When I Couldn’t Draw Jelly, I Asked AI
I made real jelly to study it, observed every wobble, and still couldn't draw it right. So I asked AI for help—and kept learning.
🧪 Making Real Jelly for Research
The other night, I suddenly had the urge to make real jelly. I thought, “Wait… what does jelly actually look like?” So I dashed to the store, picked up some gelatin and food coloring, and made jelly late into the night. I wanted to explore different shapes, so I used all kinds of containers—deep cups, Halloween-themed candy molds, whatever I could find. This is what I made!
My homemade jelly collection—experimenting in wobbles.
✏️Drawing It Was Another Story
Even with my own jelly as reference, drawing it in Procreate just didn’t work. Until now, I’d only drawn “the jelly”—those classic, molded shapes with curves and ridges. They’re easier to draw because you can show reflections and transparency more clearly. But this new jelly had no ridges. It was smooth, slippery, and I didn’t know how to capture it. As I kept observing, I realized that the bottom of the jelly is key. The color has to stay true to the original, but become lighter and more transparent where the jelly thins out. And the shape? The top holds the mold’s form, but the base slightly spreads and droops where it meets the plate—gravity pulling it outward, just a little. I also struggled with drawing bubbles. You can’t just draw a slightly different-colored circle inside the jelly and expect it to look right. Real jelly bubbles come from light bending and bouncing—random refractions and reflections. They’re not neat gradients or sharply outlined. I kept observing, but I still couldn’t pin down what makes jelly feel like jelly. It was frustrating!
🤖 Jelly Collaboration with ChatGPT
So I tried something new: I uploaded my jelly photo, my previous jelly illustration, and wrote a prompt asking ChatGPT to draw that jelly in my art style.
About two minutes later—ta-da!—there it was.
It looked pretty good! Inspired, I used it as a reference and drew another jelly piece in Procreate.
Now I’m comparing, refining, and continuing the study. My jelly quest isn’t over—I'm still chasing that perfect, jelly-like jelly.