Today we’d like to introduce you to Eliot Kim.
Hi Eliot, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
When I was a kid, I drew a lot. Usually, it was some stick figures doing some action pose, but I loved it. My mother, being an artist herself, always pushed me to draw. Consistently signing me up for art lessons and even buying my brothers and me some cheap art supplies. But as a kid, I hated being told what to do and given extra work. Eventually, I stopped drawing altogether because I considered it taking time away from playing outside or video games.
In middle school, I was assigned a task where we had to fill in these individual squares to create a larger image. As I was doing it, my mother noticed that I was drawing again and came up to see what I was drawing. I still remember it vividly. It was Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali. She loved it and pushed me to start drawing again. I was only playing video games or watching TV all day, so I thought I might as well. To my surprise, the very next day, she drove me to an art studio.
When I started my lessons, we painted with acrylic paint. Like most people, I was awful initially, but seeing my paintings improve was exciting. Not only that, when I eventually reached the phase where I could create my paintings and concepts, rather than just copying, I fell in love. The opportunity to create an entire world and tell a story through just an image was a fun challenge for me. My teachers opened a path other than the traditional business or STEM field, so I jumped at the chance to do something I loved.
That’s how I eventually ended up at Otis College of Art and Design. I knew that I wanted to tell stories with my work. But I also wanted to be a part of something bigger. Something that can leave a mark on people and the world’s culture. With Otis offering a course geared for game concept art, I packed my sketchbooks and moved to LA for the next stage of my life.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Has it been a smooth road? Honestly no. I can’t think of anyone who has had a smooth road in art. There are all these hurdles of art blocks, burnout, and financial issues. For me, it was the struggle of not improving. For the longest time, I thought my art wasn’t good enough, especially considering the people around me have had less time and support to grow their skills than I have. For my first year at Otis, I was just stuck. Unsure how to improve, and uncertain how to proceed with my life.
But there have been a few professors who helped me get out of his mindset. First was Professor Nathan Ota. He was the first to help me improve my art and show me a process for art. He also taught me most of my fundamentals, and I am forever grateful.
Second would be Gary Geraths. I admit I was not the best student in his class, but when I took his Animal Drawing class, he taught us how to design creatures. This helped me focus on what I wanted to do. He also taught me the fundamentals of painting and gave me a hobby to pursue whenever I need a break from the computer.
Finally, Professor Ashton Johnson. He was the professor who really narrowed down my technical skills and helped me redefine what I consider art. He was there to help me realize how much better my art can get from color, design, lighting, and everything in between.
There are so many more I want to mention, but if I did, I would be here all day.
Honestly, if anyone finds themselves stuck in a situation where they can’t find a way out of a rut, find a mentor or friend you can work with to help push you to improve.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
What I currently specialize in is prop design and creatures. One of my friends constantly refers to me as the hard surface guy at school, and I try to live up to that title. There are so many I look up to in hard surface design, such as Josh Kao, Eddie Smith, and of course, Syd Mead. But anyhow, what I am most proud of is what I can bring to the table art-wise. Before attending art school, I was trying to become an Industrial Designer at the University of Washington. To break up the monotony of life, I also enrolled in some history classes to expand my worldview. My goal of becoming an Industrial Designer unfortunately didn’t work out, but when designing my things now, I always try to bring what I learned back in Washington to now. I think this is what helps me conceive my little robots.
Art-wise, I am most proud of how much I improved within a year. Focusing on my art and discarding all other distractions improved my skills beyond what I thought I was capable of. I sometimes look at my older art concepts and just cringe that I used to think this was the peak of my art.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I have the three that I listed previously. Ashton Johnson, Gary Geraths, Nathan Ota. Dan Quarnstrom is one of the professors who helped me with my hard surface concepting. Not only did he introduce me to this world of robots and spaceships, he helped me understand how to even start. I feel like for many artists, when we are given a challenge, sometimes we don’t even know where to start. Dan helped me figure that out for robots.
Another one that I would like to mention is Cecil Kim. When I was younger, I always wanted to include worldbuilding or storytelling in my art. But I always struggled with that, just drawing whatever looked cool. But he helped me develop stories and implant them into my drawings.
Someone who supported me through my artistic journey was my friend Kathryn Chan. We met in our freshman year of college and have been good friends ever since. But we bonded over many similar issues we had regarding art. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to improve as fast as I did without her supporting me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eliotkim.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wondae_1/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliot-d-kim/
