Ever heard the saying, "Asians can draw"? According to the world, when Asians' pens hit the paper, magical things happen, and whatever they make is gold. Asians know how to make the world appear a lot more beautiful, if not just more anime.
This is a list of ten famous Korean professional artists who are so mindblowingly good at making visual eye candy that they have huge careers dedicated to their art. They're famous, skilled, and they reppin' for all Koreans to an international audience while simultaneously creating something awesome for the whole world to enjoy. Check them out!
Jim Lee
If you like superheroes, you're gonna love Jim Lee. Lee is a comic book legend and considered one of the greatest artists / pencilers of all time. Not only is he an artist but he's also a writer, editor, and publisher. He graduated from Princeton with a major in Psychology but as a pre-med, he decided this wasn't his future and made the bold decision to go into comics. Lee began his career at Marvel, and this is where Jim Lee co-wrote the spin-off The Uncanny X-Men. X-Men No. 1 which is to this day, the best selling comic book of all time. He later left Marvel to start his own company Image Comics / Wildstorm which spawned comics such as WildC.A.T.s and Gen��. The company was later sold to DC Comics and he's now one of the top dogs at DC as he's co-publisher, Jim is now in charge of the Batman and Superman series. He makes fanboys go wild with his illustrations of Batman, Superman, X-men, etc. He has an awesome sense of humor too--check out the clip below of Lee showing his audience how to draw Batman for a nice geometry/art lesson and a good laugh.
Notable: You can check out some of his art on his Instagram account, jimleeart
Jae Lee
Shadows mean drama. The more shadows, the more dramatic. If you didn't already like superheroes, comic book artist Jae Lee will make you go wild over his shadowy, epic art of your faves. Check out his quick ten minute sketch and painting of Batman and watch the awesome unfold.
Notable facts: Also worked for Marvel, DC Comics, and Image Comics.
Frank Cho
As impressive as all the details in this illustration are, Frank Cho is mainly known for his skill at drawing what you see right in the center of it all--curvaceous women striking awesome poses. Check out the clip below as he shows fans how to give a well-endowed woman justice via art.
Notable facts: Comic book writer and illustrator; worked for Marvel Comics and Dynamite Entertainment; has his own series called "Liberty Meadows". He drew the Hulk, Wolverine, Spiderman, the Avengers, and more over his career.
Andy Park
Look at that rage-face, that dead skin, them fingernails. Gross--but, awesome. That detail! And as a concept artist (as well as a comic book artist and illustrator) Andy Park has detail on lock, as he works on big projects like "The Avengers". Check out this Loki vs. Iron Man keyframe which inspired the shots from the actual movie, and is just as intense as the final product.
Notable facts: Worked for several companies including Extreme Studios, Image Comics, and Marvel Studios; drew for "Tomb Raider" comics; did the concept art of "God of War 3"
Peter Chung
80s-90s kids may remember this animation. This female badass is the protagonist of a 1991-1995 animated, sci-fi series "Aeon Flux". Peter Chung, as its creator and director, was praised highly for not only creating an interesting storyline, but for displaying a "progressive animation" style that combines European and Japanese anime influences. The clip below is the opening of "Aeon Flux"--just to show y'all a glimpse of Chung's unique style and storytelling methods.
Notable facts: Best known for co-creating the characters on Nickelodeon's "Rugrats"; worked for Walt Disney Studios.
Tommy Yune
Calling video game and comic otakus, do you recognize this man's work? Tommy Yune is a comic book author who is best known for his work on "Speed Racer", and for his directing work on "Robotech". He demonstrates a manga-style art, which you can see in his illustrations from "Robotech" in the images below.
Notable facts: Worked on video games "FX Fighter", "Robotech: Battlecry", "The Journeyman Project"
Peter Shin
Behold the two Peters--Peter Griffin and Peter Shin, the latter partially responsible for giving the former his breath of TV "Family Guy" life. Check out this animator-slash-director's drawing of Stewie Griffin below and see what it takes to transform a puntable football into a baby whose pottymouth calls for a punt to the face.
Known for: Directed various "Family Guy" episodes, as well as the movie "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story"; also known for his work on "The Simpsons".
Peter Sohn
Pixar--an animator's dream. Peter Sohn is that animator, voice actor, and storyboard artist who lives the dream, and has contributed to many Pixar movies we know and love today. The cute, little Asian marshmallow Russell from "Up" was even based on him. Check out the image below, do you guys see the resemblance?
Known for: worked for Walt Disney and Warner Brothers; worked on Pixar's "Finding Nemo", "The Incredibles", "Ratatouille", and "WALL-E"; voiced Emile in "Ratatouille and Squishy in "Monsters University"
David Choe
Only the trippiest of minds can create this kind of art, and David Choe is a wacky muralist, painter, graffiti artist, and graphic novelist who ain't afraid to really go there. Exploring the strangest parts of humanity, Choe dubs his artistic style "dirty style" because he gets raw, real, and even sexual. He's probably most famous for becoming a multi-millionaire thanks to Facebook. He was brought in by Facebook to paint their walls back in 2005, he was given the option of receiving $60,000 in cash or the equivalent in Facebook equity / stocks (Less than 1%, around 0.1 to 0.25%). He chose the stocks and today it could be worth almost $500 million! Check out the clip below, as David Choe explains his thought process behind some of his most famous works.
Known for: Painted original murals for Facebook's 2005 and 2007 offices; in 2008, painted a portrait of President Barack Obama which was later displayed at the White House, correspondent for VICE.
Kim Jung Gi
Whoa, check out that epic scene and it was drawn without a pre-sketch or reference for guidance! Kim Jung Gi is a Korean artist known for his impressive, human-landscapes. Various, sometimes-fantastical, other times historical characters fill the spaces of his canvas, creating an explosive display of beautiful, whimsical human life.
Watching him actually draw his stuff out is a crazy experience. WOW this is amazing, prepare to have your brain wrinkled, and take a look at his interpretation of the South Korean flag in the clip below:
Check out that clip above!
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