There are people who find it hard to make a portrait, or even draw decently for that matter. That is why I am quite amazed by this talented young Malaysian woman, Hong Yi, who also goes by the name of Red.

Her talent lies not in making just any portrait, but also in using media you would never expect. Red first became famous when she made the portrait of famous Chinese NBA player Yao Ming, using a basketball and some red ink.

She shows us her talent again, this time making a portrait of Taiwanese rock star Jay Chou, using coffee stains made by a coffee cup. You would not recognize it at first since it was all a jumble of coffee-colored rings and spots. However, you will be able to see the outline of a head after a couple hours.

Red’s coffee-stained portrait took 12 hours to finish, which is quite a feat considering that most works of art take at least several days to finish.

Red said that she used coffee for her medium because her “painting is meant to look like a sepia-toned old photograph, to capture the essence of this story.”

According to Red, she also had to get the coffee mixture just right since the coffee stains are permanent, unlike watercolor.

Now, if I could just get her to make me a portrait of Scarlett Johansson using hot chocolate as a medium.

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Von Capulong

Von Capulong

Von Capulong has more than 12 years of professional experience in the fields of management and marketing in the fields of information technology and food service with special focus on branding, product and business developments. He is also a member of the Professional Speakers Association of the Philippines (PSAP) and has conducted talks in the Philippines. He is also currently the president and CEO of GreenRides, Inc, the pioneer car cleaning company in the Philippines that cleans, waxes, polishes and UV protects vehicles without using water. He writes articles as a stress-reliever.