Jee-ook Choi conveys complex ideas using fine linework and muted colours

South Korean illustrator Jee-ook Choi has adopted a minimal approach to her work and describes her style as “dry and poetic”. We shared her poster work and illustrations last year and while Jee-ook is still conveying ambiguous narratives through considered linework, it’s clear Jee-ook has pared back her images even more, making us focus on the finer details.

“I try to put complex emotions into my illustrations, but I’m careful not to overdo it,” she explains. “I enjoy the process of composing and arranging an image. It’s good to keep changing while I work, and avoid planning completely from the beginning. To be honest, I spend more time worrying what to draw rather than the actual drawing.”

With commissions from The New Yorker and Stella magazine, Jee-ook enjoys the challenge of working with a client and brief in mind. “There’s not as much freedom in commercial and editorial work, but I think it’s interesting to come up with ideas with limitations,” the illustrator says. “I think it’s great to balance what the client wants, the audience wants and what I want.”

Jee-ook sees her work as using visuals to express and “understand a less logical world” and through this most recent work we see obscure sights like a cloaked crumbling figure, graphic waves and a floating lasso elegantly drawn in muted tones.