Traditional Skills - Drawing Techniques

Kim Jung gi projects himself into his imagination and visualises a scene before bringing it to life

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I’m often asked questions along the lines of, “How do you draw without a reference?” and “Do you have a photographic memory?” In this workshop, I hope to answer these questions by taking you step by step through my creative process. I’ll explain my thinking process, and how I pre-visualise an image before placing the first stroke on the paper.

Ever since I was little, I’ve always enjoyed drawing. These days it doesn’t matter what I draw or what I’ve been asked to draw – I still truly enjoy the simple act of putting marks on paper. Growing up, I carried out direct observation studies, doodling things that were of interest to me. For instance, while saving up to buy a bicycle, I would draw a bicycle from many angles on my sketchbook, notepad and even on the table cover! After a few days I would have a visual library of the essence of a bicycle and how it was constructed. Yes, observation from life is important, but I believe that understanding the very nature of an object is crucial when studying art.

Believe it or not, I used to do detailed construction drawings, and inked them just like any other artist. After countless years of training, one day I realised that I could draw and paint without any preliminary drawing. And I’ve taken this approach ever since.

Once I have an idea of what to draw, I embark on the first step of my process. I call it “floating in the atmosphere”. I start placing elements in the space that defines the overall theme, and float like a bird above the scene and observe which angle will best serve my story.