3DTotal: Your work covers matte and digital painting as well as concept work. Which, if any,
are your favourite disciplines?
Seung: Hard to say. I don’t have a definite preference as I enjoy both at different times, and appreciate both for what they are. Very often I do get to conceptualize first and then move onto matte painting later. There’s definitely something appealing about finishing a big matte painting, but I can equally enjoy sketching a few concepts for the same project. I think I can admit to enjoying quicker paintings over slow ones. I rarely have the patience working on a matte painting for weeks, so in that respect, concept work tends to be faster. The kind of images I enjoy doing the most, are images where I’m given the freedom to create what I do best. Give me enough space to visualize something and it usually ends up pretty good. Too strict and directed and I tend to feel more pressure. You have to start compromising your ideas and that can be very limiting. I’d think that most artists work like this.
   
3DTotal: Which artists inspire you?
Seung: It’s a simple question, yet an interesting and deep one. The answer is simple; all artists do to some extent. I’m easily impressed and become interested in other artists work very quickly. The smallest of paintings or simplest drawings can inspire me to start working on one of my own projects. I enjoy everything from photographs to oil paintings, movies and books. As a young kid, I was inspired by video game art, moved through endless amounts of fantasy art (Keith Parkinson, Michael Whelan etc) and finished somewhere around modern sci-fi movies. Having said that, I think my own work is fairly detached from my inspirations. In my earlier years, I tried copying most of the art that was available around me. (This is before the Internet was a common thing). Fewer artists influence me these days than before, and my work is mainly driven by my own aspirations in the arts. I have a few ideas for a book project that I’d like to realise some time in the future, and my inspiration would be artists who have achieved similar things.
   
3DTotal: You refer to your job title as a “freelance conceptual designer and matte painter”. Do you enjoy the fact that you are not rooted in one company and, if so, what do you feel are the benefits and disadvantages of this?
Seung: When I was young, and first started out in this field, I learnt (the hard way) how the business works. Companies (the bad ones) do not care for you, they only care about the money that you make for them. So early on, without much experience, I was more or less forced to learn how things work. Any artist wants to feel appreciated in what they do (as does everybody else), and if you take enough crap from a company then you will want to leave. It’s the same thing as being in a personal relationship, only fewer tears. The demands for responsibility, from both parties, increase the day you become a full-time employee, and if one part or the other can’t fulfil their duties, the other party will eventually become fed up. I think freelance is a good compromise. When you sign a contract as a freelancer, you know what you need to do and what is required of you. Both of you stay alert and focused, try to finish the work on time, and hopefully you are rewarded for that engagement. The “let-downs” in a freelance situation are very few, which is why I choose that for today at least. Tomorrow however, is another day.
    
    3DTotal: As a freelance artist do you do much work through correspondence and the internet, or do you always have to move temporarily to the areas where the companies are based?
Seung:I have tried both, and have no preference. It depends on what kind of project it is. They both have their pros and cons. Sometimes it’s nice to work from home, to be mobile and manage your own time. Personally, I like to do this when the project is short. More than a few months and that little room at home starts to feel very small. Generally, if I’m working on a film project or a TV commercial I move to where the project is based. Especially if the project is running longer than say six months. Client meetings and sending lots of images back and forth is easier this way. If the project requires conceptual work, illustrations or designs only, I can work from home. Some companies (i.e. book cover illustration jobs) require only one illustration, which can easily be done over the internet. However, with Internet access being so fast and accessible today, it is appealing to be able to work from a distance.
   
3DTotal: For the benefit of any people wishing to get into the CG industry, could you describe the kind of work you included in your show-reel after working on it over the winter for four months, and the kinds of companies you targeted?
Seung: Firstly, I finished a small amount of images that I felt would hold up to the standards out there.
The second thing to do was to find the kind of companies I’d like to work for. These companies could
be found everywhere, ranging from west to east, north to south. I applied to quite a few places, got a few replies and finally moved to England. Being a little out of the loop after working for more than a year in a few companies, I was unsure exactly what was needed. I knew I had the passion to get out there playing with the big boys, but it was hard to say whether my work was any better or worse than the rest. Basically, there was little to compare to for me. It was a hit and miss situation. I guess I hit the target. People wishing to get into the CG industry need to work hard on their portfolios and get some expert advice to polish it. It’s hard if you’re on your own, that’s why forums and groups of artists can often be helpful. It’s competitive today, more young artists than ever start learning the tricks of the trade.

  
    3DTotal: Did you use many references for each of the works in your CG Painting 1 and Sketches and studies portfolio?
Seung: When I work, I always make sure there’s enough (there can never be enough) reference material around me. This can be drawings, photographs, stories or music. Pictures of friends, pets, anything you might think of. I tend to collect a group of photographs that I like. Either photos I have taken myself, or pictures from the Internet or books. Sometimes I want to capture the light that one picture might have. Sometimes a mood that a story has. Perhaps a chapter in a book you’re reading would translate perfectly into a painting. My work is, most of the time, very literal, so I find it helpful to use images to spark my imagination. Pictures of nature always help, whether I’m painting nature or not.
 

3DTotal: What kind of projects would you ideally like to collaborate on, and why ?
Seung: I’ll be working on TV commercials in a few weeks, after finishing some work on film projects. What’s appealing with (some) of the commercials I get to work on, is a combination of a few things; high production value, good work, nice clients and fast pace - I love that stuff! It’s great to work on a project for
a month or so, produce good work and then see it finished, knowing a small team of people did all the fantastic work together - that’s ideal! 		 
 
 
 
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