The Versatile Master Artist

”Mona is a wonderful girl; we’ve been friends, best friends since childhood.”

Gu Weijing shook his head: ”She just has a bit of a temper, that’s all.”

”Could I ask you to do me this favor?”

Gu Weijing looked at Koizumi Katsuko: ”She’s a girl who is very serious about what she does. Perhaps she doesn’t have much talent in drawing, but if Mrs. Sakai is willing to give Mona a chance. I assure you, she will definitely be a good student.”

”This is my mom’s advanced class, and she’s not someone easily persuaded.”

Koizumi Katsuko turned her face away and bit her lower lip.

Your first time asking me for something is to help your childhood ’female’ friend get in through the back door?

Please,

Do you realize this makes me feel like I’m insignificant in your heart.

This made Koizumi Katsuko, who was just experiencing the feeling of liking someone for the first time, feel a bit wronged and a bit angry.

”Mr. Gu, I’m willing to do this for you, but my mom is a very independent woman who’s stubborn about her decisions, even my dad can’t easily interfere with her work. If I were to meddle, she would get upset with me.”

Koizumi Katsuko said.

”I understand.”

The image of Mrs. Sakai with her always slightly arrogant demeanor flashed through Gu Weijing’s mind.

”You understand it makes things difficult for me, and yet you still ask me for the sake of Mona?”

”I’m sorry, Shengzi. I have no other options, if I go to Mrs. Sakai myself it might not have a good result.”

Gu Weijing’s tone was very sincere.

”You’re the only one I can ask. And if I could do something for my friend, but in the end chose to stand by and do nothing, I would definitely regret it.”

”A friend... is that so.”

Koizumi Katsuko was silent for a moment.

She had heard enough sweet talk from boys.

Usually, any male peers, as long as she smiled at them.

Who wouldn’t start fantasizing, wishing they could immediately break up with their current girlfriend to please her.

Girls are complex creatures, they hope their beloved falls for them at first sight, yet they hate men for being fickle.

Looking at Gu Weijing’s honest eyes, Koizumi Katsuko felt she couldn’t muster any anger and instead found herself liking him more.

At least he must be a very good friend.

”I’m sorry.”

Gu Weijing’s tone was filled with apology.

”Do you also consider me a friend?” Koizumi Katsuko asked.

”Of course.”

”If I were that Miss Mona, would you do these things for me too?” Koizumi Katsuko asked seriously.

”I would. But I don’t think Miss Shengzi you would need me to do anything for you, I’m just a student from Yangon who knows how to draw.”

Gu Weijing didn’t think the daughter of a great artist would need his help.

”Then there’s no need to apologize, I’m willing to help you with this favor, and I’m very happy to become friends with you.” Koizumi Katsuko smiled playfully, ”I just want a small reward.”

”Reward?”

Koizumi Katsuko glanced at the sketch paper beside Gu Weijing, smiled, and said: ”Would you give me this drawing when it’s finished? It’s really beautiful.”

”Uh...”

With the situation with Mona, Gu Weijing developed a psychological shadow about giving drawings to girls.

He never expected that Miss Koizumi Katsuko, who had seen countless art pieces since childhood, would ask for his drawing.

Plus, compared to the full-body portrait that took a long time to draw for Mona, the draft by his side, which wasn’t even finished yet, didn’t seem to be a fitting gift.

It was just a casual little painting he did while Koizumi Katsuko was editing a paper to fill his task progress.

The sketch paper was half a sheet torn from an old charcoal sketchbook, looking quite cheap.

”If you don’t mind, I can draw you a new one, a more formal oil painting.”

Gu Weijing felt this half-completed sketch he had just started was a bit unpresentable.

”No, I just want this one, I like it.”

Koizumi Katsuko gently uncapped her pen and handed it to Gu Weijing: ”Finish it up. Do you need me to keep typing at the computer as a model?”

”There’s no need. I’ve completed most of the positioning and contour lines, I just need to fill in some decorative lines.”

Gu Weijing took the pen and continued to finish the drawing.

”Your sketching skills have improved a lot, it’s enviable.”

Koizumi Katsuko closely observed Gu Weijing’s drawing technique: ”But this line work seems a bit different from normal linear sketches, the lines are more simplified and expressive.”

”This is a line drawing sketch, a special technique in the Dongxia art circle.”

”Line drawing sketch?”

Koizumi Katsuko raised her eyebrows.

”It combines pen sketches with the white drawing technique of Chinese Painting. Do you know about white drawing?”

Gu Weijing replied casually.

”Yes, early Japanese ukiyo-e was divided into woodblock prints and brush and ink paintings, and the brush and ink painting’s deft painting technique borrowed from Chinese Painting’s white drawing.”

Koizumi Katsuko nodded.

”Here, my hair tends to be finer with a slight natural curl. The curves could actually be denser, I suggest using slanted curves...” she stared at the sketch paper.

”Wouldn’t the repeated crossing of slanted curves affect the shading?”

”I think as long as you control the spacing, it shouldn’t be an issue...”

It was an afternoon without clouds, bright sunlight streamed through the study room’s windows.

Gu Weijing held his pen, drawing while Koizumi Katsuko propped her wrist on her chin, watching him.

Sometimes they would exchange simple comments, other times they said nothing at all.

Gu Weijing originally liked peace and quiet, immersing himself in his own little world while drawing, disliking being disturbed or watched.

But this time,

Despite Koizumi Katsuko speaking beside him, he felt completely at ease drawing.

Sometimes he could faintly smell the warm scent from Koizumi Katsuko, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pink Hello Kitty hairclip swaying among her hair.

Sunlight passed through Miss Shengzi’s hair, casting a kitten’s shadow on the paper.

Plain yet delightful.

”It’s finished.”

Gu Weijing placed the final stroke as he heard the notification sound from the virtual panel in his ear.

[Current Task: Complete one hundred sketches of different themed figures. (Note: Among them, more than twenty works need to reach a heartfelt rating)]

[Current Task Progress——]

[Figure Sketch: (23/100)]

[Heartfelt (5/20)]

Gradually getting familiar with the fusion of white drawing and sketching techniques, Gu Weijing’s efficiency in creating these style sketches began to increase.

He drew whenever he had free time; sketches are called sketches because they’re one of the quickest ways to create art.

In the past few days, he completed a total of about twenty drawings.

However, he encountered difficulty with the ’heartfelt’ emotion rating.

The heartfelt emotional evaluation requires Gu Weijing not only to be in a good state but also to have deep understanding and insight into the figures he draws.

This is not easy.

In his previous sketches, the four that reached a heartfelt rating, apart from Jasmine and Mona, only his granddad Gu Tongxiang matched the criteria.

Even his portraits of cousin Gu Lin and uncle didn’t achieve a heartfelt rating; surprisingly, the stingy and materialistic aunt provided a heartfelt rating.

Unexpectedly,

This drawing also met the requirement.

”Here you go, Miss Yakai.”

Gu Weijing handed the drawing to her.

”Does it look a bit chubby?”

Koizumi Katsuko assessed the girl in the drawing. Just as Gu Weijing was about to say something, she laughed, showing dimples on her cheeks.

”Just kidding, it’s truly amazing, the best gift I’ve received this year.”

Koizumi Katsuko carefully accepted the sketch with both hands, gazing at it as if it were a precious piece of art.

”By the way, I suddenly remembered something about our thesis topic.”

Koizumi Katsuko carefully tucked the sketch paper into her notebook and then casually asked: ”What do you think Impressionism is?”

”We don’t depict gods, we just capture light and air. We don’t follow doctrines because beautiful things will remain, and pain will eventually fade.”

Just after he finished, Gu Weijing instinctively felt something might go wrong.