ilmo

Could you share the inspiration behind your use of small animal or child characters in your work?

The use of small animals came from a short course of drawing which I attended a few years back. There was a section within the class where they had us draw wild animals including quokka, puffin etc. The practice of drawing these creatures led me to draw various animals, first in its original form and gradually in articulated shapes of small animal characters that I include in most of my projects. 

Drawing child characters started from childhood memories, where I used to ponder in nature and play with the surroundings. 

ilmo | Spring | 2022

How do your studies in fashion and animation influence your approach to illustration and painting?

Studying fashion gave me an insight to approach visual creations with a design related perspective, as in focusing how it could connect with the public more. As for the animation studies, it has taught me how to create stories and characters based on emotion and intuition while exploring my inner self as an artist.  

Many of your works seem to focus on nature and life. What draws you to these themes, and what messages do you hope to convey through them?

It happened naturally while walking in nature, especially back in the years when I was trying to figure things out in life. I would take short and long walks in parks nearby, which kind of became a habit and also a solution to my creative blocks, when they occur. While walking I would observe nature and absorb its positive energy, reflect or mix it with the daily happenings in life to make art. Through this activity, I would often include messages of love for nature and gratitude towards small things in daily life in my art.  

ilmo | Daytime Question | 2022

Your art feels very narrative-driven. Do you have specific stories in mind when you create, or do you let the narrative emerge organically?

I think I go back and forth on planning and improvising on stories behind my creations, since I would have a profile or description set in mind for the characters and scenery I draw, but some might end up somewhere different as I go. 

ilmo | Gaze | 2023

Do you have a favorite medium, or is it the theme and concept that determine your choice of medium for each piece?

I am open to all kinds of mediums from traditional to digital ones. Therefore it would be the theme and concept that determines the choice.   

What role does your cultural background play in your artwork, and how has it shaped your artistic voice?

Although I am currently based in Asia, specifically in Korea, and some elements of it could be portrayed in my projects, experiences of living in both the US and Korea along with their cultures while growing up plus also having spent several years in Singapore, which is a multicultural and multilingual city via country, as an adult has made me focus on what is more global and appealing to the world. This has been somewhat reflected in my art since I would explore what I could produce to interact with diverse people from everywhere. 

ilmo | Space of One’s Own | 2022

If you could give advice to young artists interested in both animation and painting, what would you tell them?

Being interested in both fields makes me assume that the young artist is open to crossing boundaries of different forms of art. So I would say, explore and experiment because what is out in the world is not everything. And above all, I hope they can follow their heart and passion!