Traditional Motifs and Methods in Korean Picture Books

백지혜 (Baek Jee Hye) (Korea)

Baek Jee Hye is a Korean painter who deeply cherishes the beauty and tradition of classical Korean art. She studied East Asian Painting at Ewha Womans University and specialized in traditional Jinchae painting at Hansung University’s graduate school, earning a Ph.D. in Fine Arts with her dissertation, ‘A Study on Portraiture Techniques Applied from Late Joseon Dynasty Portraits’.

Using traditional coloring techniques and materials, she creates portraits and floral paintings on silk, presenting her work through exhibitions, publications, and various media. She has held 17 solo exhibitions, including Garden of Consolation (Gallery Minjung, Seoul, 2022), Capturing People (Insa Art Center, Seoul, 2021), and Certain Times (Gallery Grimson, Seoul, 2018), and has also published three picture books.

Currently, she grows peonies and tree peonies in a small garden, drawing inspiration from the flowers she grew up with. Through her picture books, she hopes to introduce these cherished blossoms to young readers.

강혜숙 (Kang Hyesook) (Korea)

While studying digital content design in graduate school in 2006, Kang Hyesook made her debut as a picture book author when the story Tail? Tail!—originally intended as a short animated film script—was turned into a picture book. She enjoys creating illustrations that blend vivid colors with symbolic patterns inspired by the Mandala style. Since launching the "Vacance Project", a picture book author collective, in 2019, she has been dedicated to creating picture books based on folktales and traditional motifs.

소윤경 (So Yunkyoung) (Korea)

So Yunkyoung has worked as both a children's book illustrator and a picture book author for over 20 years. In Korea, she is known for creating unique fantasy picture books. She explores a wide range of themes not typically found in children's literature, such as humanity’s cruelty toward life on Earth, the hidden side of human pleasures, dazzling depictions of the underworld, as well as war and death. She willingly brings forth dark emotions like conflict and sorrow, aiming to inspire readers with the courage to confront fear.

To her, picture books are “books that embody art”. She integrates various visual art genres—including painting, fantasy, horror, and graphic novels—to craft picture books with new narrative structures.

Additionally, she expands picture books into artistic content across various fields, such as film, animation, performance, and exhibitions. Her goal is to cultivate a picture book culture that can be enjoyed not only by children and young adults but by people of all ages.