Hyung Tae Kim -- Question and Answer

Q: You’ve said you believe a person should experience many different things in life to become a good creator, and your goal is to become one. Do you feel like you’re missing out by having a time-consuming job?
A: The main perk to being a game creator is that I’m given a few months to research right after the master up. I try hard to use this time to experience as much as possible. I draw inspiration from everything: movies, games, animations, resin figures, musicals, plays, public performances. Even a single line of dialogue helps me. And as you know, I like hanging out downtown with my Nikon D100.

Q: So what do you like most about your job?
A: Definitely the pleasure I get from creating something totally new. Of course it’s also true that all works depend on creation, but I think there are few jobs that put the creator this close to his creations.

Q: You’re acclaimed for your CG work. Do you ever paint with traditional mediums?
A: Early on I dealt with various art mediums ranging from pencils to acrylics. Now I prefer CG which allows me to achieve similar results without the mess. I’d still enjoy the opportunity to learn how to draw with these traditional mediums. Just not yet, though.

Q: So how would you describe your own art?
A: Hmm… probably “exaggerated”. My viewers use many other words and there are too many for me to list out here. Since these critiques -- good or bad -- have helped me in some way or another, I listen to them all carefully.
On the other hand I have a pretty firm grasp of how I want to draw. I think it’s very important to balance these two.

Q: What’s your greatest fear as an artist?
A: I’m afraid of the moments when I don’t feel the excitement as I draw. If I lack the skills I can still keep on drawing, but if I don’t feel excited I can’t. I hope to remember the joy and excitement of finishing that first drawing forever. I wasn’t a good painter throughout elementary school, junior and senior high school and university, but I persevered. Hopefully I’ll always draw with that same enthusiasm.

Q: These are some of the most exquisite character and enemy designs we have ever seen. Where do you draw from to create so many and such an amazing cross section of designs?
A: I’ve been influenced by so many different cultures and types of media; it’s hard to say exactly what has affected me. I gather information from movies, comics, and animation from many different countries, as well as from ancient ruins and pieces of art. If I have the ability to create interesting designs, I think it comes from applying what I’ve learned from my own designs rather than from what I’ve seen.

Q: Did you have training or go to school to learn your craft?
A: I did go to an art institute where I was a visual design major. However, I believe that the sketches and compositions I practiced to get into college, along with the basic procedures I studied, helped me a lot more.

Q: Do you sketch and color your own work?
A: Yes. I handle everything from buying paper and pens to handing over the completed work to the marketing team.

Q: Do you have a favourite subject when you draw?
A: Subject… My favourite subject would probably be the inherent characteristics of humans. Vast subjects like evolution and revolution are good but I am fonder of mundane, everyday life stories.
When it comes to genre, I believe reality and the artwork’s theme should show a connection to some extent. But I prefer using fantasy elements that are very different from reality to illustrate the theme. I also like imagery with a little twist to the common connection between the past, present and future.