Eunkyoung Son on illustrating some of cinema's most iconic scenes

The post-Weinstein film industry feels like a fertile place for an increasingly farier approach to representation and inclusivity. Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 hit Call Me By Your Name feels very much like a movie made now. The intimate love story of two men set during a balmy Italian summer, it garnered acclaim from the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.

The Seoul-based illustrator Eunkyoung Son broke the internet after being asked to draw scenes from that film for one of Korea’s largest film distributors, CGV. She’s been illustrating for the last eight years, sharing her warm palettes and natural view of the world through beautifully detailed pencil work. She tells It’s Nice That, “I became interested in illustration through pictures books. I especially love the work of John Burningham and Suzy Lee” explains the illustrator on her creative influences.

Despite taking realist cues from those aforementioned illustrators, Eunkyoung’s work feels distinctly orginal. She is particularly known in contemporary creative spheres for her illustrative interpretations of film. She drew 14 film scenes throughout last year to the delight of film buffs everywhere, not to mention practically everyone else who admires her technical artistry as an illustrator.

Along with re-presenting some of the most beloved scenes in cinematic history, Eunkyoung also brings her attentive hand to everyday passing observations. A woman eating an apple sounds like an incredibly mundane action. But Eunkyoung pays close attention to how the light falls on the woman’s face, marking these spots with splashes of colour in her signature style that combines realism with the contemporary. In another illustration, a cheerleader tumbles through the air in true, gymnastic style and Eunkyoung masterfully captures the air rushing through her long hair and whipping round her kicks and splits.

For many though, it is Eunkyoung’s film illustrations that form a soft spot in the collective appreciations of the general public. Along with Call Me By Your Name, CGV also commissioned her to illustrate scenes from Thelma & Louise and Blue is the Warmest Colour; bringing cult classics to life through the art of illustration. She adds, “I love to watch all the movies that I work with. I guess I’m going to keep drawing movie scenes that I’m really impressed by”, whether they are commissioned or not. “But also this year”, Eunkyoung continues, “I want to try new and different variations of illustrations.”