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Artist Spontaneously Adds Color Drops to Beads of Water to Create Gorgeous Fashion Illustrations

Many fashion designers have a muse, so it’s no surprise that illustrator JaeSuk Kim employs the same idea in his stylish paintings. Known as the Susu girls, these whimsical figures don beautiful gowns imagined by Kim. The ethereal garments are created primarily using water-based media, and they’re vibrant explosions of color—Kim often lets his pigment flow freely over the page, embracing the diffused edges as if they’re bunches of lightweight fabric or feathers.

Painting for the Susu girls is all about taking chances. “I add shapes, lines and textures spontaneously to create an abstract and fluid form to represent couture-like dresses,” Kim explained to Instagram Blog. Describing one of his favorite approaches, he said, “I squeeze water droplets from the brush, then watercolors are added onto these droplets.” While unpredictable, Kim knows that even blunders can yield something unexpectedly delightful. “I think the beauty of watercolor is that even if you make a mistake, it somehow adds a special touch to it.”

Kim’s work has caught the attention of big brands like Bulgari, Cartier, and Dolce & Gabbana. Follow his fashion adventures through his popular Instagram.

Here's a look into Kim's mesmerizing process:

Kim creates equally-as-stunning works using acrylic paint, gold leaf, and even candy:

JaeSuk Kim: Website | InstagramFacebook
via [Instagram Blog]

My Modern Met granted permission to use media by JaeSuk Kim.

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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