Freelance artist Kyounghwan Kim is known for creating genre-spanning characters incorporating just about everything from spacesuits to medieval armour and animals. In his recently released character concept art class, Kyounghwan breaks down how he works, and we decided to catch up with him to learn more about his career, what it takes to be a concept artist, and why sketchbooks are still valuable in the digital age.
Tell us a little about your background as an artist. How did you get started and what has your career been like so far? I won the grand prize in a game character contest hosted by Nexon back in 2003. Starting with that award, from 2006 until now I've been a game character concept artist.
I'm currently working as a freelancer and also conduct lectures.
Which artists have inspired you the most, and why?
I'm mostly influenced by Japanese artists. This is because the games I've played since I was young were all from Japan. Specifically, the game art in titles released by Capcom, Square Enix and SNK.
Which tools do you use to create your work?
At first I used Corel Painter, but I've been using Photoshop and Procreate together since 2017.
How has your artwork developed over the years, and what has been behind those changes?
I majored in fine art when I was a student, so my early work was very painterly. But as I continue to work on game character concepts and come into contact with game art, I'm able to make the shapes more concrete. This makes it easier for the viewers to see the direction I'm trying to convey. I think my art has changed accordingly as my understanding of the game industry has gradually increased.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Christmas 2024 من ImagineFX.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Christmas 2024 من ImagineFX.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Jan Wessbecher
Dominic Carter talks to the visual artist about creating his own comic and why sketchbooks are great for creative experiments
Kyounghwan Kim
The Korean character concept artist speaks to Dominic Carter about staying open to ideas and the value of drawing regularly
Slawek Fedorczuk
Dominic Carter talks to the concept artist about what keeps him motivated and the advantages of using physical sketchbooks.
Raquel M. Varela
Raquel is inspired by magic, fantasy and fairy tales. She loves designing female characters from distant worlds. \"My greatest reference is Loish's art, thanks to her I learned to draw the movement and fluidity I like to convey.\"
Estrela Lourenço
Estrela is a children's book author and illustrator. Her work is influenced by her background in character animation and storyboards for clients such as Cartoon Network, and she channels comic strips like Calvin and Hobbes.
Daria Widermanska
Daria, also known as Anako, has been drawing for as long as she can remember. Inspired by Disney and classic anime, she loves creating new characters and often finds that a single sketch can spark a unique story.
Allen Douglas
Allen has been painting professionally since 1994 for the publishing and gaming industries. Inspired by folklore, he distorts the size, relationships and environments of animals, and calls his paintings 'unusual wildlife'.
Thaddeus Robeck
Thaddeus has been drawing from the moment he could hold a pencil, but it was the 2020 lockdowns that gave him the time to focus on honing his skills.
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