Thoughts On This Illustration

This pho illustration was made with a mix of both gouache and digital. As one of my first experiences with gouache, it was truly maddening. Things would not go the way I wanted them to go, colors would muddle, and I would often paint over things that I never liked. However painful it was, it was one of the more teaching moments in my life, great struggles can become something beautiful from the mental ashes that feel like failure.

Bonus! The characteristic green of the bowl of pho is a reference to one of my favorite places to eat in all of Calgary: Pho Dau Bo.