Mr. Misang Interview

 

1) Mr Misang! I'm a huge fan of your work, your work is such a perfect expression of how media and technology assaults our senses. Our culture is so over saturated with meaningless garbage. Was there something specific that happened that made you want to make art like this?

Actually there are a lot of good things in society. I get good feelings when I see nice things like good weather, nice food, alcohol, music or something. I enjoy them but I don't feel I want to make illustrations with those things.

For me, making art is about colliding different things and mix them into 1 dish and see what happens. Bad things have much more variety of faces than good things. Bad things have much more drama. And real society is made of dilemma itself.(it's normal and ok).  That's why I'm focusing on the  bad aspects. Those are vibrant and plenty ingredients to build my virtual world. I'm making my own world, and that world will look like 'hell, but pretty'.

2) In an interview with Capsule Book you mentioned that Mr. Misang is a McGuffin to make your series consistent, which implies that you think of these as a continuation of one another. Did this evolve out of your early interest in telling a story in comic form? Did you ever make any comics or is this your take on visual storytelling the way you do it now?

I majored comics at high school. And from middle school age, my dream was being comic artist. I studied comics deeply and I officially debuted with short form web comic.(You can't find it. I unpublished it.)

I majored in communication design at university and I went out to face the wide world. I tried many art forms like video, music, writing, illustration....At some point, I realized I'm good at illustration better than other things. So I made my artist name 'Mr Misang', and started to focus on illustration. But as I said, my base area was comics. I think that's why I always make stories and series with my illustrations. Now I call my process world building.

3) In this same interview you reference that your real protagonist is the anonymous crowd, and when I look at your work I see a lot of what I would call Salarymen. People who spend their life working for a corporation, always chasing the dollar. Can you expound on what you mean by that?

Actually that's old concept at this point. Back than I started to make early series 'Modern Life is Rubbish', I thought this world is made of Salary men.(and I liked those typical dystopia images with depressed crowds wearing the same suit.) I thought depressed salary man is  an iconic way to describe society. Now I'm focusing on my on going series 'Modern Life is a Theme park' and I'm using many of different objects, theme park itself. Main thing about this series is not the same person, but a theme park itself.

In my early series 'Modern Life is a Rubbish' is based on the sentiment of '1984-George Orwell', I want to say 'Modern Life is a Theme park' is more based on sentiment of 'Brave new world-Aldous Huxley'.

4) Likewise you've made the critique that in your home town of Seoul Korea that people work too much, but when I look at your art I think wow this guy must draw all the time! I know there must be some irony there, you seem like you might have that same reclusive highly focused work ethic that your city is known for maybe?

Yes it's ironic. Sometimes I imagine what would have happened to me if I got hired by some company. I know I could be a really hard worker and I could be really nice slave. Basically I don't like to be part of some organization, but when I join some organization, I always adapted very well. I adapted well in the military, friend circles, University, and I was famous about hard worker at all of those organizations. 

Maybe I was born with hard worker gene. (My mother is super hard worker). I think it's kind of good curse for me.

Or it could be from learning patience from studying GO(Baduk) at my childhood.

5) Today what inspires you, what makes you want to create the next piece and do you put your works into any collectable form? I know why talked about this before the interview but man you gotta make some prints! Have someone else print and ship them for you man, I want some of your work!

I have lots of rough idea sketches about my ongoing series, 'Modern Life is a Theme park'. It will take years to make every ideas into real illustration. I don't have any plans after finish this series. It's meaningless to make any plans for now.

Actually I have a big vision and plans to sell my art. I'm studying and testing different ways about sell my arts. If it works well, you can buy my arts later this year. If it doesn't works well, I don't know. lol.

6) I see you work digitally on a huge beautiful tablet, however your work has that nice linework that feels traditional to me, why do you only do digital? What kind of tablet do you use?

Because it's much more comfortable. I'm using Wacom Cintiq27' and it perfectly fits for me.(Personally I want Wacom to make 27' with 4K or 5K tablet..haha) Before I use Cintiq, I rarely modified drawings. Because it's really difficult to modify pen&paper drawings. Now, I can erase, add and replace objects until I satisfied.

7) One of the other skills you have is motion design, what kind of programs do you use for motion design and what purpose do they serve in your work? Would you consider this a skill that has set you apart from other 2d illustrators in terms of finding work that suites you or is creatively interesting to you?

I'm using photoshop and aftereffects. 

I don't know if it sets me apart from other 2d illustrators. Because if companies need an 2d illustration and want to make animation with it, they can hire illustrator and animator separately. I do it just because I can do it.

8) For people trying to make a living off their work, what kind of advice do you offer? Do you think its important to learn new skills like motion art like you have? 

If someone can handle more tools, they will have more opportunity. But basically, you need to make professional quality at your own level. That's the starting point. Nowadays I'm studying Blender(3d tool) to make layout  easier. But I don't have much time for it. I always focus at illustration itself, because it's most important thing for me.

9) I love the quick snippets of your art direction for Hyundai-Nsanity you shared on instagram, you seem to do so many things how did you become in a project like this and is this the first time you've worked in animation?

Yes, it was my first animation project and that was insane. Before that I've made short animations like 'Rough world', but those were more like 'motion graphics' and 'gif' arts. My original role for Njected was just make concept art and find animation studios who can make this animation. Dawittgold(main director of whole project) and Hyundai loved my concept art. 

But the problem is, I COULDN'T FIND ANIMATION STUDIOS. I contacted many of studios, but every studios rejected the offer because of schedules. I realized I have to make this animation, myself. Back then I felt I opened hell's door. I studied really basic things about 3d to make guides of the scene and angle, and I tried everything I could. But I'm really proud of myself now. I leveled up my animation skills due to Njected project.

*Fortunately I could find animation studio 'VCR' to make Nsanity. I made directed art itself, and VCR directed & made the animation.

10) I dont want to talk your ear off so I'll end it here with this: what can people expect from you next and where can people follow you?

I'm focusing on my on going series, 'Modern Life is a Theme park'(temporary name). Follow my behance, twitter and instagram. Everything will be first uploaded at my instagram! Thanks so much!

NOTE: Mr. Misang reached out after the interview and he is now selling NFTs of his art check them out here at Superrare!

Interview by Wesley Edwards