Sunday Sketchbook
Making "Tamagotchi Kids" :: March Week 3 & 4, 2025
Dear Letter Drop readers,
So many things have been happening in the world. I wake up stressed and go to bed stressed with all the overwhelming news I hear throughout the day. There was a big fire in Andong, South Korea, which made me tear up hearing about the moment of escape and looking at the town in ashes after the fire. It also had Hahoe Folk Village, a Unesco World Heritage Site, destroyed by the wildfire.
Read more about South Korea wildfires (CNN)
Another thing that broke my heart this week: I learned about the devastating reality of parenting in South Korea while watching a documentary series on 4-year-old exams (4세 고시). This society already has a high competition on literally everything, and now with the added burden to 4-year-olds and their parents and guardians, people have started to flag the issue as an emergency since we must solve it NOW.
In Daechi-dong, cramming begins at age 4 (The Korean Herald)
It’s awful. Everybody is trying to live up to what’s known as the best life only to realize there’s no such thing. You can lose life in a second from an accident, or ICE can take you away for no reason, wildfire can sweep away all our hardly built-up lives, or a massive sinkhole can swallow up the car you are driving in. Life is filled with betrayals.
So again, what’s the point of making 4-year-olds go to a cram school(hagwon)? Aren’t they supposed to be doing more cognitive activities—exploring the world they are relatively new to (DUH) and just having fun? What exactly are they cramming for? Apparently, most people think it’s helpful to learn English early to open up opportunities for your kids to become a global leader or …. a doctor.
OK, what will happen if—only if—the kid can’t or doesn’t want to be that leader the parents expected them to become?
That was a long rant. Today, I wanted to share my process of making a mixed-media illustration Tamagotchi Kids. Hopefully the kids don’t know that they are treated like a character inside a tamagotchi; parents click a button and they have to do what they are asked to do accordingly, and live in a caged world where they can’t freely explore because “it’s not safe for you do things on your own.”
Idk, maybe I want them to know. And help them escape.
Quick process photos! So, I began with a rough idea sketch on my iPad. Then transferred the drawing to watercolor paper. (Fabriano Studio Watercolor Hot Press. I loved it! But maybe not the best for applying colored pencils.)
Then did a much cleaner sketch. Tried not to overwork on this stage.
Base layer with watercolor paint. I loved working on this paper. I had it for a while but didn’t get to use it enough. It will probably be my new go-to affordable option for watercolor paintings, especially if I intend to finish digitally.
More color layers in blues and purples based on the color studies.
I loved the paint marks, so I left them that way.
When I was happy with the watercolor part, I added an extra layer with color pencils and graphite. The fuzzy dry textures were what I needed, so I didn’t mind the painting not looking smooth or perfectly rendered.
(Arches Hot Press might be better for smoother color pencil layers.)
I scanned the work and edited it digitally according to my color sketches. Made sure the focus goes on the kids … precious little sprouts of our future. 🌱
Thank you for reading Letter Drop!
Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and have a wonderful new week ahead. Despite the world being a pretty insane place to live in, please hang in here! This coming week will be amazing for all of you.
Sincerely,
Cindy