Simple lines by Beijing based artist Soheekim
She is only 17 years old but already has a story to tell us. With simple lines, South Korean artist now based in Beijing, Sohee Kim impresses by the softness of her work. Being the daughter of a coffee roaster, she started drawing expressions on the drip bags to "make them look prettier", but soon realised how nice the art looked on brown papers.
Freiheit interviewed Soheekim and asked her about her life in South Korea, art and inspiration.
Freiheit: When did you start making illustrations?
Soheekim: I started to draw illustrations this year. Before that I only drew pencil sketches - which I had to -in order to pass a college exam (all students who want to study in Art College have to draw the pencil sketch version of all subjects).
Freiheit: Do you draw people you know or fictional characters?
Soheekim: I usually see photos and when I find a photo that I want to draw, I start to move my hand. I also draw my family very often because my relatives are relaxed and understanding, so I can draw the most natural pictures of them.
Freiheit: What's the inspiration of your work?
Soheekim: I'm interested in colours and people's expressions. When I walk around I see a lot of people and every person has their own expressions and colours. I watch them and match the colours in my mind. So my inspiration is people's faces. Does that sound weird?
Freiheit: Do you follow the work of other illustration artists? Who are they?
Soheekim: I follow a lot of artist and not just illustrators, but many other kinds of artists. There are a lot of artists that I like, but I want to tell you about a South Korean artist that I got impressed with recently. His name is Joong-sup Lee. I once went to one of his exhibitions and, when I saw his work, I just stood there watching them for a while... His pictures have power. The colours are beautiful and I really love the children motions that he draws.
Freiheit: What is art to you?
Soheekim: Being an artist is very fun, but I also want to be a professor. l want to learn more about Chinese traditional art, I think it is really colourful and interesting. China has a lot of different minority groups, close to 50, and each of them has their own characteristic, so I want to learn more about it. And I am also a photographer! I really love to take photos, especially from people's faces.
Art is in me. I started to draw when I was really really young. Every day I laid down on the floor and drew what I wanted to draw, what it was in my memories - I've always drew people and their faces.
Freiheit interviewed Soheekim and asked her about her life in South Korea, art and inspiration.
Freiheit: When did you start making illustrations?
Soheekim: I started to draw illustrations this year. Before that I only drew pencil sketches - which I had to -in order to pass a college exam (all students who want to study in Art College have to draw the pencil sketch version of all subjects).
Freiheit: Do you draw people you know or fictional characters?
Soheekim: I usually see photos and when I find a photo that I want to draw, I start to move my hand. I also draw my family very often because my relatives are relaxed and understanding, so I can draw the most natural pictures of them.
Freiheit: What's the inspiration of your work?
Soheekim: I'm interested in colours and people's expressions. When I walk around I see a lot of people and every person has their own expressions and colours. I watch them and match the colours in my mind. So my inspiration is people's faces. Does that sound weird?
Freiheit: Do you follow the work of other illustration artists? Who are they?
Soheekim: I follow a lot of artist and not just illustrators, but many other kinds of artists. There are a lot of artists that I like, but I want to tell you about a South Korean artist that I got impressed with recently. His name is Joong-sup Lee. I once went to one of his exhibitions and, when I saw his work, I just stood there watching them for a while... His pictures have power. The colours are beautiful and I really love the children motions that he draws.
Freiheit: What is art to you?
Soheekim: Being an artist is very fun, but I also want to be a professor. l want to learn more about Chinese traditional art, I think it is really colourful and interesting. China has a lot of different minority groups, close to 50, and each of them has their own characteristic, so I want to learn more about it. And I am also a photographer! I really love to take photos, especially from people's faces.
Art is in me. I started to draw when I was really really young. Every day I laid down on the floor and drew what I wanted to draw, what it was in my memories - I've always drew people and their faces.
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"Art is in me. I started to draw when I was really really young. Every day I laid down on the floor and drew what I wanted to draw, what it was in my memories - people and their faces."
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"My father is a coffee roaster and I drew things on the drip bags to make them look prettier. I knew then that colouring on brown paper made the work much more beautiful." |
Freiheit: Where did you learn to draw?
Soheekim: When I was 11 years old I started to learn art in an art academy, where learned I for one year, for the entrance examination. Every day after school I went to the academy and drew lots of pictures for nearly four hours a day. During my vacations I used to draw pictures for 12 hours. I remember feeling really tired but also feeling that those were my happiest days. I didn't learn to draw illustration.
Freiheit: Do you already sell your work?
Soheekim: I don't sell my works now but I want to help my father. My father is a coffee roaster and I drew things on the drip bags to make them look prettier. I knew then that colouring on brown paper made the work much more beautiful.
Soheekim: When I was 11 years old I started to learn art in an art academy, where learned I for one year, for the entrance examination. Every day after school I went to the academy and drew lots of pictures for nearly four hours a day. During my vacations I used to draw pictures for 12 hours. I remember feeling really tired but also feeling that those were my happiest days. I didn't learn to draw illustration.
Freiheit: Do you already sell your work?
Soheekim: I don't sell my works now but I want to help my father. My father is a coffee roaster and I drew things on the drip bags to make them look prettier. I knew then that colouring on brown paper made the work much more beautiful.
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Freiheit: We find your colour pallet very interesting. Could you tell us a little bit about the colours that you choose for your work?
Soheekim: I have a pencil set of 74 colours. It belonged to my mother and she used it when she was in college (it's been used for more than 30years). But now she said she doesn't need it, so she gave it to me. It's still like new, she didn't used them much. This is the order I draw: first I find an impressive photo, then I start to draw lines that I want to express. And then I start to select colours, (like...oh this person..this....colours will match it! look at his(her) face, this one and this one will be perfect!) I just see their faces and select colours that come up in my mind.
Soheekim: I have a pencil set of 74 colours. It belonged to my mother and she used it when she was in college (it's been used for more than 30years). But now she said she doesn't need it, so she gave it to me. It's still like new, she didn't used them much. This is the order I draw: first I find an impressive photo, then I start to draw lines that I want to express. And then I start to select colours, (like...oh this person..this....colours will match it! look at his(her) face, this one and this one will be perfect!) I just see their faces and select colours that come up in my mind.
"During my vacation I used to draw pictures for 12 hours. I remember feeling really tired but also feeling that those were my happiest days." |
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You can follow her work at Instagram: @soheek_
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