Artist Uses Coffee to Paint Jay Chou Portrait

A portrait so lifelike it could pass for a promotional photo—except it was created with no paintbrushes, no acrylics, and certainly no digital tools. Instead, the image of Taiwanese pop icon Jay Chou emerged slowly, formed drop by drop from coffee stains pressed onto paper using nothing but the bases of coffee cups. This isn’t a coffee stain accident gone viral. It’s a meticulous, 12-hour artwork made entirely with brewed coffee as pigment.

The artist, 25-year-old Kenneth Kong from Malaysia, completed the striking Jay Chou portrait using only coffee and coffee cup bottoms in a single 12-hour session, after multiple failed attempts. She dipped the base of a coffee cup into spilled coffee and stamped it repeatedly to build the image.

Why Did the Artist Choose Coffee as a Medium?

Kenneth Kong, who works at a Shanghai-based company and has a degree in architecture (painting is her side passion), was inspired by Jay Chou’s song “Secret” (“”). “‘Secret’ is my favourite song,” she explained. “The lyrics start with ‘cold coffee left the coaster,’ which made me think of using coffee as paint. And using coffee cups ties into the autumn leaves and fragments mentioned at the end of the song—the coffee cup imprints look like fallen leaves.”

How Did She Create the Jay Chou Coffee Portrait?

Kong built the portrait by dipping the bottom of a coffee cup into spilled coffee and stamping it onto the paper. She didn’t use a brush or traditional painting tools. The entire piece was created with coffee as the sole medium. “Coffee is a very hard ‘paint’ to control,” she said. “Sometimes there’s too much water, and the coffee circles don’t form properly. The whole image can become blurry.” The process took 12 hours and involved several failed attempts before she got it right.

Has the Artist Worked with Unusual Materials Before?

This isn’t Kong’s first experiment with non-traditional materials. She has previously created art using basketballs, sunflower seeds, chilli sauce, and other unexpected items. Earlier in 2024, she gained attention in Shanghai for using a basketball dipped in paint to create a portrait of basketball star Yao Ming.

Frequently Asked Questions

What artist created a portrait of Jay Chou using coffee?

25-year-old Malaysian-Chinese artist Kenneth Kong created the portrait. She currently works in Shanghai and has a degree in architecture, though painting is her hobby.

What materials did she use to paint the Jay Chou portrait?

Kong used only coffee as pigment and the bottoms of coffee cups as tools to stamp the image. No brushes, paints, or other mediums were used.

How long did it take to complete the coffee portrait of Jay Chou?

The entire portrait took 12 hours to complete. The process involved multiple failed attempts before the final image was achieved.

Why did the artist choose to use coffee as her medium?

Kong was inspired by Jay Chou’s song “Secret,” particularly the lyric “cold coffee left the coaster.” She also wanted the coffee cup imprints to resemble falling autumn leaves, tying into the song’s ending.

Has Kenneth Kong created other artworks with unusual materials?

Yes, she has previously made art with basketballs, sunflower seeds, chilli sauce, and other non-art materials. In early 2024, she painted a portrait of Yao Ming using a basketball and paint in Shanghai.

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