Episode 44: Simple Things Are Difficult
Kang Lim had lunch and then entered the studio for his afternoon class.
The
This is a new mandatory major course, replacing the common practical classes.
The class will be conducted by Gerald until the midterm evaluation, and then by Koo Haeyoung until the final evaluation.
‘They probably want us to experience both styles and then choose our major…’
Kang Lim looked around.
The atmosphere in the studio was as excited as the first class in March.
Professor Gerald Moore was rumored to be very entertaining.
Everyone was expecting a completely different vibe from the serious Koo Haeyoung.
Just as the students were gossiping while finding their seats, the assistant finished taking attendance.
With the common practical classes over, only the Fine Arts students remained, leaving the studio rather empty.
In fact, the number of students was so small that calling roll felt a bit awkward.
“Hahaha! Hello, everyone.”
“Hello!”
Fortunately, a lively voice filled the room. With his blonde hair flowing…
All the students stared at Gerald curiously.
Because he spoke Korean so well.
As soon as Gerald entered, he sat slanted on the communal desk and said,
“What do you think is the most important talent in art? Feel free to speak up.”
After glancing around a bit, a few students answered Gerald’s question.
“A good sense of composition!”
“Color sense!”
“Good form and depiction skills!”
“Money!”
At Lee Hyunseong’s final answer, Gerald burst out laughing.
“Who said money? That was a very attractive answer. You almost made me reconsider the answer I prepared.”
The students laughed together at Gerald’s ensuing joke.
“But you’re all wrong. That’s not the most important thing.”
By this point, even Kang Lim was curious about the answer.
After all, they had already mentioned all the likely abilities.
Gerald looked at Kang Lim and said,
“The most important thing is the desire to keep drawing. Of course, I’m not talking about perseverance or loving art. Literally, you need to have an image that makes you want to keep drawing.”
Gerald turned on the screen and showed an image.
It was Picasso’s
The work depicts the massacre of civilians during the bombing of Guernica by the Nazis.
“Do you know why Picasso is considered a genius? If you ask people, they would say, ‘Because he created Cubism, which combines perspectives from the side, front, and back all into one figure.
Thanks to such unique images, the horror of war is better revealed in Guernica. It looks more chaotic and turbulent compared to those who painted more realistically. Look at the people screaming within that restrained black and white palette!’”
Kang Lim looked at Seo Yeon next to him and laughed.
Seo Yeon seemed to flinch as if Gerald had recited exactly what she was about to say.
Gerald paused for a moment and then shouted loudly,
“No! Wrong! All wrong! Those are just embellishments art historians attach. There’s only one reason Picasso is a genius. Because he painted a hell of a lot. The number of officially reported works is over 50,000. Most of those paintings are as big as the walls in your house.”
The students burst into laughter again at Gerald’s words.
Gerald laughed along with them and then continued,
“Hahaha. Funny, isn’t it? But don’t laugh. This is the truth. That’s the only difference between a genius and an ordinary person. It’s simple. Most of you are probably ordinary, right? Because when given a blank canvas, you say, ‘Ah, damn, what should I draw?’”
The classroom burst into laughter again at Gerald’s fluent Korean, even the swear words fitting perfectly.
“A genius is someone whose head is always full of new images they want to draw every day, making life feel too short. They need more time to draw more, but damn, life’s too short!”
“Wow… So Picasso was blessed with a long life. He lived for a hundred years!”
“That’s right! Hahaha.”
At first, Gerald’s words sounded like jokes, but gradually it felt like they were hitting home.
When you think about it, being able to keep drawing might be the hardest thing.
Since no two drawings are the same, constantly stimulating the brain to create new images and exhausting one’s imagination must be a painful process.
Gerald calmed his voice and spoke seriously,
“Of course, I don’t think you have to be a genius to do art. I believe you all can do it too. But your biggest problem is that you don’t work as hard as geniuses. You need to draw a lot to make a living, right? Even to hold a solo exhibition, you need at least 20 pieces, but do you draw five pieces a year?”
At this question, Lee Hyunseong raised his hand and asked,
“Professor, are you saying we should draw pictures that sell? Even though it’s fine art, it doesn’t have to be pure?”
Gerald responded with a hearty laugh as if it was a silly question.
“In my view, the ‘pure’ in pure art doesn’t refer to purity. Here, purity means the complete autonomy of humans. In other words, anything goes.”
“Oh…?”
“And the phrase I hate the most is talent donation. Why donate your talent? You should sell it. That kind of mindset starves artists.”
He was truly an unusual professor.
His works themselves weren’t that commercial, but his words were the opposite, which was surprising.
Kang Lim looked at Gerald with curious eyes.
Gerald also looked at Kang Lim and said,
“This assignment is to draw a hell of a lot. Let’s lay out various works and discuss your strengths to find ways to make a living. By the way, if you have old drawings, bring them all. Take photos or something and compile them into a portfolio.”
“Watercolor or sketch works too?”
“We’re still freshmen, though?”
Gerald smiled brightly at the students’ questions.
“Anything and everything! Bring it all! I want to see your lives. What kind of life you’ve lived… Drawing, oil painting, acrylic, printmaking… Any work is welcome. But only flat works! The period is seven weeks.”
Bringing all the old drawings?
That’s a lot. Should I just pick the representative ones?
It’s a bit much to explain each piece, and a portfolio seems like the only answer…
Kang Lim glanced at Seo Yeon beside him.
It seemed like it would be quite a struggle.
What if she collapses from the effort?
‘First, I need to look at other people’s works before planning my picture book.’
Before going home, Kang Lim stopped by a bookstore to browse through various picture books.
Since it was hard to read all the books on the spot, many people ended up buying them, but Kang Lim could quickly flip through them and store the images in his memory, like taking photos.
Moreover, since they were children’s books, the content was short.
‘There really aren’t many original Korean children’s stories.’
The only disappointing thing at the bookstore was that.
Most of the best-selling picture books were famous Andersen’s fairy tales republished with different illustrations.
If there were any new original fairy tales, they were also works by foreigners.
People like Anthony Browne, who won the Andersen Award in 2000, or Sano Yoko, who won the Kobayashi Hideo Award.
Of course, Korea is a powerhouse in illustration.
Korean illustrators win awards almost every year at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, which is the most prestigious in children’s book illustrations.
But those award-winning works weren’t selling well in the actual market.
‘Artistic illustrations are great, but they don’t sell well because they lack a “story”…’
Books with only illustrations are difficult for parents to read to their children, so they don’t buy them much.
Moreover, the books that children read repeatedly are not those with just good illustrations but those with outstanding stories and characters.
Parents want books that are not only beautifully illustrated but also have a high comprehensive score as a fairy tale.
‘Books with beautiful illustrations and interesting stories sell well in the market.’
Since Kang Lim was planning to enter a domestic literature contest, understanding the market situation was important.
After all, publishers want books that will actually sell.
‘Of course, it’s best if both the illustrations and the story are good! I need to achieve both.’
If he hadn’t done market research, he might have ended up creating a picture book composed solely of onomatopoeia and mimetic words.
Books for children under the age of three.
Kang Lim returned home and accessed the literature contest website.
As the saying goes, autumn is the season of reading, and a lot of literature contests are announced around this time.
Especially picture book contests, which tend to have high prize money.
‘Although the advance payment is deducted from the money the book sells…’
World Book Picture Book Contest
The World Book Picture Book Contest was established in 1990 to promote the development of children’s books in Korea.
Tell us your own creative story that captivates children!
Categories: Picture Books
Awards: Grand Prize - 15 million won (advance payment)
Excellence Prize - 5 million won (advance payment)
Encouragement Prize - 1 million won
Submission Format: Picture Book Dummy
Announcement of Winners: World Book Website
After looking at several contest guidelines, this publisher seemed the most appealing.
World Book is also the oldest children’s book publisher.
The remaining time was tight, but it coincided with the midterm for the Introduction to Digital Design class, so it didn’t matter.
‘Let’s start with the story.’
Kang Lim opened a Hangul file and pulled the keyboard closer.
His eyes blinked along with the cursor blinking on the screen.
Tick-tock, tick-tock…
Time was passing.
After trying it himself,
he understood why there were no original fairy tales.
Creating a story wasn’t easy…
Originally, he intended to write the story and then ask his mother for advice, but that wouldn’t work.
He needed some hints from the beginning.
Knock, knock, knock.
When he knocked, Yujin Lim, wearing glasses, slightly opened the door.
“Yes. Come in. What’s up?”
Kang Lim found his mother typing under the desk lamp suddenly mysterious.
“Mom, you’re a real artist. Writing is difficult…”
“What are you talking about? You’re the artist.”
Yujin Lim chuckled as if it were absurd.
“I have a class at school where I need to make a picture book. Can you teach me how to create a short story easily?”
When Kang Lim got to the point, Yujin Lim organized the screen where she was writing her novel and started talking.
It was no big deal to share some know-how if it could help her son.
“For a picture book, a very simple structure is good.”
“How?”
“All stories ultimately take the form of overcoming some test or ordeal. But picture books are more straightforward. Set up a protagonist and give them three trials. It’s better if the ending is a happy one.”
“Three trials…”
“Yes. For example, in Snow White, there are three attempts to kill her, and in the end, the prince saves her.”
“Hmm…”
Kang Lim folded his arms, as if he didn’t quite get it.
Yujin Lim looked at him curiously and thought,
So my son has moments of being stuck…
“If it’s difficult, you can continue from where an existing fairy tale left off. Creating parts that don’t exist is also a form of creation.”
“Oh. That sounds easier.”
“And try to get inspiration from those around you. Since it’s a fairy tale, think of someone who needs comfort and write for them.”
“Someone who needs comfort?”
Suddenly, the image of Shin Taemin, who was drawing dying ghosts, came to mind, and Kang Lim clapped his hands as if he had an epiphany.
“I should create a story for someone with severe self-hatred. To make them love themselves… There’s someone who always talks about wanting to die.”
“Great. That sounds good. You’ll need to soften it a bit, but make it full of dreams and hope.”
“Ah, of course. It’s for kids.”
Seeing the bright idea come to him, Yujin Lim smiled broadly.
“You might write better than me. You’ve read a lot of books, after all.”
