Interview with Seo Kim

After a little gap in interviews, we are picking up again with the lovely Seo Kim!  Having already pocketed many unique experiences in her life, Seo presents us with work that has a quiet and confident wisdom behind it.  This treasured traveling influence provides a worldly view, while maintaining a sense of playfulness that keeps her subjects fresh.  I believe it is safe to say that Seo’s work is difficult to compare to much else, and followers of her portfolio are always excited to see her perspective and approach on the next illustration.  Read on for a fantastic interview filled with valuable tips and inspirations!

“Busan Map”

Q: Seo, your work is so unique and wonderful. There’s something that I can’t quite put
my finger on, but recently, especially, it feels almost as if your illustrations are old souls. Tell us, what influences the mood of your pieces?

A: Haha, old souls…that is quite a compliment (I think? Ha). I guess I just have an
aesthetic that is pretty traditional and old-timey that is reflected in some of my pieces.
Some of my pieces are bright and playful, but recently I’ve been creating pieces that are
quieter—almost melancholy. I think this could be felt in pieces like Busan Map (above), because I was trying to stir up some nostalgic sentiment from this piece. I think the mood of my pieces largely depends on the subject matter and what I am trying to interpret.

“Tara Beverage Bottles”

Q: Explain your process, from start to finish.

A: I usually start out with incredibly rough thumbnails (that usually only I can
understand), and then move on to rough sketches directly on the Cintiq. I usually use the pen tool to break up areas in big color blocks, then proceed to more detailed rendering. I try hard to keep different elements on different layers so it can be easily adjusted later. I go back and forth from Photoshop to Painter, which largely depends on what aspect of the illustration I am working on—for instance, I usually use Photoshop for preliminary work, layer adjustments, and final touch-ups. I use Painter for any kind of “painting” or coloring that requires textural expression. I like textures that are rough and grimy, so during the final stages, I usually like to put a texture layer on top of my entire piece for textural cohesiveness.

Seo’s workspace

Q: Do you have any particular quirks while working on an illustration?

A: I hate it when printers are not calibrated to the system they are printed from. Nothing
is more frustrating than when the color is completely off from the color you see on
your screen. Also, this is not really a quirk while I’m working on an illustration, but I
absolutely hate it when illustrators devalue the worth of a designer/artist/illustrator. I
know the real world is tough, and especially as a student, some extra money is always
nice. But just remember when you work for someone, oh let’s just say, on a work for
hire contract at $15/hour, you’re not only devaluing yourself as an artist, but you are also making it harder for all your fellow artists and illustrators out there who are trying to make a decent living out of this profession.

“Faces”

Q: What was your childhood like?

A: Wow, where to begin. Well, let’s just say it is incredibly hard to put my childhood
in a nutshell. My first journey to America was when I was six years old with my whole
family (Mom, Dad, older brother) and we settled in Durham, North Carolina for about a
year. Then we went back to Korea for two years, but promptly came back to N.C when
I was in the second grade with just my brother and my mom. Our family went through 4
years of the “lonely father goose” period (which is when the dad is apart from the rest of
the family to support them), but we reunited back in Korea when I was in the 6th grade. I finished 6-8th grade in Korea, and returned to N.C again to begin and finish high school.

There was a year when I lived with just my brother in high school, and then after he
went off to college, I basically lived on my own. I learned to be independent at a very
early age and had to go through things like college hunting, prom, and graduation, which most teenagers go through with the full support of their families. The last two years of high school were incredibly difficult for me, weaving in and out of depression and homesickness, but all in all, I think the life experience I had then made me the person I am today. I am strong, confident and assertive in everything I do, although I would never recommend any parents to send their child off to school in another country without some family member accompanying them. So as you can see, my childhood happened all over the place. I’m really happy it did though because you gain so much more in life when you have the opportunity to adopt two cultures at the same time.

“Edge Poster”

Q: Who or what inspires you most?

A: Isabelle Arsenault is my all-time favorite contemporary illustrator. Her new children’s
book “Virginia Wolf” embodies ALL of the things I love about her art. Her illustrations are filled with beautiful floras, mixed media collages, and color palettes that are simple, yet never boring. Her sense of composition is impeccable; her composition is organized in a way that just makes perfect sense aesthetically, yet they are dynamic enough to draw your attention whether they are done with vibrant/dull colors/different rendering style. Her line work is so beautiful and eloquent. Her characters are so versatile and playful. There is nothing about her art that I could criticize. I could look and study her art all day long. Check out her site at http://www.isabellearsenault.com/.

Q: When was the most influential time in your life, as far as your work goes?

A: It’s really funny because before sophomore year in college, I had never even opened
Photoshop. And now I’m a full-on digital artist. I think the most influential time for my
work was during my junior year in college. My ‘style’ actually began developing during
this time and I think I started attempting my first digital illustration. I enjoyed being able to experiment with different layering techniques that was just like a traditional collage but found tremendous relief in how impermanent my decisions could be. I loved having the freedom to make changes without the burden of starting over from scratch.

“Grow Starter Kit”

Q: There is a lot of reference to organic forms in your work, including floral shapes. Do
you enjoy any specific outdoor activities that inspire your work in this way?

A: Haha do I! I love going hiking and going to gardens to look at flowers and plants. I just really love being outdoors in general. Ever since I was a kid, I loved planting seeds and watching them grow, and I think this directly came from my dad’s love of horticulture. We would go hiking together every single morning when I was a little girl (Korea is a mountainous country—pretty much everyone has a mountain in their backyard) and I would be fascinated with different plants and how everything changed from season to season. I guess this kind of connection to nature and the breathing, living world really resonates in my art.

“Autumn Joy”



Q: Aside from illustration, how you enjoy spending your time?

A: I love watching movies. Preferably sandwiched together between my boyfriend and
his dog Sadie. I’m an avid user of Groupon. I look at my phone a lot. I find pleasure in
making handmade cards for people I love. I like making sample art for my students to
see. I enjoy cooking and baking. I LOVE being outdoors. I dream about the day I will
have my own fantastic vegetable garden and chicken coop.

“Fish Story”

Q: If you could be anything other than a human, what would you be and why?

A: A cat. What a life, man. Lying around the house, finding warm places to sleep. Getting loved on by people you love. And you get to pounce around and hunt things if you want, or just get fed. You’re trustworthy enough to be left outdoors and independent enough to live on your own. Cat’s life pretty much sounds perfect.

Q: What does the future hold for Seo?

A: Well, I am actually starting graduate school in the fall at Maryland Institute College of
Art. So I’m pretty excited about that. But for the FUTURE, I hope to become a successful
freelance illustrator who teaches at a university part time. I would love to move back to
Korea at some point because I really miss living with my family. Since we had been apart
for so many years of my life, it feels like a luxury to actually spend any time with them.
But for now, I’m content working on my freelance projects and teaching little kids art.
Oh wait…does that sound like my future plan?

Seo being silly!

Q: Anything else you would like the readers to know?

A: Remember how you were probably the best artist in your high school? And you were
asked to draw stuff for people all the time? And then you went to art school—BAM!
You had a reality check and thought to yourself, ‘wow I was a big fish in a small pond.’
Well, as soon as you graduate, you realize that it is 100,000,000 times that. The world
is filled with so much talent and it sometimes makes me queasy how good people are.
What I realized after graduating is that a lot of the first jobs actually come from personal connections. (And that’s why it’s SO important to make connections during school!) Also, if you get lazy about self-promotion, then your career will also suffer from it. There comes a point where it’s not really necessary (because either you are so SWAMPED with freelance work or have an agent) but diligence really pays off since essentially you are self-employed. Ah, I’ll stop preaching to the choir. Alright then! Hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little better!

See more inspiring work at www.seokim.com!