Working Across Mediums

🎨 How I Navigate a Multidisciplinary Art Practice

By Hansheng Lee

One of the most frequent questions I get as an artist is:
*"How do you juggle so many mediums~ and how do you choose which one to use?"

For me, working across mediums isn’t about variety for variety’s sake. It’s about finding the right voice for each piece. Some stories need the softness of watercolor, others the boldness of ink, and some don’t fully bloom until they’ve gone through both physical and digital transformations.

✍️ Starting Physical First: Sketches, Thumbnails, and Concepts

While I work in both traditional and digital mediums, my process almost always starts in the physical world.

I sketch by hand.
I thumbnail with pencil, sumi ink, or markers.
I draft ideas on paper~ not screens.

There’s something irreplaceable about the tactile feel of traditional tools, the resistance of paper, the fluidity of brush and ink. Even my digital pieces often begin as physical drawings, scanned in and then built upon digitally. That’s part of why my digital work often feels layered and organic~ it still holds the hand of the physical beneath it.

🖊 My Core Mediums (The Weekly Staples)

Some materials are a constant in my creative flow:

• Watercolor: Quiet, meditative, often emotional. A go-to for introspective or environment-heavy pieces.

• Sumi ink: I love its directness. It’s raw and elegant~ great for expressive lines and grounding moments, intention at its most imperative moment because it's permanent. I have also gotten into the habit of sketching with sumi ink in the last few years because of its permanence. 

• Markers & pens: Quick ideation tools. I use them for sketching, thumbnails, and color testing. 

• Digital (Procreate): A tool of refinement and layering. I use it after the foundation is already laid, or when a piece wants clean gradients or a glowing atmosphere. There are some pieces where I start it fully in digital because the size and time it would take for traditional mediums wouldn't be feasible. (Thats not to say I won't make one in physical form one day either) 

Each of these mediums serves a different function~ but they all play into one another.

🧪 Bridging the Gaps: Oil, Acrylic & Mixed

Some mediums are more intuitive or project-based. These aren’t part of my daily routine, but they show up when the idea calls for them:

• Acrylic: I use this when I want punchy color, fast layering, or large-scale impact.

• Oil paint: Reserved for when something needs time to breathe, soften, or deepen. I approach oil slowly and intentionally.

• Mixed media: When I want to experiment. When I want texture. When something needs a spark I can’t find in one material alone.

🔮 The Slow, Soul-Fed Mediums: Glass, Enamel, Ceramic

Then there are the time-hungry mediums~ stained glass, mosaic, enamel, and ceramic work. These are the ones that demand the most setup, space, and patience. Because of that, they often live toward the bottom of my active list~ but they’re never off it entirely.

I reach for these mediums less frequently, not because I love them any less, but because I have to choose my battles. When commissions come in, they take priority. When schedules are full, these materials wait.

But they’re always there.

Sometimes I’ll cut glass for a small ornament or sun catcher. Sometimes I’ll fire up the enameling kiln just for the joy of it. These pieces may not happen often, but when they do, it’s because my soul needed them. Not everything has to be big to be meaningful.

These slower mediums feel like grounding rituals. And even if they’re paused, they’re never forgotten.

🤝 Let the Piece Decide

I don’t pick a medium first. The idea leads.
Sometimes it whispers "ink." Sometimes it shouts "glass."
Other times, it needs a mix of medias~ and then a final digital polish to bring it to life if necessary.

It’s not about mastering everything at once. It’s about knowing what the work wants to be~ and respecting that enough to follow it through.

💬 Final Thoughts

Learn to shift with it.

If you're also someone who bridges between traditional and digital, my advice is this:
Don’t force your art to fit one box. Let it evolve. Let it shift. Let it speak in every voice it needs.

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✨ Curious how my mixed-media process works in action?
Follow along on YouTube or on Instagram @LeeHanshengStudios.