Artist's unusual techniques and tools mesmerize viewers as he paints magical scenes
The Jay Lee painting tutorial already has 184 million views. People can't look away!
Jay Lee's popular painting tutorials make painting seem easy.
Watching someone create a piece of art can be a fascinating experience even when using traditional methods, but when an artist utilizes unique tools and techniques, it's all the more mesmerizing. (Have you seen the guy who creates huge, hyperrealistic drawings with just a basic Bic ballpoint pen? Absolutely amazing.)
Then, when you add an element of soothing sounds on top of it—such as Bob Ross' calm voice and wholesome commentary, for example—watching art come to life becomes an almost meditative experience.
Enter Jay Lee, a painter who has grown a huge following on YouTube with his wordless painting tutorials. Lee's techniques are unconventional from the get-go, as he often starts his paintings by applying streaks and globs of paint directly on the canvas. As he blends the paint with calming instrumental music in the background, you can start to see the beginnings of a background take shape.
He also pulls in various unconventional tools to create different effects, such as crumpled-up aluminum foil, batches of cotton swabs rubber-banded together, sprigs of pine, forks, hair combs and more. He does use traditional paintbrushes as well, but the combination of tools he uses creates interesting textures while saving tons of time.
In fact, people can follow his tutorials and create their own paintings surprisingly quickly. Watch this scene of a couple walking in the rain in the fall he created in just 10 minutes (with very little speeding up or skipping over steps):
It's amazing to watch the painting emerge as he works.
Jay Lee's impressionist style leaves a great deal of room for individuality, yet his tutorials are so simple to follow. My teen daughter has boosted her confidence in her artistic abilities by painting along with his videos, as they are quick and easy to do with impressive results.
Watch this painting of a man with his dog in a golden field to see how Jay Lee uses a hair comb to create blades of grass. So simple, yet so effective.
Doesn't it make you want to paint? Doesn't it make you believe you can paint?
Jay Lee's channel has tutorials using acrylic paints, like these ones, and watercolor painting tutorials as well. With watercolor, too, he utilizes various tools to create cool effects. For instance, this simple fall tree is made using cooking paper (or parchment paper) and cling film (or plastic wrap). Again, so simple, but so effective.
Feels like time to go dust off the old watercolor paints that have been sitting unused in our basement to try this out. It's a wonderful thing to watch an artist work and say to yourself, "Hey, that looks like something I could actually do," when so often it's the opposite.
If you enjoy the zen-like relaxation of watching Bob Ross videos or want to actually try creating some cool paintings yourself, check out the Jay Lee Painting channel on YouTube. Definitely worth your time, even just for a 10-minute meditation.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."