The result is a really diverse style with a lot of intensity and character running through it. We particularly like her illustrations that still have the tiny hints of shadow under the pieces of cut out paper, with extra layers of ink or paint then applied on top and moving out into the rest of the image.

When we asked to hear move about how Soo likes to create these mixed media pieces, she was kind enough to give us a very in-depth description of her process. She tells us about the materials she like to use, the stages the projects take, and even where she does her best thinking.

My name is Soo Choi. I am a freelance illustrator and visual artist. I was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. Afterwards, I studied Illustration in London, where I currently live and work. I have worked in varied fields of illustration, packaging design, logos, books and magazines.

The photos [seen at the end of the feature] are the Seoul studio where I have temporarily been for 2 months, my work space in London is much messier and busier. My work process is not always the same since I use diverse materials. 

However, for commercial work with deadlines, I follow a set way of working, which I have found to be effective before. 

Firstly, I try to write and sketch on the subway, in cafes, parks or even in my  living room. Then, I come back to the desk to get some references, do a rough piece to see whether it will work or not. 

After I collect the best ideas and sketches, I also set a colour scheme. I tend to make the main image intuitively until it looks good enough, this is the most sensitive process for me. After I get the main piece right, then others go quiet smoothly and playfully with composition and colour palette, which I set first of all.

In between commercial briefs, I try to do experimental stuff, which makes me happier. I found that, after a certain amount of time, these attempts become the best way to keep my works fresh. Even though my works are varied in many different materials, I think the theme is the quiet line.

I believe that the visible world is not everything, there should be a much richer world beneath the surface. I collect the memories and imagination floating around us and visualize them. Making intriguing, strong, visual images, which can grab the viewer’s attention and bring them into the story is meaningful to me. 

I pursue something between reality and fantasy, seriousness and silliness, beauty and ugliness as well as 2D and 3D and everything in between.

I think that is why I started playing with 3D work and canvas work . Carving and acrylic on collected wood gives me a very healthy rhythm and having a bigger scale of work often helps me find new lines or shapes of figures as well.

These days, I am mostly obsessed with playing with colours by using cutouts.

© Soo Choi, 2012

His work has gained him a string of recognition along the way, including awards from Communication Arts Illustration Annual, American Illustration, and Society of Illustrators Los Angeles to name but a few. He describes the themes in his work in more detail.

Many of my recent paintings continue my ongoing themes regarding nature, my personal aesthetic, as it relates to this subject, and also a subtle message about a general disregard as human beings for our natural surroundings.  Many of my recent characters, which sometimes appear in the new works, are designed as protectors and defenders of nature.

© Colin Johnson, 2012

I work both traditionally & digitally. When creating gallery work its 100% traditional. My paintings are normally acrylic although I’d like to get back to using oils & watercolor.

When doing editorial work the piece is roughly 50% traditional 50% digital. I’ll render the drawing with ink, graphite & markers…some paint might be applied in the mix. From there I take it it into photoshop and finalize it digitally. I show the step by step process in the ‘News’ section on my site.

© Chris B. Murray, 2012

His upcoming show, ‘The Future is Always Bright’ both honours traditional Buddhist themes and deals with them in a satirical way, with a mix of work that also includes site-specific installations.

We particularly like his intense acrylic paintings. They make such an impact with their colliding shapes, colours and textures. There’s an almost stencilled feel in parts where different applications of paint have been contained in blocked-out areas and set against other opposing elements.

You can catch the upcoming show at the Frey Norris gallery in California from 3rd of May to the 30th of June.

“Tomokazu Matsuyama grew up in both Costa Mesa, California and the town of Takayama City in Gifu Prefecture, Japan.

His sense of cultural displacement and nomadic living has served as a keystone to the creation of his artwork ever since, fusing cowboy American optimism and the exquisite craftsmanship and bushido work ethic he learned by completing a graduate degree in business management. “

“He has completed commissions for Burton snowboards, Le Sport Sac, Nike, The Standard Hotel and a recent painting at The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. For two years running, he was one of three finalists for Japanese National Culture and Arts Affairs award, the most generous grant given to a Japanese artist living abroad.

Presented in parallel to the exhibition at Frey Norris, Matsu has mounted his first solo museum exhibition at the Katzen Arts Center at American University in Washington, D.C.”

© Tomokazu Matsuyama, 2012

Toby has been using a simple, circular brush to create his most current digital work. We like how this technique has allowed a more spontaneous, intuitive feel to his work while staying very modern.

The lack of any texture in the brush create patches of block colour, giving it a punchy, graphic surface, while we can still see the connection directly to the hand from the movement in the marks. Toby tells us more.

I create my work through a process of photography and digital manipulation, introducing hand-drawn elements, geometric forms and a strong sense of colour, combined with expressive mark making. Recent developments have seen me drawing with a dot to produce pared-down visuals with a more free, painterly result.

I  have worked with a number of international clients including Issey Miyake, Y-3, Kylie Minogue and American Express and have shown my work at various exhibitions worldwide.

© Toby Neilan, 2012

“As a freelance illustrator, I like to create images that show the human quirks of characters from the past. I generally like to use mechanical pencil to draw the initial image and then clean it up and edit the colors in Photoshop.”

© Gabriella Cetrulo, 2012

We like the simple, strong shapes used throughout and the surreal, deconstructed scenes. Across all the materials used, it’s the arrangement of the soft, wavy forms against the hard, architectural lines that gives Alexey’s work its identifiable signature look.

My name is Alexey Luka. I live and work in Moscow, Russia. I work at home as a freelancer. About 10 years ago, I began  to paint as a graffiti writer . But, the last 3-4 years I’ve been using  a lot of different medias for my works. I prefer to use found wood panels and canvases,  my favorite paint is acrylic and spray cans. 

Sometimes, I do a lot of collages that I make from old paper and magazines, I also use a lot of markers for my sketches. In my works, I always try to use different styles to find something new.

© Alexey Luka, 2012

As he tells us below, the soft, warm feel to Vladimirs drawings is achieved through a love of more traditional materials like pencil and watercolours, although the computer is still used.

My name is Vladimir, I’m a graphic designer and illustrator born in the town of Nis, Serbia, currently working on my master’s thesis in Finland. 

No matter if I’m working on a personal project or for a client, I always try to combine different techniques and approaches. I love the idea of contrasting type and vectors with the handmade and hand drawn elements and illustrations. The use of Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. is a necessity for every designer, but colored pencils, watercolors and markers are the materials I’ve been using ever since I can remember, and it’s always fun experimenting and finding new ways of applying them and seeing the results. 

© Vladimir Stankovic, 2012

At times the ink is thick, giving a bold look to the work, but like in the first image here, a lighter hand creates a much more delicate feel. You may have seen Ping’s work for clients such as Time Out, The New York Times, and Nobrow. She tells about her portable drawing process.

I’m a freelance illustrator from Los Angeles and currently living in London. I work with gouache on paper, specifically BFK Rives. I have a limited palette of 5 colors, flat bushes, and a jar to hold water! It’s all very portable. I also have scrap paper and towels around to test the colors as well as preparing for dry-brushing. 

© Ping Zhu, 2012

I’m an L.A.-based artist / designer / astronaut. When I’m not working on freelance client work, I like to keep busy with lots of personal projects, which include making zines, pulling prints, casting toy figures, and most recently, stop motion animation. My work process includes both analog and digital materials and techniques.

I like to paint and draw with cell vinyl and gouache paint, usually on paper. I also mimic this process in Photoshop, using custom brushes and scanned textures to create digital pieces with the look and feel of my paintings (although sometimes I use Illustrator to create purely vector-based graphic work).

Recently, I’ve begun using my digital work process to generate images for screen printing; I usually print 1-3 layer images using a Yudu silkscreen unit.

© Jesse Tise, 2012