Live Drawing Aficionado

“I’m Kim Jung Gi. I draw comics in Korea.” This simple introduction of the versatile comics and
animation artist hardly indicates his newfound worldwide fame. Kim’s works have reached industries
from movies and commercials to video games and fashion. He hopes his drawings deliver the message
that Asian people, without Western influence, can be movie stars and produce good movies.

Written by Park Jina, Photographed by Studio Kenn

 

© Xfinity

The Bucheon International Comics Festival in 2011 was where comics and animation artist Kim Jung Gi earned global fame, as a live YouTube video of him playfully drawing on a booth went viral. His newfound popularity led to an opportunity to join a major comic event in France in 2012, and since then, his career has gone international. Kim hosted art shows and exhibits in countries like France, the U.S. and Japan in becoming more famous abroad than in Korea. He finally made a name in his home nation, however, after his live drawing show appeared in an advertisement for a Korean energy company.

“I’m not a pioneer of live drawing. Drawing has always been a fundamental part of art, as it sets the structure of the artwork. Observing and drawing an object might be the simplest gesture but I think in modern times, drawing has developed into a distinguished genre of art,” he said.

Live drawing engages the audience by showing how a drawing progresses from one small dot on a white canvas to a completed work. Kim uses no sketch or framework whatsoever, drawing straight from his head with a stroke of the pen. “We usually only see the completed works of artists, but I think people enjoy taking part in the process of producing a work. Reflecting and showing what people want right on the spot are also what make live drawing appealing,” he said.

His ultimate vision is to share his desire for drawing with others through his live drawing.

Borderless Imagination

Kim’s works have no boundaries. He said he seeks to capture the extraordinary—especially the clash between opposite properties—without being limited to a certain country, religion or culture. “Where there’s hot, there’s cold, where there’s sharp, there’s dull. I like to catch conflicting qualities like violence veiled in apparent peace,” he said. “When working abroad, I’ve found that Korean features draw a lot of attention from global audiences. When I create drawings using the theme of a Korean mystical fable or legend, I pour intense energy into my works, sometimes exaggerating with a dose of imagination. For example, I still use traditional Korean attire, but if the occasion calls for, I reinterpret characters in more modern terms or make the story more universal for a global audience.”

Though Kim’s work seems spontaneous with no sketch or reference to look at, a lot of preparation is required. He said he needs background knowledge of the topic since a work reflects how prepared an artist is. “To complete one drawing, comprehensive background knowledge is a prerequisite,” he said. “That’s why I try to expose myself to a range of experiences as much as possible. An actual experience with your senses makes it easier to remember and bring it to the canvas, just like a cow I used to see at my grandmother’s house. I touched it and rode on its back. I still vividly recall the smell and feeling of the cow’s tongue touching my hand when I fed it. This type of hands-on experience allows me to describe in much detail, giving me a great advantage over people who only see it in a picture. But because I’m aware that I can’t experience everything, I try to find different sources of inspiration such as documentaries or pictures. Things I’ve observed and collected are connected to each other, creating a massive database in my brain. This is how I expand my understanding about the world I want to draw.”

The artist said his most challenging projects are always history related because they require heavy research. His most stressful was one he did in Angouleme, France, where he took a work on Korean women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during the Second World War. Because of the sensitive topic and his lack of in-depth knowledge of it at the time, he said he feared that the work would make him vulnerable to bias and criticism regardless of his intention. After rejecting it a few times, he was finally persuaded by his friends and fellow artists that he must take on the work. Even after he agreed to do it, the pressure hardly waned as reporters from the Japanese media outlet NHK watched him. Though he said he never wants to experience that kind of pressure again, this small desk-size project is the most memorable to him precisely because of its difficulty.

   

Kim still utilizes a classic way of drawing.(left)
His ideas start flowing in as soon as he picks up the pen.(right)

Playful Scribbles into Art

Doodling provided great entertainment during Kim’s childhood. “When I wanted something, I just had to draw it. If I wanted shoes, I drew them and presented it to myself. It made me feel like I was really wearing them. I expanded this to my dad’s dress shoes. When you draw a bunch of bicycles, drawing a motorcycle is a piece of cake. This method of having one thing leading to something bigger extended the spectrum of my art world,” he said.

Kim said he used to draw a character and fill in the background or make a story around him or her; every action became part of the world he was creating. Because of this hobby, ideas organically started flowing into his brain as soon as he picked up a pen. There was nothing more exhilarating for him than to watch his imagination unfold in reality on the canvas. To Kim, drawing brings incomparable happiness, full of excitement and entertainment. His goal is to continue enjoying it. Though he is up to his ears in work with his hands covered with ink all the time, he never minds; his desire to share his love and joy for drawing never stops motivating him.

“I hope my drawings bring people closer to art. That’s why I try to make my drawings easy to understand to more effectively get across the meaning being conveyed. I believe that when an artist enjoys his or her work, this is reflected by and delivered to the audience. So my vision is to bring happiness to those who see my energy-filled drawings,” he said. Kim said his favorite comment from a fan was “Watching your work sparked my passion to draw again,” adding, “I hope my live drawing inspires other people to draw, specifically triggering a feeling that stimulates your senses and makes your fingers fidgety.”

PROFILE

Kim Jung Gi

2001-presentMain artist of Superani

2012-presentFeatured artist at Angouleme International Comics Festival

2014-presentParticipated in San Diego Comic-Con International

2017 & 2019 Held private exhibition at Galerie Maghen in Paris

2018              Participated in a drawing show wishing for the successful PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics in LA

2013              Participated in a drawing show celebrating the restoration of Sungnyemun Gate

2007-2009     Published webtoon series “TLT” on Naver