Saehan Park’s uses curved lines and subtle colours for her characterful illustrations

Originally from South Korea and now based in France, Saehan Park graduated from Haute école des arts du Rhin (HEAR) in Strasbourg with a degree in illustration earlier this year. Her images are made up of fine linework and embrace blank spaces, as well as elements of humour which stem from the expressions of her characters. “Graphically it’s very light, it might seem unfinished but it’s okay for me,” says Saehan. “I like to draw things without pretending that something big is happening.”

People and faces are what Saehan enjoys drawing most for the multiple variations possible, and reflections is also a theme that crops up throughout her portfolio. “It’s very exciting to depict the different layers and windows of an image in one frame,” she says. In many drawings we see different faces reflected in sunglasses or in mirrored objects and Saehan achieves an interesting 2D perspective.

Taking a relaxed approach to drawing, many of Saehan’s drawings find direction the more she works on a piece. “I start by making a line on the paper, because otherwise I spend all my time thinking in front of a big, white piece of paper,” explains the illustrator. “Once an idea takes shape on paper, I join up the various elements.”

To achieve the super neat bends and lines in Saehan’s work she uses a French curve in almost all her pieces. “It’s an architectural and fashion drawing tool and allows me to make clean curves. I like to draw with a fine rotring pen – they are super fragile and I press hard when I do features, so I’ve already broken two of them,” says the illustrator. “For colour I use alcohol-based markers. I love the gradiation it creates.”

The ease and joy Saehan feels when she’s creating an illustration is what she would like to convey to those looking at her work. “I wish they could feel the pleasure of drawing that I’ve felt myself when making these things."