(Video link) This 75-minute time lapse video shows Kim Jung Gi drawing an uber-complex street scene out of his head with no lay-in.
The stream-of-consciousness marker drawing covers two walls. Judging from his change of shirts, it took about three days. It includes flying elephants, motorcycles, and an assortment of farm animals, all drawn from interesting angles.
I got hooked and watched the whole thing, listening to Radiolab and Sidebar podcasts, since the video has no soundtrack. It might be better to watch it on the YouTube page to see the video full size.
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Review of Kim Jung Gi's sketchbooks for sale
Muddy Colors post on Kim Jung Gi's books
Impressive! Not many artist can do that.
ReplyDeleteI would infer from watching a portion of this video (I'll have to save the rest for later) that Kim Jung Gi sees and thinks about his material in an entirely different way from the way I do--maybe different from the way most of us do. To him no part seems to be more important than any other. The way he draws a human, for instance, starting at the top, and continuing down through the parts, including whatever the person is grasping in his/her hand, including clothing folds, before he gets to the shape and position of the legs--it's as though each detail is part of a huge machine. I don't mean this in a critical way at all; it's really stunning. Just an unusual way of seeing.
ReplyDeleteI think Moebius had something of the same way of seeing. There is a video on You Tube somewhere of him doing the same sort of thing on a much smaller scale--a three panel comic--starting cold, and going on just as this artist does, beginning with some peripheral piece of equipment such as sunglasses, and going on down through hair, nose, ears, and body, with no preliminary sketch or blocking in of the structure.
I suspect that this way of drawing is not something that can be taught; it is a way of perceiving the world, where a face or experssion has the same importance as the parts of an engine.
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ReplyDeleteInteresting style to his work. I like the character he adds to the people. I can't tell if those are study sketches or photos at the top that you can see from time to time. Very cool stuff.
ReplyDeleteThat's some real serious fun to watch!
ReplyDeleteA marvel: absolute precision, daring angles, and everything on this incredibly crowded street, including foregrounds and backgrounds drawn with that same marker. Sometimes, before adding a new subject, he uses his fingers, thumb and index, for some space-defining reason it seems.
This is what some artists would call direct drawing , hes not working from general to specific nor is he using any construction lines.
ReplyDeleteHe has a tremendous amount of skill!
What can I say. I'm jealous.
ReplyDeleteWith no detraction from obvious talent, he is clearly referring to off screen images. Absolutely no one can maintain all that imagery completely internally. But drawing most of his waking life gives him the ability to fill in details from beginning points that he is referring to, either photos, which the fish eye car he starts with seems likely, or preliminary sketches. Whatever the case I want the book and he is missing a bet not having it on amazon.
ReplyDeleteWow, I wonder if this guy has ever done animation? He has a real knack for drawing forms from lots of interesting angles.
ReplyDeleteWas that a self-portrait in red there at the end?
"With no detraction from obvious talent, he is clearly referring to off screen images. Absolutely no one can maintain all that imagery completely internally"
ReplyDeleteIt's perfectly possible, it just requires years of daily practice to get good enough at it.
Really great! Thank you for the link. Never heard of this artist before.
ReplyDeleteHis way of working is reminicent of Matania.
ReplyDeleteThis is NOT good drawing in my book and never will be;
ReplyDeleteAs an employer I'm only interested in the end result. Artists work in all sorts of different ways, however the only thing that interests me, and should interest the viewer, is the outcome which in Kim Jung Gi's case is rather poor when compared with professionals. I have seen street artists in Paris who can do this, animators at Disney where I worked who do this too but the end result was never as good as the artist who can do a really top notch finished pencil prelim first. That ladies and Gents is where the men separate from the boys.
Verso, I see your point, but I think it's fair to say in defense of Kim Jung Gi that he doesn't do only performance drawing of imaginative subjects without underdrawings.
ReplyDeleteHe is also justifiably renowned for his observational drawings (he is quite an innovator in the realm of fish-eye perspective), and he has done many comic sequences that are constructed with normal pre-planning. He really knows his perspective and his figure drawing, and is highly respected as a teacher.
It may be fair to say those things but the outcome is still what really matters to clients.
ReplyDeleteI could never give "Spy Games" by Kim Jung Gi to a client because it is not good enough. The drawing is bad, despite what you say the observation is bad, the color is bad, the design is bad, the inking is messy and so forth.
I am sure Mr Gi is a great guy who enjoys doodling and making doctored videos but as others have said the finish is not there to consider him as anything other than an accomplished unorthodox but amateur muralist.
I guess I'd have to take your word he's respected as a teacher in Korea but here in the west I know of no professor who would see any value in teaching their students this make it up as you go approach to a discipline that requires a far greater understanding to perform well.
Verso, since you are making critical comments, I would like to ask that you give us your name and position, so that you can stand behind what you say, and readers can evaluate your claims.
ReplyDeleteFor employer/employee contractual reasons I can't help you there. If you are, as I suspect looking for an Ad Hominem excuse to discount my comments then nothing I can add will deter you from your objective. You will just have to accept I am a very sought after expert in my field, which over nearly 30 years has included staff positions at Walt Disney (Director of Animation), Sapient Nitro (Direct Marketing), Madame Tussaud's and many many others. I'm an agent for artists, and also a Chartered Designer, and Professor at a number of Universities where I teach drawing and applications of drawing to graduates and post graduates including mentoring Phd students.
ReplyDeleteVerso....Nobody. Cares. Have a good life.
ReplyDeleteHaha seems you do.
ReplyDeleteVerso, you are an embarrassing troll. RIP to the master.
ReplyDelete