The Digital Art of Kilig
On TikTok, a digital artist is making us remember the sweetness and excitement of our youthful days through heart-fluttering animations.
Words Mikaelah Bianca Panopio
Photos courtesy of Grein Chua
December 16, 2025
High school holds a special place in our hearts, a time that we never really forget—the friends, the crushes, the kilig moments, and the magic of young love.
As we grow older, we find ourselves longing for those days again. Yet, no matter how much we want to, we know we can’t go back. Those times have passed, and life has moved forward.
However, one animator on TikTok is ensuring that we will always remember. Through digital art, Grein Chua turns youthful crushes and heart-fluttering moments into captivating animations that remind us of what it felt like to be young, in love, and free.
Where it all started
We’ve all had those moments where we’re scrolling through TikTok with a straight face, and then we stumble upon a video that suddenly makes us smile and feel giddy.
That’s exactly what Chua’s animations do to her viewers.
For Chua, a 21-year-old digital artist on TikTok, drawing has been a passion since she was young. Even in elementary school, her family could already see what she could do with a pencil and paper. Last year, she decided to go beyond the traditional and started learning digital art.
“Before pa nung high school, yung app na ginagamit ko ngayon, which is yung ibisPaint, dati ko pa siya pinapractice and hindi ko talaga siya mag-gets. So yung ginagawa ko is inuun-install ko, hanggang sa hindi ko na siya na-practice.” Chua said in an interview with Art+, explaining that despite her background in drawing, transitioning to digital art was not an easy task.
It was coming across an animation on her FYP about sweetly thrilling high school moments that inspired her to pick up where she left off in digital art. Chua realized she could create something like that, too.
With that spark came the determination to learn, from practicing ibisPaint again, to watching tutorials on YouTube, and finally posting her works on TikTok.
However, that did not come smoothly either, “Walang masyadong nanonood, tapos parang nawalan ako ng motivation. And then, nung wala talaga, parang naisipan ko nang mag-stop.” Chua admitted.
But just like how kilig often catches us by surprise, one of her animations captured the internet’s attention and went viral. Her posts went from barely reaching 1,000 views to gaining 20,000 in one day.
The animation about a student insisting that she didn’t like her crush anymore, only to have her feelings resurface the moment she saw him, became Chua’s turning point.
The magic of kilig
Accidentally meeting each other’s eyes, spotting your crush in the hallway, or being assigned as cleaners on the same day, those simple moments felt huge back then..
And that feeling, the uncontrollable rush called kilig, was something that could turn an ordinary day into an unforgettable one. Whether it comes from real-life encounters, films, books, or even animations, anything that makes our hearts flutter has a way of staying with us.
To Chua, aside from being inspired by a fellow digital artist on TikTok, creating animations about swoon-worthy youthful moments was her way of reliving the scenes she hadn’t experienced.
“Nung high school kasi ako, hindi ko naranasan yung kilig-kilig na ‘yan, crush crush lang. More on focus ako dati sa mga activities talaga. So nitong college, parang, ‘Ah, hindi ko na experience ‘tong mga scenarios na ‘to, i-apply ko sa characters ko,’” Chua said.
Class officers trope. The teaser ‘Pres’ and the shy ‘Sec.’ These are the recurring scenarios in Chua’s animations. Her works garner millions of views, and the reason is obvious: they perfectly capture the adorable and tender scenes of youth that resonate with anyone who remembers the thrill of high school.
Her ability to create these relatable animations isn’t by chance. Chua, who loves to read books and used to write stories on Wattpad, finds that coming up with ideas for scenarios no longer comes as difficult. Thanks to her imaginative nature, storylines flow naturally.
A one-minute animation takes her up to six hours to complete, but the positive feedback Chua receives makes all the work worthwhile.
“Kapag gumagawa ako ng animations, nag-e-enjoy ako. And may mga audience kasi ako na, from day one talaga. And then, yung sinasabi nila sa comments, ‘Ate Grein, nag-iimprove yung gawa mo, gumaganda, mas nagiging polished,’ ‘yun yung nagpu-push pa sa akin para gumawa pa ng marami.” she expressed, sharing her own kilig moments as a digital artist.
For many, high school days may have passed, but the memories collected remain for a long time to come. And with artists like Grein Chua, who turns nostalgia into animations, viewers are reminded of the magical, kilig-filled moments they often outgrow but never truly forget.
