Skitsch Started a Sketch Blog!

Check out this great drawing by Skitsch:Skitsch drew this specifically to share with you on her new sketch blog.

Who is Skitsch you ask? You can learn a little about her by reading this Korea & Animation interview where she discusses her life as an inbetweener in the Korean animation industry. Or you can learn even more about her by checking out the drawn self introduction she posted over at her own blog.

Skitsch is digging up old drawings as well as creating new ones to share with the world. Sometimes she even shows her drawing process with us. Who knows what the future of her blog may hold? I say we all encourage her by leaving lots of comments!

Visit her now at: http://skitschbook.blogspot.com

Sugary Cereal Characters Gallery

Welcome, dear patron, to the Sugary Cereal Characters Gallery in Seoul. Let me guide you through our fine collection of cereal boxes.

Froot Ring

Breakfast cereal is not a major staple of Korean breakfasts. The breakfast cereals movement has its roots in the United States of America. As such, many of the pieces in our gallery borrow from the work of artists abroad. The brightly colored piece above is such an example.

Coco Pops

This piece is more conservative in its use of color than the previous. It utilizes mostly warm earthtones. This is likely to invoke a chocolately aesthetic.

Oreo O's

Notice how typography dominates this piece heavily. This is quite rare. Unlike other pieces, the words "Oreo O's" are emphasized boldly while the trade character almost goes unnoticed.

Here we have allowed you to see a close up of the cartoon character. The character is likely meant to represent the white substance in Oreo cookies. It is a wonder that the artist chose to de-emphasize such a scrumptious substance.

Corn Frost: Light Sugar

Here we see a reinterpretation of the original Corn Frost piece. The bland white background and subtle pose of the trade character align with the conservative restrictions of the Light Sugar aesthetic. Why don't we take a look at the original Corn Frost design?

Corn Frost

POW! Unrestricted by the confines of the Light Sugar aesthetic, this box design is really allowed to pop! Through a bright blue background and Tony the Tiger in the pose he was truly born for, the viewer can only be convinced that this original is superior. However, if you look closely at the bowls of cereal in both pieces, you'll notice that they are identical.

Corn Flate

We now move on past the American breakfast cereal boxes and into our local collection. These pieces build upon the work of American cereal box artists.

We have created this East vs. West comparison for you. The similarities are striking. Are the Korean artists truly building upon what the American artists have created? Or is their work merely derivative? In either case, the American influence is evident. Look closely and you will notice that the American tiger has his name "Tony" written in Korean hangeul on his bandana. The Korean lion "Flion" has his name written in a cursive English variant of Latin on his soccer jersey. We take this as evidence that both artists must have respected each other's work and cultures.

Corn Flate: Sugar Light

Notice how Korean artists resist the blandness of the Sugar Light aesthetic in the piece above. Rather than blandness, they utilize symbols of the upper atmosphere to represent lightness.

Choco Flakes

Here's a Korean example of a chocolatey aesthetic.

Starberry

Our Starberry piece is an exquisite example of a brightly colored cereal box. It reveals the society it was created in. This robot-like trade character reflects the fascination with robots in Korea. It shows the hopes for robots to make life faster, easier, and even more tasty.

Choco Ball

Alas, the world of cereal box art is not free of commerce in Korea. Here we see the beloved animated character, Dooly, being used to generate profit. In the piece above, he is donning wizarding garb and attempting to make Choco Ball appear healthier than it actually may be. However, does this Dooly commercial tie-in automatically prevent the piece from being considered art? I personally do not believe so.

If you pay very close attention to the Choco Ball piece, you'll notice the little girl hanging off the side of the bowl. Her expression merits great attention. Notice the artist's choice to give her only three teeth. This choice, in combination with the rest of her expression, makes her look somewhat crazed. She looks as if she is mesmerized by Choco Ball and must eat the cereal now. I believe the "three tooth design" should become the standard symbol for representing a character's voracious and urgent appetite. Commercial or not, this "three tooth design" is truly a contribution to the breakfast cereal art world.

Chex Choco Crunch

The late development of breakfast cereals in Korea allowed them to arise within a highly advanced technological infrastructure. This allowed for the possibility of new kinds of trade characters. Trade characters not restricted by their two dimensional counterparts. Above you will see two computer generated trade characters created for Chex Choco Crunch. These CG trade characters can easily be reused within the Chex Choco brand.

Chex Choco 1

Some could argue that the use of 3-Dimensional trade characters is a sign of the dying of an artform--that a little part of the soul in these characters is lost. Others argue that a medium is just a medium--2D or 3D. I personally agree with the latter. After all, the above piece illustrates that trade characters are still being used in the traditional ways they always have been: smiling, giving a thumbs up, and pushing their product. The method of doing this irrelevant.

Chex Choco 2

Here, however, we see that CG characters are being used in new ways. Ways not attempted previously. Perhaps the artist intended this character to look excited. Yet, one reading could be that it is actually quite scared, perhaps putting its arms up for the police siren. It is easy to imagine it reacting to a small explosion.

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the Choco Chex character. The character on the right is traditional and conservative--giving the ubiquitous thumbs up. The character on the left looks either very excited, very scared, or both. It is a new expression in this artform. The character on the left represents a break from tradition. Perhaps even a new direction for cereal box art. Time will only tell what the future of cereal box art in Korea will hold. Hopefully, the future holds more unique and clever pieces to take the artform to new places.

Thanks for visiting the Sugary Cereal Characters gallery in Seoul. Please visit a gallery (i.e. super market) near you!

North Korea Souvenir Buttons

These are souvenir buttons from the North Korean city of Kaesong.
I thought you might appreciate seeing some North Korean design in practice.

I'm particularly fond of the color choice in this one above.

The central theme of these buttons is the reunification of North Korea and South Korea.

Although these buttons were purchased in Kaesong, their packaging indicates that they were originally from Pyongyang. Pyongyang and Kaesong are amongst the few North Korean cities open to foreign tourists, including South Koreans.

If you'd like to learn more about this recently started Kaesong tour, Dr. Edward Reed of the Asia Foundation has written an insightful write-up about it.

What are your thoughts?

More About Podori

Here's more about Podori, the New Police for the New Millenium!

Podori is the mascot for the Korean National Police Agency. He has been presented on Korea & Animation before. Here is what has been learned about him since then.

This sticker was placed by the Seoul Police Department inside of a subway station. Look very closely at the lower right-hand corner and you'll see the signature of Lee Hyeon Se. Lee, often upheld as the most famous comic book artist in Korea, apparently designed Podori.

Here are some close-ups, insights, and translations from that sticker:

It appears Podori can patrol Seoul apartments by flying around with a Doraemon-like helicopter cap. Here he is observing how careless Seoul citizens are.

Podori: Wow, they don't even bother identifying their guests before opening the door!

Podori: Milk and newspapers are stacked up outside. They must have been gone for a long time.

Podori: They don't turn off the light while out at night!

Podori is a very respondent police officer.

Podori: Freeze!

Crook: Oh! That was so fast!

Woman: Oh my! It's only 3 minutes after I reported this!

Podori isn't afraid to put troublemakers in their place.

Angry Wife: Beat him! Spank him harder! Because he's an alcoholic!

Upset Daughter: I hate my dad!

Sound Effects: Spank! Spank!

Watch out criminals, because Podori is watching you even more closely!

Podori: Big ears to better hear citizens.

Podori: Big eyes to better catch thieves with.

Crook: Argh! It's Podori!

And here's a treat. The other police mascot! Although, she isn't seen around as much as Podori. I wonder what her story is?