The South Korean illustrator Minjung Kang uses bold shapes and expressive line work, influenced by black-and-white cartoons and graphic novels. This approach has been perfect for her personal work, which blends violence, dark humour and irony.
Minjung mainly works digitally in Photoshop (see our guide to digital art software and the best drawing tablets), although she also uses traditional materials for some pieces. Below she talks us through four examples of her work, including illustrations from her graphic novels Devil Planet and Heart Out.
Lucifer and her dogs
(Image credit: Minjung Kang)
“Lucifer, commander of the Sally clone army, is flanked by her vicious dogs. Each breed was carefully studied, and the composition was inspired by the tone of Norman Rockwell paintings.”
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Crow Gang
(Image credit: Minjung Kang)
“These crow-headed mobsters appear in my graphic novel, Devil Planet. Inspired by classic mafia silhouettes from films, the exaggerated forms reflect their underworld roles.”
Eat Them All, Sally
(Image credit: Minjung Kang)
“A clone army of girls with no souls – hence no pupils. This large gouache piece draws inspiration from the aesthetics of old black and-white cartoons and wartime posters.
Heart Out
(Image credit: Minjung Kang)
“Cover art for my graphic novel Heart Out, created with writer Bartosz Sztybor. Set on my world Devil Planet, it follows Winter and Devil Dog hunting a heart for a crazed cyborg.”
You can see more of Minjung’s work on her ArtStation profile.
For more inspiration, see our recent features on the state of manga identity and how to publish your first manga.
This article originally appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX to never miss an issue. Print and digital subscriptions are available.