Hannah Tong

Interviewed by Delaney Free

Grade

Mediums

Oil Paint, Digital, Pen and Ink

Classes Taken at Harriton

Art 2H

Interview

Art Focused Questions:

Quick Intro:

Hi, I’m Hannah Tong! I’m currently a junior. Art has always been a hobby of mine- I started it when I was really young so I just kept going with it. I think it’s a really good form of self expression and I really just like to mess around with colors and make pretty things.

Do you do a lot of planning before you paint?

Not really- I usually get inspired by vibes, if that makes sense? It’s like: oh, what do I want to paint today? Maybe I wanna go whimsy, and then' I’ll just throw a bunch of colors on a board and go, what could I make with this? I really like doing portraits, not usually in oil paint. I like digital wise, I like doing portraits. Oils; I really like doing still lives and environmental paintings.

Where do you get yours inspirations?

Really anywhere. I’m a huge Pinterest scroller, so I scroll on Pinterest a lot and that’s where I find a lot of good inspo for what I like to do. Or sometimes, I also like to do a lot of master copies just to try and improve some of my techniques- so if I ever see a really good painting someone else did, maybe I’ll copy it, change some things- it’s like a good time.

What are some strengths and weaknesses you might have as an artist?

Strengths; I think I’m technically really good, like technicalities of drawing and painting and stuff like that. But I think I’m not as creative sometimes because the way I learned was mostly based off drawing other people’s work, so I will say sometimes I struggle with coming up with ideas, but I think that can actually create things quite well.

Do you plan to continue art after high school and in the future?

I think it’d be fun to still take classes. I’m definitely not going to major in art; I just don’t think that path’s really for me, but I still really enjoy it; I think it’s a really good stress relief which is one of the main reasons I don’t really want to turn it into a profession or a career. But I think it’d still be fun to take classes, learn some different mediums, just like draw for fun.

Do you have any advice for people that want to get into art?

I think always keep a sketchbook on you. I mean, it’s always a good idea to have a sketchbook on you when you’re feeling inspired because I think I get inspired at really random times. I’m definitely not an always motivated person to do stuff, so when I do have the motivation, it’s always good to jot something down or draw when you can. But practice makes perfect, so the more you practice, the better you’ll be.