Art by Melody Qian ’24
To Melody Qian ’24, spring brings beautiful scenery, bright wildlife, and childlike happiness elicited by the emergence of warm weather after a harsh New England winter. Qian reflects this feeling in her art piece, “Cherry Garcia,” which features a scene that has a deep connection to her childhood.
The scene is centered around a white and blue Mister Softee ice cream truck with a background of rolling hills and violet dusk. In the foreground, a cherry blossom tree gently cascades its petals down to the street as a group of children race to get in line for a sweet treat from the truck.
Qian herself was once one of the children pictured, racing to be first in line after hearing the familiar upbeat music of the ice cream truck, excited to receive a popsicle that leaves bright colors on your tongue long after you finish it.
The cherry blossom tree is also significant to Qian. Not only are the cherry blossoms symbols of the changing seasons, but they also depict Qian’s childhood trips to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. During Sakura Matsuri, the Garden’s annual cherry blossom festival, Qian would sit under the pink flowers, enjoying traditional Japanese food and the events of the festival.
For Qian, the ice cream truck and cherry blossoms characterize the light and happiness that emerge as the world transitions from winter to spring, and she hopes to share this simple, yet genuine joy with her audience.
The piece is created entirely on Procreate, a drawing app commonly used by Qian. Through its many tools, Procreate allows Qian incredible control over the texture of pieces, particularly in adding color and ambience. Although there aren’t many concrete, named techniques in digital art, Qian summarized a routine that she constantly uses. She begins by sketching the silhouettes of each item and plans which colors she wants to use. For the main subjects of the piece, like the ice-cream truck, she uses a reference photo to guide her in illustrating the subject realistically. Next, she zooms in on each individual element, focusing on shading and perfecting the little features that will add personality and animation to the piece. Qian’s final and favorite step is using Procreate’s curves tool to adjust shadow, color, and light. She particularly enjoys how pushing just a couple of buttons can affect the whole mood and theme of the piece.
Qian’s hope that a post-Covid world might be in sight also inspired this piece. Through depicting a scene that crystalizes her childhood joy, Qian hopes to bring happiness to everyone during this challenging time. “I hope that the audience can feel the nostalgia and childish joy that I get from these images and understand the feeling of hope that seeing the bright colors of spring was able to bring me,” said Qian.
