Mandarin collars, long hair, short hair, droopy eyes, etc.). Anything goes. I also collect work I like from other artists and pretty projects. There are plenty of sources of inspiration on Instagram alone.
What mediums do you prefer to use and why?
I confess: watercolours are my one true love. Way back in the day when I was a wee brat, it was what I first invested in. Watercolours are relatively affordable to get started in. They are very forgiving, and you can learn a lot about colours with very little materials. There's a pleasant feeling to it, and I love the textural qualities of watercolour paints.
How would you describe the Mossery Sketchbook to others?
Although the paper quality is good and it’s likely you can get other sketchbooks with the same paper performance for less money elsewhere, what really sets Mossery sketchbooks apart for me is the thought and care that went into designing the product.
It really is a complete package. You can concentrate on work because the sketchbook eliminates trivial worries like loose papers or trying to find your page. The cute cover designs also get bonus points from me.
Tell us about your favourite place to find inspiration. Also, do you have a muse of sorts?
As I have mentioned before, I like to draw things that I find pretty. My initial ideas are very vague. It could just be a colour I want to use or a flower I want to draw. I also follow fashion history accounts and browse for cool plant pictures.
Do you believe in talent?
Yes. People grow at different rates and talent factors into that rate. For some people, new ideas click very quickly and easily; for others, it takes a longer time.
When it comes down to it, however, I believe that with or without talent, as long as the foundational knowledge is solid, you can learn to do anything proficiently. Talent is not really a limiting factor – knowledge is.
From your artworks, I can tell that you have a habit of using the same shade of colours for every piece, would you like to tell us what are some of your favourite colour palettes to work with and why?
I’m always very hesitant to answer this question, haha. A lot of painters fall into this trap. It’s not about the colours. It’s about the colour temperature. As long as there is a coherent colour temperature, the piece will work. It’s more dependent on the mood you need to create.
A piece based on a cool red palette has a very different mood than a piece based on warm blue. I would like to advise new artists to learn how their medium behave and find colour combinations that they like rather than trying to imitate what I do.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Hang in there and practise your fundamentals! Your stylisation will just look wonky if you don’t have solid fundamentals!
If you’re given only one word to describe yourself, what word would it be and why?
Tired. I’m always tired haha.
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You can find Fish's exquisite works on Instagram.
