Meet Jimin Yoo | Concept artist & Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jimin Yoo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jimin, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I can’t say that I succeeded yet, but I think two factors made my success.

The first is to start what you like, forget the fear of it, and the second is the support of your beloved family.

I think these two are the biggest reasons why I was able to succeed.

I also hesitated a lot before doing concept art.
I thought it was too late to start for me, so I kept thinking about ‘what if the concept art is not what I want?’ I was thinking about it so hard.

But once I started, I was convinced that this was really what I wanted.
And I gained the confidence to move forward a little more. And whenever I lost my faith and path, the support of my family held me never to give up.

I think I can tell everyone is afraid of anything before it starts.
But I want to tell you to put that deep thought down for a while and begin unconditionally.

It can be the most significant turning point for you, and that turning point will eventually lead you to the way you want.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve always wanted to do art that people can enjoy, consume, and remember as much as they want, not something for me. And that was the biggest reason for me to be a concept artist.

I am still in the process of building a career as a concept artist. Previously, I was a fine artist majoring in Korean painting. Currently, I’m going to Art Center College of design, specializing in Entertainment design, studying more on concept art for Game, animation, and Film.
And preparing to leap forward as a professional after completing an internship at Wizards of the Coast.

These days I’m more focusing on characters. In the process, if I talk about my strength in my works, I would say the most potent point is my delicate detailing of each individual and telling the characters’ story.

Delicate detailing seems to exert its power only when various situations are considered. So I think it’s most important to properly catch elements such as lighting, composition, shape, and volume. I can deliver those factors a little better than others because I have experienced them a little more.

So I think my previous experiences as a fine artist have been the driving force behind my concept art career.
The fact that I can observe and analyze objects from various perspectives seems to help me a lot when I create characters, props, and world buildings.
So I think it’s essential to see and feel many things. In that sense, I strongly recommend experiencing many things such as read a book or going to an exhibition.

Of course, sometimes, too much information obscures the direction of my design. However, I try to design variously with one goal if possible. And as a concept art itself, I’m working with the goal of a design that people can enjoy and experience.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my friends have been to California for a long trip, I’d like to recommend several places. But I think this is the most recommended route.

First of all, I would like to recommend Downtown LA.
During the day, I want to tell my friends to experience various architectural styles, cultures, and many things to see in DTLA before going back home.
Currently, many things are not working as usual because of COVID-19, but I think they will feel the life enough.

And in the evening, I would like to recommend my friends to go up to the Griffith Observatory and see the beautiful night scenery of L.A.

Looking down at the downtown at night, it is always beautiful to see even though I’m living here, too.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
That’s a tough question!

Many grateful people pass by. They have always inspired me and supported me.
They made me recognize the concept art world that I didn’t know and made me moved forward. I want to thank them first.

But if I have to pick one person, of course, I want to say, my father.

He was a man who always lived with passion in his heart.
I am very proud of being born and raised under such a person.
He always supported me with faith in what I do. Of course, I think the support continues even now.

My father wasn’t talkative on the outside, but he was warm and affectionate on the inside. And he had many stories.
For me, who grew up seeing such a father, it seems natural to put the feelings and stories of each character in my works.

I think the reason I was able to come this far is all thanks to my father.
I love you always.

Website: https://miayoo.artstation.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/immia_mi/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miayoo0918/