Since my family moved to a house with a yard, my parents have developed a gardening frenzy. For my dad's birthday, I created a collage of photographs of our family garden and him in Procreate. I wanted this painting to show my appreciation for my dad's passion and work ethic, and how he's able to become 'the expert' at anything he sets his mind to.

At first, I used watercolor to establish the base colors, but I realized it formed a translucent consistency on the linen that only became opaque after layering. Rather than switching to acrylic or oil paint, I continued the painting with watercolor. This process was both fun and challenging, especially since I couldn't find any references to similar techniques online. I also experimented with allowing the watercolor to drip freely (for example, near the pants and the pomegranate). The joy of this painting was presenting it to my dad after mouthfuls of Durian cake and hearing his dramatic compliments.