Rising Stars: Meet Tommy Kim of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tommy Kim

Hi Tommy, 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?
Art has always been a way for me to connect with the world. From a young age, I was drawn to how color and light could evoke emotions and how a well-placed shadow could add mystery or how a glowing sunset could fill a scene with warmth. I knew early on that I wanted to tell stories visually, to create images that spoke without words.

That passion led me to study at the Art Center College of Design, where I immersed myself in design, illustration, and visual storytelling. I wanted to do more than just make beautiful images. I wanted to use color and composition to tell stories that resonate. During my time at Art Center, I developed a deep appreciation for the craft of animation and film, where every frame is carefully constructed to guide the audience’s emotions.

After graduating, I entered the animation industry, eager to apply what I had learned. I worked on several projects, gradually making my way into leadership roles. One of my most rewarding experiences was working as an Art Director on Stillwater, an animated series that blended gentle storytelling with thoughtful, meditative visuals. In Stillwater, every color choice, lighting setup, and composition was carefully considered to match the show’s themes of mindfulness and emotional depth. It was a project that aligned perfectly with my artistic philosophy—using visuals to help people slow down and appreciate the moment.

I also had the opportunity to work as a Color Script Artist on Luck at Skydance Animation, where I helped shape the lighting and color design for an animated feature. This role challenged me to think about the emotional impact of color in storytelling—how to transition from one mood to another seamlessly, how to make each scene feel immersive and alive. Designing the color script for Luck taught me the importance of visual continuity and how even the subtlest shifts in color temperature can guide an audience’s emotional journey.

Outside of animation, I have a deep love for pleinair painting, particularly using gouache to capture urban and natural environments. There’s something special about stepping outside, setting up my paints, and capturing a fleeting moment in time. I’m especially drawn to ordinary city scenes such as cars parked on a street, neon reflections in puddles, warm light spilling from storefronts at night. These moments often go unnoticed, but through painting, I try to show how even the most mundane scenes can be extraordinary when seen through the right lens.

Today, I continue to balance my work in animation with my personal art projects. Whether I’m creating color scripts for films, designing immersive worlds, or painting the everyday beauty around me, my goal is always the same: to use color and light to tell meaningful stories. I want to inspire people to pause, take a breath, and see the beauty in the world around them—because sometimes, the most profound moments are the ones we overlook.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Pursuing a career in art is never a straight path, and mine was no different. From the start, I faced uncertainty, doubt, and obstacles that made me question whether I was making the right choices. Looking back, every struggle shaped who I am today.

Moving from South Korea to the U.S. at 15 was one of the first major challenges of my life. Everything was unfamiliar – language, culture, people. Art became my way of processing the transition, a place where I felt in control. But choosing to pursue art professionally wasn’t easy. Like many artists, I wrestled with the thought: “Can I actually make a living doing this?”

Getting into Art Center College of Design was a huge achievement, but the reality of being there was something else entirely. The workload was brutal, and competition was fierce. Every project felt like a test of my abilities, and some days, it felt like I wasn’t keeping up.

There were moments when I considered whether I had what it took. The pressure to constantly improve, meet deadlines, and push creative boundaries was exhausting. But I also learned resilience, how to take criticism, how to fail and get back up, and how to find my voice as an artist despite the noise.

Working in animation, while fulfilling, also made me realize how important it was to have something outside of the industry. Something that was purely mine. That’s where plein air painting came in.

Spending long hours on a computer made me crave the immediacy and imperfection of painting outdoors. No undo button, no revisions—just me, the brush, and the world in front of me. It reminded me why I started painting in the first place: to capture moments, to slow down, to see beauty in the mundane.

At times, I struggled to balance my work with personal projects, feeling like I was being pulled in different directions. But I’ve learned that both fuel each other. Painting keeps me inspired for animation, and animation deepens my understanding of storytelling for my personal art.

The struggles haven’t stopped. They never really do. But I’ve come to understand that growth happens in those difficult moments, when you’re doubting yourself, when things aren’t working, when you have to push through uncertainty.

Now, as I continue my journey—balancing my work in animation, my art print business, and new creative ventures like creating videos, I know that every challenge ahead will bring something new to learn.

And that’s what keeps me going.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in color and light storytelling, using them as tools to shape emotions, guide narratives, and immerse audiences in visual experiences. My work spans across animation, fine art, and themed entertainment, and while each area is different, they all come back to the same core idea: capturing the beauty of everyday moments through color and atmosphere.

Beyond animation, I’m known for my plein air gouache paintings, particularly of urban environments. My work often depicts everyday city scenes—cars parked along the street, neon reflections on wet pavement, warm shop lights glowing at dusk. These might seem like ordinary moments, but through my use of color and lighting, I try to show how these scenes can feel cinematic, emotional, and full of life.

What sets me apart in this space is my ability to combine an animation-trained sense of storytelling with traditional painting techniques. I don’t just paint what I see—I paint the mood and feeling of a place. My experience in film and color scripting allows me to push colors beyond realism, using abstraction in just the right way to create a heightened emotional experience.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I’ve been working in animation enough to see how quickly things change. Technology, trends, audience expectations—they’re always evolving, and if you don’t keep up, you get left behind. Looking ahead, I think the next decade will bring some major shifts, especially in animation, digital art, and how artists connect with their audiences.

Looking ahead, I want to stay adaptable. The industry is changing fast, and the artists who thrive will be the ones who embrace change instead of resisting it.

The future is unpredictable, but one thing is clear: art isn’t going anywhere. No matter how much technology advances, people will always crave meaningful, personal, and beautifully crafted stories. And I plan to keep telling them—through animation, through painting, and through whatever new creative paths open up along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tommykimart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tommykim_art/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tommy.kim.752
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommy-kim-85376050/
• Twitter: https://x.com/tommykimart
• Other: https://tommykimartstore.com/password

Image Credits
TommyKim_SW01.jpeg – “Stillwater” Gaumont Animation
TommyKim_SW02.jpeg – “Stillwater” Gaumont Animation

TommyKim_Personal_4.png – Personal Digital Painting
TommyKim_Personal_7.png – Personal Digital Painting

sunset_newyork.jpeg – Pleinair Gouache Painting
IMG_1569.jpeg – Pleinair Gouache Painting
greenight_print_small.jpeg – Pleinair Gouache Painting
A475F33F-4336-4FEE-9366-F6EE56A8C4BE+(1).jpeg – Pleinair Gouache Painting