The New Creation

It’s already December 2017! I can’t believe time flies sooooooooooo fast!

I was searching for a good printmaking lab in Seoul for a while, and finally found a small Riso lab in Chungmooro which is the biggest publication area in Seoul.

For my first Riso book, honestly I was not 100% satisfied, actually somewhat mad…. but I recalled the moment I made the first silkscreen book about 10 years ago. I was so clumsy and full of mistakes and so sad when I saw the results of the silkscreen prints. Even though I felt that I wasted of all the money and time for silkscreen, I didn’t give up. Then few months later, I made a satisfied silkscreen book finally! ( That was ‘Today is Sushi Day’)

I believe this case is the same. so even though I’m not 100% happy with the results, I’ll never stop and keep doing the Riso!

This semester has only one week left. I enjoyed so much of teaching for my students and was so glad seeing their better work week by week.

Hopefully New York doesn’t forget about me as much as I missed the city.

But now I compared the life I had in New York and Seoul, I’d like to say living in Seoul is much better because I’m not a stranger/foreigner/alien in this city that is very important matter for one’s life quality.

I hope this book became a good start of my NEW printmaking life in Seoul. I used the color of Dark Purple which is the Pantone color of the year for 2018 and also Yellow, which is the Chinese year of the yellow dog for 2018. This is a funny story that the future Adam and Eve met Trump and Kim Jong-Un, then made “the New Creation”. I wanted to criticize the present and future’s important and biggest matters with my humors of drawings based on the stories of the bible.

Hope you like it! 🙂

Fall 2017

It’s already October! Time flies so fast!

Here are my latest works and what I’ve been doing.

Hope you enjoy!

Hemispheres Magazine's Sep issue - AD Johanna Lundberg Link — Hemispheres Magazine’s Sep issue – AD Johanna Lundberg Link

Long time no B&W! For Popular Science‘s Sep/Oct issue! AD Russ Smith

This piece was accepted into this year's Korean Contemporary Printmakers Association 's Competition! My latest printmaking pieces were already exhibited or awarded from others, so I picked an old piece which has never been showing. — This piece was accepted into this year’s Korean Contemporary Printmakers Association ‘s Competition! My latest printmaking pieces were already exhibited or awarded from others, so I picked an old piece which has never been showing.

Students were preparing for wall critiques at my 'Illustration Studio' class in Seoul National Univ. of Science and Technology. — Students were preparing for wall critiques at my ‘Illustration Studio’ class in Seoul National Univ. of Science and Technology.

Noah’s Ark

As soon as I returned to my home country from the US, I went to Indonesia to do outreach with my team for 12 days and 10 nights. Our mission was ‘Connect’, and we planned to paint a mural which was Noah’s Ark for their ‘Technical school for the visually impaired’ in Kupang in West Timor.

So I picked Yellow and Pink as main colors that were not similar to the sky and nature, and made the doors and windows became a part of the ark.

Total four days, our team were well mingle with local people of Kupang, and successfully finished the mural! I was so glad to help the blind people with my ideas. Even though they couldn’t see anything, I was sure that they felt the warmth.

It was a great opportunity and experience of my work life, and worth more than any of expensive clients’ assignments. We couldn’t been happier to see their smiley faces about the mural! #firstthingsfirst

Everyone in front of the Mural! Korea and Indonesia became one!

At first, the school was ugly green. The primary colors were painted!

Back in the Brooklyn studio!

The studio moved last year and the new studio is much better!

Here's my space for the summer! Thanks Bo! :) — Here’s my space for the summer! Thanks Bo! 🙂

Finally the semester was over, and I came back to the Gowanus studio that I shared with Sara Varon and Aaron Meshon last year!

My students did amazing jobs and I posted some images on my instagram – @jroillo

It’s been a year and can’t believe I was away from New York that loooong!

The 14 hours flight was not a hard thing anymore, and I even enjoyed the time. 🙂

I can only stay here for three weeks, but have lots of things to do including illustrating one of the Goosebumps series for a Korean version.

I’m glad I came back to the full time illustrator for the summer, and will bring lots of good stuff for my students for next semester!

So here’s the editorial illustrations that I haven’t been posted.

Harvard Magazine 's July issue- AD Jennifer Carling — Harvard Magazine ‘s July issue- AD Jennifer Carling

Atlanta Magazine 's July issue - AD Rachel Hortman — Atlanta Magazine ‘s July issue – AD Rachel Hortman

The Ringer for the Harry Potter day! - AD David Shoemaker — The Ringer for the Harry Potter day! – AD David Shoemaker

A quick illo for The Ringer - AD David Shoemaker — A quick illo for The Ringer – AD David Shoemaker

Pacific Standard - AD Taylor Le — Pacific Standard – AD Taylor Le

Thanks for reading! 🙂

Long time!

OMG It’s truly long time nooooooooo blogging… I’m so sorry!

I had a special lecture at the Kookmin University‘s MFA Illustration program last evening. They had a small class but their works were incredibly and extremely high.

Kookmin University has one of the top design departments in Korea and I’m proudly teaching their undergrad students as well as Seoul Tech. 🙂

So here’s some photos that I took these days while I’m teaching Seoul National University of Science and Technology and Kookmin Univ., and most of the students worked so hard for the projects I gave them!

at Seoul Tech - Sketch Wall Critique — at Seoul Tech – Sketch Wall Critique

At Kookmin Univ. -Sketch Wall Critique (Those two are my foreign students from Europe.)

At Seoul Tech - Finals — At Seoul Tech – Finals

At Kookmin Univ. - Finals — At Kookmin Univ. – Finals

At Seoul Tech - Zine project — At Seoul Tech – Zine project

At Kookmin Univ. - Zine project — At Kookmin Univ. – Zine project

I’m so enjoying teaching these days, and I also learned from students who were so inspired.

The only thing I can complain was Korea’s spring semester started on March, and ended at the end of June… So I only have July and August for the summer vacation… – too short and hot… 😦

Anyways, so besides my teaching life in Korea, I also work for my personal and client projects.

And I recently got a new ipad pro and apple pencil that I tried to draw with them and less use my ordinary work supplies.

So here’s some examples,

And I’m always happy to get international mails, and here are the latest issue of 8×8 magazine spread and create zine issue #02 from UK that has my Ray-Ban illustration in it.

Thanks for reading! 🙂

Congrats to me for getting my second O-1 Visa!

I just came from U.S Embassy & Consulate in Korea today because I had my visa interview at 12:30pm.

While in winter time, there’s a lot less people registered for the interviews, and I was the second person to be arrived there.

Everything was really smooth from the time I went in the embassy until I left. The result was ” Your visa has been approved.” Thanks god this was the second time applying for my 3 years’ O-1, so it was easier to get through I guess.

For the next three years, I don’t know whether I can travel and stay in the US as much as I did the last three years because I’m going to teach two universities in Seoul. But I’ll definitely make time for Summer and/or Winter vacations.

Thanks Marjorie, Robert and Jessica for the support, and Chrystal, my agent.

I don’t know how much everything will be changed in the next three years, but hopefully more growth!

🙂

Lucky Peach & logos!

Here’s my latest work for Lucky Peach about What is Kaiseki? Thanks AD Rob Engvall!

And these days, I’m exploring a new tool for my illustration!

Having lots of fun making characters and logos using a ‘Coco face’ that I created, so hopefully soon to be making a story and full illustrations for being able to work for clients!

I wish you like it! 🙂

Jan 2017 issue of GQ USA, Rachael Ray Everyday and sketchbook & paintings

For GQ USA Jan 2017 issue! Thanks AD Martin Salazar (Will be reused in GQ Japan and Brazil's April issues!) — For GQ USA Jan 2017 issue! Thanks AD Martin Salazar (Will be reused in GQ Japan and Brazil’s April issues!)

Found my work from Rachael Ray Everyday site. Thanks AD Elizabeth!

I just made a new page with my sketchbook and paintings! Hope you enjoy!

Paintings from 2015, 2016 Acrylic and Vinyl

Old Envelopes

One of the things that I like living in Seoul is that I could find the memories unintentionally while I was organizing some old stuff. These three caught my eyes this morning and made me a big smile.

These old envelopes were from the people who purchased my prints from the very early work from the NYT, I remember that ‘A pug among pigs‘ from Book Review section AD by Nicholas Blechman. The issue was out on Christmas day, so I’ve never forgot it and thankfully, people wanted to buy my prints!

All three people had different stories, and one clear thing was that they were all animal lovers! ( At that time, I was vegan and Nicholas knew that, so mostly he gave me animal related assignments.) I still remember that one of them was having a baby pig as a pet, and another, my prints were going to be a Christmas gift for friends!

I also love their hand letterings! I could see their personalities through their letterings, so the envelopes were worth enough to keep and became my treasures.

It was good to work for the paper, but these kind of things became more worthy stuff.

Thanks Cara, Paul, and the one who didn’t write his/her name and happy 2017!