Jakarta-based illustrator Katherine Karnadi'€™s rise to mainstream acceptance came quickly '€“ to the point where Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon has asked her to draw a picture of her daughter.

Building her platform and audience through the social media photo-sharing application Instagram, Katherine Karnadi's account has amassed over 420,000 followers in just two years.

Many of them are ardent fans and aspiring illustrators who often draw her in tribute or create illustrations inspired by her style of drawing.

The hype surrounding her has made her many brands'€™ new favorite collaborator, with notable names such as Samsung, Biore and successful local fashion brands Cotton Ink and Shop at Velvet hiring her to design exclusive illustrations for them (or, in Samsung's case, to act as an icon, along with a few other artists).

Her work has also appeared in publications including ELLE decor, Harpers Bazaar, CLEO and Grazia.

It hasn't always been like this, and things happened fast.

Just three years ago, Katherine was another young adult who had to set aside her creative hobby for a more secure 9-to-5 job as a marketer for an application company.

She used to come in early to the office and draw as she waited for everyone else to come in.

Katherine hadn't drawn seriously since school, but she was proud enough of how her pencil work could still hold its own to begin taking pictures of her drawings, posting them to Instagram.

One day, Katherine recalls, the 9-to-5 routine got too much, prompting her to quit.

'€œI decided I wanted to do what I like, so I took a leap and resigned, but I honestly didn't expect anything from my drawing,'€ the 30-year-old says.

'€œI began to notice that more and more people were following my Instagram account, and art-sharing accounts began reposting and sharing my art.'€

It swiftly became clear that she had made the right decision to quit.

Even more so when one of her favorite painters, Italian artist Agness Cecile, whose style has very much inspired Katherine's, also began following Katherine'€™s Instagram account.

Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon also followed the account, asking Katherine to draw a picture of her daughter.

Katherine's drawings are characterized by lush pencil and watercolor strokes forming detailed portraits, mostly of women and girls. The artist judiciously describes them as having a '€œfeminine'€ quality. Lately, she has been using soft mixed-media materials such as floral paper-cutouts to add texture.

'€œMaybe it is because I'm moody that my style is still going through some changes, but that femininity is a consistent element. I think of my work as being delicate, kind of fragile and a little melancholic; it's not sad, but nor is it happy,'€ she says.

'€œIt's part of my uncertain, curious self '€”never finished and always in progress.'€

 Perhaps as a reflection of her '€œmoody'€ self, the women in Katherine's drawings are often unsmiling, with serious expressions dominating.

'€œThere's no real reason, I just think [serious expressions] are insanely beautiful to draw '€” the gloomier the prettier. There is something beautiful about melancholy girls, the sensitivity, the emotion.'€

As what she has in store for the future, Katherine hopes to hold a solo exhibition soon.

Looking even further ahead, she hopes to save enough that drawing can become just a hobby done for pleasure again.

'€œMaybe I could be drawing the murals on a tea and flower shop I hope to own one day.'€

'€” Photos courtesy of Katherine Karnadi

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