impulsive Art
“I can draw or express myself
spontaneously. Often I experience
unexpected design languages
during the process.”I’ve never thought about getting any
other job. I was always drawing and
that became my profession
memory worK
During his childhood, Gi
would memorise the images
in any art book that he
could get his hands on.Inter view Kim Jung Gi
August 2017 41
pursue a career in the comic book
industry. He never doubted he would
make it as an artist, and would do so by
sticking to his own style.
“I’ve never thought about getting
any other job,” he says. “I was always
drawing and that became my
profession. This might sound arrogant,
but since childhood, I wanted to be an
artist recognised by other artists, rather
than turn myself into the public’s
favourite. With this mind, I was able to
keep my own artistic style, even when
my very first publisher asked me to
tailor my art to a trending style.”
missing steps
“There are some steps missing in
my work process,” Gi says. “I can
complete an artwork without a sketch
or visual exploration.” This puts him in
a unique position when tackling
commissioned projects.
If he’s working with an art director,
he’ll sometimes send rough sketches to
give an overall idea of composition. If
he meets a client in person, he’ll work
up sketches on the spot to quickly
show his ideas. Mostly, he says, these
first rough sketch are good enough for
the client, but sometimes even heneeds to make modifications.
However, he’s never received a request
for more than one or two revisions.
Gi works in traditional media. He’s
tried drawing digitally many times, but
doesn’t like it because he can’t adjust a
piece once it’s finished. But he’s more
than willing to start over if he feels a
piece isn’t working.
“I just draw a new one,” he says. “For
the newly released artwork for the