Jongmee

Overview

With a strong and expressive style, South Korean artist Jongmee brings something different for her fashion and beauty clients. Her unique use of colour and slight exaggeration of her subject’s features often gives her work a playful or light-hearted feel, which makes her an excellent illustrator in the lifestyle space.

Jongmee grew up in Michigan. While studying for her degree in Illustration at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit she began to focus on painting portraits in oils, as well as pattern design. However, she’s practiced an array of creative activities including animation, binding books, printing, sewing and wedding photography. Influences include John Singer Sargent and John William Waterhouse.

Approach

Drawing and inking her work by hand, Jongmee then ads colour using Photoshop. She strives for her figures to be anatomically correct, and likes to include a lot of cyan and magenta whenever she can.

Style

Jongmee’s style is elegant and alternative, like the artwork found in a classy graphic novel, but with a feminine touch. It works just as well in fashion, lifestyle and editorial contexts as in book illustration. In addition to illustration work, she creates surface patterns made up of carefully arranged objects, which are sometimes a touch more cartoonish than her regular work.

Client List

• Jongmee’s clients include Egmont Publishing, Boom! Studios, Martha Stewart, Time and Vessel Drinkware.