South Korean illustrator and cartoonist Kim Jung Gi draws energetic and fantastical scenes inspired by a mix of comics, movies, and his everyday encounters. His drawings became a Youtube sensation when he posted this timelapse video of his process, where he sketches incredibly without hesitation or visual references. Using primarily brush pen and ink, he works purely from his imagination, often distorting his images as if looking through a fish-eye lens. Gi’s works are particularly progressive. Combining reality, fantasy, and a little bit of scifi, he draws futuristic auto races and epic battles between warriors and giant monsters, while women are portrayed as independent and seductive beings who explore their sexuality. He’s especially interested in mechanical imagery because it was a major part of his life; like all men in South Korea, he had to perform national service in the Special Forces section, which exposed him to an amazing number of vehicles and weapons. “I observe things all the time. I don’t take references while I’m drawing, but I’m always collecting visual resources. I observe them carefully on daily basis, almost habitually. I study images of all sorts and genres,” he says. Kim Jung Gi will exhibit for the first time in the United States at Art Whino’s new gallery in Washington, D.C. on October 3rd.
Though the creatures of Claudio Romo are bizarre and at times, frightening, the illustrator’s distinct linework gives each a certain elegance. The Chile-based artist has produced a number of books carrying his strange monsters and plantlife (among them, the beautifully titled “The Book of Imprudent Flora”). Through often carrying no specific timeline, his practice has also extended into the futuristic, as evidenced below.