Ellie

Where do you live: Seoul, South Korea. 
Your education: I studied life-science at the university in Seoul, Korea.
Describe your art in three words: Daily colorful story.
Your Discipline: I’ve created my own calendars for 10 years, studying with various digital tools such as photoshop, illustrator and after effect.
Website | Instagram

Could you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in digital art?

Although I majored in life sciences, my internships at Yahoo and SK Telecom, a South Korean telecommunications company, steered me toward a career in product management and business development within the app/web sector at a Korean IT company. My job required me to communicate with professionals from various fields, including designers. To enhance my interactions with designers, I learned to use Adobe Illustrator, where I began creating digital art.

Utilizing functions such as line drawing, shape forming, and color filling, I designed my own character, “Cabbit,” initially for PC wallpapers. This marked the beginning of my digital art activities.

Over time, viewing all objects as collections of shapes enabled me to draw diverse themes using just a mouse. After 2022, I started drawing with Wacom tablet and ipad. I have compiled my annual drawings into calendars, including the most recent one for 2024, which is the tenth calendar I’ve designed.

Ellie | Calendar 10th | 2024

What inspired you to create ‘Cabbit,’ and how has this character evolved over the years?

During my youth, I frequently visited a café near school to spend time with a friend. One day, I casually doodled on a napkin, drawing an animal from my imagination that turned out to be quite cute. This doodling became a regular activity and gradually turned into a medium for self-expression. Some people thought the character looked like a rabbit, while others saw it as a cat, which led me to naturally combine these views into the name “Cabbit.”People who know me can recognize my work, even if it’s just Cabbit instead of my name on a card.

Cabbit’s appearance has changed based on the tools I used: its form was slim with long ears when I drew with a mouse, but has become rounder and more bear-like now that I use a Wacom tablet or iPad. The evolution of Cabbit over the past decade is evident in the calendars I’ve created, with changes such as the presence, absence, and reappearance of whiskers.

Ellie | Cabbit History

How do you integrate elements of traditional Korean art into your digital works?

I consider digital just a tool for drawing, similar to a sketchbook but existing in a digital environment. I observe Korean cultural heritage sites across various cities and depict them in my digital sketchbook. During this process, the results are reinterpreted in my unique style and captured in the sketchbook.

Do you think the rise of digital art has changed the way people perceive and appreciate traditional art forms?

In modern society, we encounter numerous new technologies. This has given rise to digital art, which is becoming more visible in our daily lives. However, I do not believe this has changed the way people perceive and appreciate traditional forms of art. The public has become aware of “digital art” as a new field, and the proliferation of exhibitions where people can experience digital art indicates that the influence of this field has grown somewhat.

Ellie | NFTNYC2024

How has the experience been exhibiting your work in different cities around the world? Have you noticed any differences in how your art is received in different cultures?

One advantage of digital art is the ability to apply online and submit works as digital files, which eliminates the need for physical transportation of the artwork. This has allowed me to exhibit in various cities while residing in Seoul. I was surprised by the number of exhibitions seeking “digital art” when I searched for “open call for artists.”

People have shown interest in the blend of traditional Korean objects and the 12 animals, and I often heard that the 12 animals are cute.

Can you share any memorable moments or feedback from your exhibitions?

In 2022, my growing interest in the NFT sector led me to connect with other digital artists and participate in my first group exhibition. I have since continued my active involvement in the NFT field. In April 2024, I took part as an artist at NFT.NYC 2024 in New York, where my artwork was displayed alongside those of artists from around the world. During the event, I visited New York to view the works of other digital artists and engaged in discussions about art with them, making it a particularly memorable experience due to our shared passion for art.

Ellie | Water party in the moon jar | 2023

What message or feeling do you hope to convey to viewers through your art?

I strive to create warm, relatable stories that are easily understandable to anyone. It would bring me great joy if my artwork could provide healing to someone.

Recently, I have started a new initiative where I physically paint the digital drawings of animals that I had previously worked on. I plan to continue exploring the exciting connections between digital and physical mediums.